This blog was originally posted by Policy Leeds on Medium.com Photo by Leeds City Council.

The University of Leeds and Leeds City Council have launched a new framework setting out how they will work together to mobilise the research expertise of the University to address the challenges faced by Leeds City Council and the city.

Tackling the challenges facing our city together

Times are challenging for local authorities, Leeds included, with increased need for services juxtaposed against years of austerity and constrained finances. Whilst things are undeniably tough, there are also reasons to be optimistic with new opportunities arising from continued devolution and an increased focus on place by the new Government and research funders.

As anchor institutions, the University of Leeds and Leeds City Council both have a strong stake in the city’s future success. By working together, and with other city partners, we want to deliver real lasting improvements in the lives of people and communities in Leeds and the wider region.

To achieve this, we are seeking to better leverage the University’s research capability and expertise to power evidence-informed policy development to tackle poverty, inequality, and other pressing challenges.

“Our Leeds Best City Ambition sets out our priorities for the city, which can only be achieved alongside others through our Team Leeds approach. Our continued collaboration with academic institutions across the city enables us to work towards achieving our ambitions, building upon the huge strengths, influence and potential that our academic assets bring. The strength of the ongoing partnership with the University of Leeds continues to deepen, with the launch of the Research Collaboration Framework setting the clear foundations, opportunities and existing successes for us to continue to build upon. The financial challenge being faced by the public and third sector is greater than ever, which is why we need to continue to work together to make evidence informed decisions, allowing us to adapt to the changing needs of our communities and ensure that our shared goals are delivered in the most effective way.”

Mariana Pexton, Interim Chief Executive, Leeds City Council

Innovating how we work together to get things done

The University of Leeds and Leeds City Council have a long history of working together. A review of collaborative research between the two organisations in 2020 noted 118 joint research projects that were ongoing or completed in the previous 5 years. The review also made a series of recommendations on how we could enhance and accelerate collaboration.

Prompted by these recommendations, we have made significant progress in strengthening opportunities to work together and extending these to include a more diverse range of colleagues.

Developing Areas of Research Interest

Responding to the recommendation to identify the Council’s knowledge needs and priorities for collaboration, we have been leading the way in developing Areas of Research Interest at a Local Authority level.

Areas of Research Interest, or ARI, originally came out of the Nurse Review in 2015 as a way for Government departments to improve their dialogue with researchers. The Government Office of Science provides guidance for the Government department but no official guidance exists for Local Authorities (for more on ARI read our blog: Capturing the ARI zeitgeist).

The University of Leeds has been working closely with the Council since 2022 to support them to develop their own Leeds City Council Areas of Research Interest (LCC ARI). These identify areas where further knowledge and evidence would help Leeds City Council colleagues develop more effective policy and activity. They form an invite to researchers to share existing research evidence or to discuss opportunities to collaborate.

Whilst this work has emerged from the bi-lateral collaboration, it is intended to make it easy for researchers from any University to see what the Council’s interests are and get in touch.

With the ARI as a clear guide to the priorities and needs of Leeds City Council, we have been able to respond by allotting a portion of the University of Leeds’s Research England policy support fund allocation to projects addressing aspects of the LCC ARI. A list of projects funded since 2022 are available on the Policy Leeds Policy Support Fund page and represent an investment of just over £1 million over the three years. These projects are helping inform Leeds City Council’s thinking and have led to further collaborations.

Providing a clear map for engagement

Unlike Parliament and National Government, which have clear opportunities for researchers to share evidence via Select Committee inquiries or Government consultations, routes to engaging with local authorities are less well developed. Similarly, Universities are large and complex organisations, which can make it hard for Council colleagues trying to find someone to talk to with the right expertise. This risks fragmented engagement based on personal relationships that are lost as colleagues move on to different roles or institutions.

To establish a more resilient and transparent route for engagement, the framework defines institutional collaboration contacts to act as a first port of call for questions or to facilitate introductions: Policy Leeds acts as the contact point for University of Leeds colleagues interested in engaging with Leeds City Council.

In addition to the Areas of Research Interest, the framework sets out some of the other routes that exist for University and Council colleagues to engage so they can share expertise and develop collaborative activity. These include:

• Matching interested colleagues to share knowledge and ideas
• Submitting evidence to Leeds City Council scrutiny boards’ inquiries
• Contributing to expert groups or policy forum meetings
• Undertaking placements or secondments

By making such routes of engagement more visible we hope to enable more researchers to share relevant evidence and expertise in a timely way to inform Leeds City Council’s activities and to build fruitful collaborations.

“At the heart of our University strategy is the desire to harness expertise in research and education to help shape a better future for humanity, and working through collaboration to tackle inequalities, benefit society and drive change.

This collaboration framework with Leeds City Council will further enhance how we work collaboratively with partners across the region, to leverage our strengths and expertise to support policy making that addresses the pressing challenges facing the city, region and its people. This framework will help to strengthen collaboration opportunities and enable policy makers to access the research and expertise needed for evidence-based decisions that drive benefit to the region for growth, and the public good.”

Nick Plant, Deputy Vice Chancellor: Research and Innovation and Chair of Collaboration Steering Committee, University of Leeds

Continuously learning and sharing

Learning how to best work together will be a continuous journey and innovation won’t always be a smooth road. We will continue to trial new ways of working alongside refining the routes we have already established.

As well as celebrating successes, we will share our progress and learning to help others interested in developing their own approaches to research-policy engagement at the local authority level.

Keep an eye on Policy Leeds communications to stay informed and learn about future work or opportunities to get involved.

All part of one Team Leeds

While the new framework is centred on the relationship between the University of Leeds and Leeds City Council, the strategic collaboration is not isolated but situated within a very active landscape of other collaborations and initiatives. We will seek to make the most of being an integrated and connected part of this wider collaborative ecosystem, and welcome working with other partners and communities within the city and region.

The challenges we need to address are far bigger than any one or even two organisations can tackle on their own. Only by working together and as part of a wider Team Leeds will we be able to deliver the Best City Ambition for Leeds to be the Best City in the UK to live, work, and prosper.

Read the University of Leeds and Leeds City Council research collaboration framework in full.

Further resources

• A toolkit for researchers wanting to expand their policy engagement knowledge and practice can be found on the Policy Leeds Resources page.
• University of Leeds researchers can find a guide to the systems and support available within the University to facilitate collaborative research with external partners on the resources for collaboration intranet page.
• Keep up to date on collaborative work via Policy Leeds social media and on our webpage: Working with Leeds City Council
• Read our recent blog to find out more on Engaging with Local Authority scrutiny boards.

Do you have Leeds facing policy news, opportunities or events to share? Let us know! Email your updates to policyleeds@leeds.ac.uk.

Find more information on policy collaborations from across University of Leeds on the Policy Leeds website. If you would like to keep in touch with our work, please connect with us on LinkedIn, find us on X (formerly Twitter)