About LRaPP

Why do we need the Partnership?

London is a great city with great challenges – many of them exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. At the same time, London is one of the world’s leading research and higher education capitals, with over 40 universities and thousands of university researchers.

There could be huge benefits to London’s universities and London government working more closely together. London’s policymakers could gain from being able to draw on the experience, expertise and guidance of academic researchers, while researchers could benefit from a closer understanding of policy priorities and the chance to test and evaluate interventions and influence policy development. Closer working could also help unlock research and innovation funding from national academic funding bodies and other sources and support the development of innovations and expertise with commercial potential.

There is growing interest among policy makers and researchers in the potential of the city as a real life laboratory and experimenting with innovative approaches to urban issues. The LRaPP;puts the capital in a position to lead the way.

Since the launching in July 2021, LRaPP has staged two half-day conferences on London’s role of levelling up the UK; consulted with the boroughs and the broader policy community on research and innovation priorities, appointed two CAPE funded policy fellows to work with the Intelligence Unit at the Greater London Authority and commissioned research mapping youth mentoring across London.