Academics from London’s universities and policymakers from the Greater London Authority, London Councils and London boroughs will come together later this year to explore how early intervention can reduce the risk of young Londoners becoming not in education, employment or training (NEET).
At a collaborative session (known as a ‘sandpit’) planned for City Hall, researchers and policymakers will share policy and practice priorities, draw on existing research, identify gaps in evidence, and explore how research can inform policy and practice, including opportunities for new collaborative research.
This forms part of a new partnership between the Greater London Authority, London Councils, London Higher, the representative body for the capital’s Higher Education sector, and the Universities Policy Engagement Network (UPEN) to create new ways for policymakers and academics to work together on the challenges and opportunities for the city.
The Research and Policy Partnership for London will build on existing strategic partnerships and networks to act as a catalyst for new creative ways for policymakers to access the evidence and insight within the capital’s world-leading Higher Education sector and to give researchers clearer routes into policy questions where they can make a difference.
The Partnership will trial a range of approaches, including further ‘sandpits’, improved routes for accessing existing insight and evidence at speed, increased match-making between policymakers and academics and longer-term collaborations around London’s strategic challenges.
