In the summer of 2024, I had the opportunity to spend three months with the Open Innovation Team (OIT), a cross-Whitehall internal consultancy that works to bring academic experts into policy and to generate innovative ideas and analysis of policy and public services. I went into the placement hoping to learn more about how academic research features in policy making, as well as how the process of designing policy works: the types of evidence used; how policymakers access and evaluate this information; the constraints and limitations of translating evidence into policy; and how final decisions are made. I was lucky enough to join just as the new government was settling in, giving me first-hand insight into how policy priorities and processes shift and evolve in real-time!
One of the main reasons I was drawn to the OIT was the unique role the team plays in bridging the gap between academia and government. Founded in 2016, the team works across government departments, collaborating closely with academic and non-academic experts to shape innovative, evidence-based policies. They also run a university partnership program that supports academics from partner universities to engage with different levels of government and to pitch their research to policymakers.
I joined three projects during my placement; one on the government's Opportunity 'Mission', another on recruitment and retention challenges in children’s social care, and a third on the gap between homelessness research and policy. I also had the chance to support the university partnership program, helping to run advice clinics for academics to figure out the best ways to share their research with local and national government stakeholders. The day-to-day work was varied and exciting – I dived into literature reviews, crunched data, and conducted interviews with experts. Over the three months, we produced multiple reports and policy briefs for different policy teams and senior civil servants. I even had the chance to join cross-government meetings and to present our work to high-level stakeholders. The range of work I was able to get involved in and the variety of outputs from these meant that the placement was dynamic, fast-paced, and absolutely flew by!
What really stood out, though, was the OIT’s collaborative and supportive culture. From the first week – which included a team away-day – I felt genuinely welcomed and valued. The team's openness to feedback and its 'creative destruction' approach to collaboration meant that my fellow PhD placement students and I were encouraged to contribute ideas, to learn from others, and to actively take on work and responsibility. As we were told on day one, we were definitely not just there to make tea and coffee!
A key reason for this is that the OIT is well set-up to host placement students, and actively leverages the unique expertise of PhD researchers. For example, one PhD student in my cohort who specialised in the intersection of sustainability and engineering was assigned to a project for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, while I was assigned to social policy issues, including those to do with homelessness. An initial training program, which covered civil service structures and the team's design and writing approach, meant that we quickly got to grips with the intricacies (and eccentricities!) of the Civil Service and could hit the ground running with project work.
Looking back now, as I hurtle (!) towards the end of my PhD, I realise how valuable this experience was. I learned a huge amount about how policy is developed, how evidence shapes decisions, and how to translate research into impact. I also picked up practical skills in policy-oriented research, project management, and stakeholder engagement – skills that will be invaluable in whatever comes next. If you're a researcher curious about how your work can influence policy, interested in peeking behind the scenes of the Civil Service, and ready to get stuck into a fast-paced, high-impact team, I would definitely recommend a placement with the Open Innovation Team.
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