The Wales Centre for Public Policy bridges the gap between research and decision-making by making rigorous evidence and expertise accessible, relevant, and actionable for policy makers, practitioners and public service leaders across Wales.
Our vision:
A Wales where public policy and practice are consistently shaped by the best available evidence and insight, leading to more effective, equitable, and responsive public services.
Our mission:
- IDENTIFY. We collaborate with decision makers at national, regional, and local levels to help them to identify their most pressing policy challenges and shape meaningful opportunities for evidence-informed solutions.
- CONVENE. We analyse and synthesise high-quality research in a timely manner and convene leading UK and global experts to improve policy decisions and implementation.
- ADVANCE. We advance knowledge in the field of evidence-informed policy by sharing learning, evaluating impact, and contributing to a growing knowledge base of what works in practice.
Our work:
We have developed three priority areas based on analysis of the biggest policy challenges facing local and national policy makers in Wales. These are Tackling Inequalities, Community Wellbeing and Environment and Net Zero. Alongside these, we lead a collaboration with Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council focused on addressing health inequalities.
With 12 years’ experience at the heart of Welsh policy making, supporting decision makers with independent evidence and expertise and informing policy and implementation across a broad range of areas including environment, social justice, governance, health and education, we also retain the agility and expertise to be able to take on other research projects in response to policy makers’ evidence needs.
Research and Impact:
All our work for Welsh policy makers is underpinned by sector-leading academic research of what works to bridge the gap between research and policy making.
Our funders:
We are funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, the Welsh Government, Cardiff University, and the National Institute of Health and Social Care, and we are a member of the UK’s What Works Network and the Universities Policy Engagement Network (UPEN).