About the Innovation and Research Caucus

Background

The Innovation and Research Caucus (IRC) is a network of innovation and research funding experts who work with UKRI to undertake research and other activities to help increase the use and influence of robust evidence, insights and thought leadership in UKRI’s strategies and interventions to generate positive impacts in the way which UKRI funds and supports research and innovation.

Our project is a £7 million investment, co-funded and delivered with ESRC, Innovate UK and the Strategy Performance and Engagement (UKRI SPE) team within UKRI.

Led by co-directors, Professor Tim Vorley and Professor Stephen Roper, the IRC brings together a leading team of interdisciplinary researchers from the universities of Warwick, Oxford Brookes, Manchester, Birkbeck and Cambridge, with a track record of delivering actionable insights for policy.

Strengthening the Research and Innovation System

The IRC also has a network of leading academics from across the social sciences, other disciplines and sectors, who are engaged in different aspects of research and innovation system.

This wider network helps to ensure our research agenda is responsive to sector needs. Alongside working with UKRI, the IRC plans to engage with key players outside academia with a view of strengthening the research and innovation system through addressing gaps, challenges or opportunities. By doing so, the IRC and the wider network aims to not only provide insights into key areas raised by UKRI stakeholders, but also highlight areas within the system that UKRI stakeholders should consider.

What does the IRC do?

The scope of the IRC is wide and covers both research and innovation funding and supports strategy, processes, and outcomes, covering a range of support and advice to UKRI stakeholders, including (but not limited to):

• Carrying out research projects commissioned by UKRI to provide the evidence needed to inform its decision-making and investment design
• Support both Innovate UK in delivering its plan for action and ESRC in its ambition to create the best conditions for innovation in the social sciences
• Identifying areas to research and what interventions might be needed to improve support for the R&I system
• Working with researchers at a range of career stages to ensure a pipeline of expertise in research and innovation funding
• Convening and connecting with experts and thought leaders to provide expert insight and research
• Providing critical input into the development of new strategies, processes, or  interventions, as well as supporting the improvement of existing mechanisms of support
• Translating evidence into clear and actionable guidance for UKRI Stakeholders and beyond to put into practice
• Providing research insights on the theory, policy and practice of research and innovation support
• Increasing the ability of UKRI colleagues to connect and engage with R&I expertise
• Support the development of skills within the academic community to engage with policy makers more effectively

Example activities

• Strategic projects addressing substantive knowledge gaps and emerging policy challenges through primary research
• Responsive projects providing immediate (days to weeks) or short-term (months) insight. These can be focussed on, for example, insights, data analysis or curating existing evidence through expert consultation, convening expert groups, analysing data, or developing actionable insights based on the existing evidence base
• Communication, engagement, and capacity building projects to gain sector insights and mobilise evidence across and beyond UKRI, hosting workshops and masterclasses, creating new networks of experts across a specialised field, or providing training and toolkits

IRC’s Logic Model

We expect all of our research projects to align to our objectives and key results as given in our logic model.

Find out more: IRC’s logic model, key objectives and key results

History of the IRC

The Innovation & Research Caucus builds on the experience of the Innovation Caucus, which first brought ESRC and Innovate UK together to access social science insights. Over the past 8 years the Innovation Caucus, led by Professor Tim Vorley, has pioneered a collaborative way of working in a way akin to a ‘What Works Centre’ for funders. Over this time the Innovation Caucus team has delivered projects on emergent clusters, the foundation industries, the circular economy and prizes. These projects have informed the work and influenced the thinking of Innovate UK.