Working closely with our regular collaborator Mark Adamson, we have been commissioned by North East LEP and Innovation SuperNetwork to undertake an evaluation of the Challenge North Tyne programme, funded by North of Tyne Combined Authority and running throughout 2023. This exciting project will examine the success and impact of the programme both from a traditional Green Book perspective, but in parallel also looking at the longer term impact on behaviours and attitudes to innovation that arise from the challenge-led nature of the innovation support.
The evaluation will answer the following questions:
- What tangible and non-tangible impact is the project delivering for the participating organisations and the wider innovation ecosystem?
- Which elements of the programme delivery provide greatest value for participating organisations and the wider ecosystem?
- Are the risks and rewards of participating mission in the programmes felt equally between Solution Providers and Challenge Supporters?
- Are the Challenge Supporter and Solution Provider relationships critical to the realisation of measurable economic impact and intangible benefit? If so, can these relationships be measured in economic impact terms?
- To what extent do communications, engagement and relationship management contribute to success of challenge-led/mission-oriented innovation programmes?
- How does the Challenge North Tyne approach compare in terms of similar challenge-led/mission-oriented projects/best practice in terms of mission criteria set out in the Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose’s ‘Missions: A Beginner’s guide’?