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New partnership aims to marry policy and research to harness London’s strengths in local government and higher education

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A new partnership – the London Research and Policy Partnership (LRPP) - between the Greater London Authority (GLA), the University of London and the Research England-funded Capabilities in Academic-Policy Engagement (CAPE) launches on Tuesday July 20.

Ben Rogers smiles in front of a brick wall

It aims to harness the capabilities of London’s more than 40 universities with the policy-making expertise of the GLA.

The partnership is part of a growing movement to connect universities with their home cities, with a view to developing, testing and launching new approaches to solving social challenges. 

University of London (UoL) Professor of Practice, Ben Rogers, who leads the LRPP, said:

"London is a great city. But as we look to recover from the pandemic our capital doesn’t just face economic but social and environmental challenges. 

London is perhaps the world’s leading university capital with thousands of brilliant researchers, and an able, mature and well networked system of government. It makes sense to get them working together.   

We recognise that there have been and there, are many examples of London academics and London’s public sector working together.  But most of these relationships have developed in a fairly ad hoc way."

This new partnership aims to take a more systematic approach, by supporting proactive and sustained engagement between the higher education and government sectors.”

UoL Vice-Chancellor Wendy Thomson said: “Local authorities, businesses, and civil society groups can benefit from the knowledge, independence and innovative capacity of academic experts but academic experts benefit from the insights, connections, power and influence of policy makers, businesses and civil organisations. 

The LRPP will provide a practical, real world, framework to bring all these elements together. There is growing appreciation of the potential of joint working between policy makers and academic and with this partnership London will be leading the way.

Deputy Mayor, Planning, Regeneration and Skills, Jules Pipe CBE, said: “London is one of the world’s leading research and higher education capitals, with over 40 universities and thousands of university researchers. With such an amazing wealth of academic researchers and policy experts in the capital, I welcome the opportunity that the London Research and Policy Partnership offers to bring this talent together and help build a better city.” 

Ends

Notes to editors:

The London Research and Policy Partnership is being launched at a virtual event between 11.00-12.00 on Tuesday July 20 with speakers including Jules Pipe, Deputy Mayor of London for Planning, Regeneration and Skills, Jules Pipe, Professor of Collective Intelligence, Social Innovation and Public Policy at University College London Sir Geoff Mulgan and Co-Chair of the Capabilities in Academic-Policy Engagement, Sarah Chaytor. 

This page was last updated on 14 December 2023