Accelerating the discovery and application of new knowledge and ideas
Why it matters
Economic growth and our ability to address global challenges is driven by the discovery and utilisation of new knowledge, ideas and technologies. A main aim of science and innovation policy is to support experimentation with new technologies, products, processes, or business models, and accelerate their diffusion throughout the economy and society. However, this approach is rarely applied to science and innovation programmes themselves. As a result there is too little evidence to understand how to most effectively influence outcomes. IGL seeks to address this by applying new ways to map and understand science and innovation ecosystems; finding new ideas and possibilities for interventions; and generating better evidence on the effectiveness of policy actions.
Our work and impact
Within the area of science and innovation policy, IGL’s working can be categorised under three main challenges to effective policy that we are seeking to address.
Science and innovation systems are complex and difficult to map. Actors, institutions and policies interact in multiple ways, and levels of uncertainty are high. We want to support the application of new data-driven analysis of innovation and science ecosystems to develop a clearer picture of ecosystems.
Science and innovation systems are continuously evolving. Changing circumstances may alter the effectiveness of existing solutions; push policymakers to consider how they respond to new challenges or themselves utilise new technologies such as AI. As part of our work, IGL is looking at the vital role innovation agencies play in developing strong innovation ecosystems and how they respond to changing trends.
The lack of robust evidence on the effectiveness of interventions. IGL wants to enable more research to be undertaken in the real world that will improve our understanding of the challenges to be addressed, and the actual outcomes and any unintended consequences of actions taken. Within this, IGL is developing thematic programmes, this includes research on how to support university-industry collaboration, improve the effectiveness, efficiency and equality of science and innovation funding processes, and build more inclusive innovation ecosystems.