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Home | News & Updates | *Registration now closed* Insight to Impact: A Celebration of IRC Research

*Registration now closed* Insight to Impact: A Celebration of IRC Research

August 14, 2026

Event
Innovation
People
Place
Research

When: Wednesday 23 September 2026, 10:00 – 1700

Where: The Castlefield Rooms, 18-20, Castle Street, Manchester, M3 4LZ

We’re coming together to celebrate our collective achievements in building a thriving research and innovation ecosystem at the IRC.

You’ve played an integral part in our work to positively impact how UKRI funds and supports research and innovation – and we couldn’t celebrate without you there! We really hope you can join us for what promises to be a memorable day of reflection, celebration and connection as we recognise our shared accomplishments.

Agenda breakdown

Time 

Duration 

Session 
10:00 – 10:30  30 mins  Registration, coffee, networking 
10:30 – 10:45  15 mins  Welcome to the day 

  • Looking back on the past few years as the IRC – overview of key achievements  
  • The focus for today 
10:45 – 11:25  40 mins  IRC’s pathway to impact – Panel (25 mins) 

  • How the model works – co-creation of projects with UKRI 
  • How the IRC enables pathways to impact 
  • What works about the model 

Q&A with audience (15 mins) 
11:25 – 11:45  20 mins  Coffee break  
11:45 – 12:30  45 mins  Unlocking Value: The Policy Levers Driving UK International R&D  

Unpacking how international research and development collaboration drives UK growth, this session brings together emerging evidence from across the Innovation and Research Caucus (IRC).  
12:30 – 14:00  90 mins  Lunch break 
14:00 – 14:30  30 mins  Keynote from Innovate UK (Dan Hodges) – 15 mins 

Keynote from UKRI (Sarah Parks) – 15 mins 
14:30 – 14:50  20 mins  Coffee break 
14:50 – 15:50  30 mins  Mapping the Landscape, Shaping the Future  

This two-part session uses keyword mapping to reveal the full spectrum of IRC research, key focus areas, and evidence gaps. We’ll then take a deep dive into local innovation and economic growth before opening the floor to discuss how delegates can help extend, scale, and sustain this vital work in the future. 
15:50 – 16:00  10 mins  Close 
16:00 – 17:00  60mins  Networking reception  

Reimbursement of travel expenses

We will consider the reimbursement of reasonable expenses claims for UK travel to and from the event. Attendees must contact either Beth or Becky before making any travel arrangements. Please email Beth (beth.midwinter@brookes.ac.uk) or Becky (Becky.Harris@wbs.ac.uk) to discuss this.

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