ADD2533 Innovation Challenge Evaluation

1.1. This proposal is to commission an evaluation of the impact of the Mayor’s innovation challenge programmes, specifically the Civic Innovation Challenge (approved under cover of MD2286 in 2018 and MD2491 in 2019) and the Resilience Fund (approved under cover of MD2664). Both programmes involved employing a mission-based approach to enable co-design between innovative tech start-ups and London’s public and private sector to address key challenges facing London and Londoners.

1.2. These programmes align with the Mayor’s Economic Development Strategy commitment to stimulate innovation across the tech sector to solve London’s challenges and make London a global test-bed for tech-driven solutions to public service challenges. The Resilience Fund aimed to support the development of new products and services directly in response to the recovery challenges posed by COVID-19 and to help the city become more resilient to future disruptive challenges. To date, the Mayor’s Civic Innovation Challenge and Resilience Fund have achieved the following:

• £1,035,000 in funding awarded directly to small businesses – £285,000 of which was leveraged as external match funding
• 72 businesses supported to access market partners, expertise, data and pilot sites
• 504 hours of business support and co-design with market partners
• 20 challenges launched as open calls for solutions, including but not limited to: using data-led approaches to activate vacant properties on high streets, working with Transport for London and couriers to tackle congestion or create dynamic content to encourage walking, countering violent extremism online, working with the Living Wage Foundation to make gig economy workers’ take-home pay more transparent, creating culturally representative dementia resources, and installing next generation electric vehicle charging points.

1.3. In his 2021 manifesto, the Mayor outlined his ambition to scale the Civic Innovation Challenge and ensure that new technologies and innovations respond to recovery challenges and are designed with Londoners at the heart to enable the city to build back better. This presents an opportunity to look in detail at the impact of past GLA innovation programmes and to set

2.1. The primary objective of this commission is to gather quantitative and qualitative data to determine the impact of the Mayor’s open innovation challenges. This work will contribute to the GLA’s understanding of the value of open innovation competitions as a mechanism for supporting the growth and innovation of London’s tech sector, setting strategic challenges for the tech community to solve and enabling the scaling of innovations. The secondary objective is , by understanding the impact of previous interventions, for this study to recommend critical and tangible actions for how to improve future programmes and develop a framework that can be used by other authorities across London and cities across the UK and globally to run effective city challenges.

2.2. The study will:

• Develop and agree a methodology for assessing impact with a clear theory of change
• Conduct primary research, in accordance with an agreed methodology, and work with previous challenge partners, delivery partners and directly with beneficiaries in order to record and analyse the outcomes of the Civic Innovation Challenge and Resilience Fund
• Examine the extent to which the Civic Innovation Challenge and Resilience Fund led to or accelerated solutions that are benefiting or will benefit London and Londoners; the extent to which they supported the growth of an ecosystem of small businesses and start-ups in London; and how it impacted on systemic changes in London (larger outlook for London’s recovery and long-terms resilience; impact on challenge partner organisations involved and the extent to which the dial has shifted on problems addressed through the programme)
• Analyse and interpret results from quantitative and qualitative data collected, making use of outputs of the open innovation challenges and existing datasets from delivery partners and gathering additional data where necessary
• Identify key lessons learnt as part of a coherent and comprehensive set of conclusions and actionable recommendations that can be used to inform future policymaking within the GLA in the context of the development of future innovation policy and programming;
• Develop case studies and other assets, such as video content, or infographics, that can be used in future communications
• Conduct desk research and interviews with other cities to build an evidence base of how to run impactful city-based innovation challenges and produce a set of actionable recommendations on what frameworks or toolkits will be most effective to help London and other cities deliver impactful programmes to achieve city objectives.

2.3. The primary audience for this study will be political decision makers and policy officers at local authority and GLA level, as well as other public bodies and organisations interested in the challenge-based methodology. However, the final reporting output should be written and communicated in such a way that allows messages to be shared with a wider audience - be that powerful stories, statements, infographics and visuals, facts or figures. The final output should use clear, concise and accessible language.

2.4. A shortlist of organisations with the relevant skills and expertise will be approached and invited to tender. This is costed at up to £50,000 based on the volume and range of work required as well as market testing and engagement with prospective suppliers conducted to date. Competitive procurement activity undertaken to commission this work will be in accordance with the GLA’s Contracts and Funding Code

3.1. Under Section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, as a public authority, the Mayor of London must have due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation as well as to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between people who have a protected characteristic and those who do not.

3.2. The specification for this tender will be drafted with input and advice from relevant groups and stakeholders across the GLA to ensure that equalities considerations are incorporated into this evaluation work.

3.3. Furthermore, equality, diversity and inclusion advice will be sought when reviewing tender submissions for this piece of work and help decide which consultant to appoint, to ensure that the most impactful piece of work as possible is produced.

3.4. One of the key evaluation outputs should be reviewing and identifying ways in which the GLA can improve methods of engagement, communication and co-design methodology. For instance, this might include identifying ways to better ensure partners engage a diverse group of stakeholders to meet the challenge objectives and establishing practices to ensure that future challenges aimed at supporting beneficiaries from particular groups include representative stakeholders and partners with lived experience. The learnings and recommendations identified through the evaluation will be embedded into the design of future

4.1. Both the Mayor’s Civic Innovation Challenge and Resilience Fund programmes meet the Mayor’s Economic Development Strategy objectives to support the adoption of innovation, including digital technologies, across the economy and society, and to enable the benefits of innovation to be more widely shared. The Mayor’s Resilience Fund also draws on the London City Resilience Strategy and has been designed to boost London’s resilience by helping its firms and community organisations to better withstand current and future shocks. This evaluation will support these deliverables by setting out a clear framework for where and how the Mayor can have strategic impact on high-growth sectors.

4.2. It can be confirmed that no conflicts of interest were noted in the drafting and clearance of this decision.

5.1. Approval is sought for the expenditure of up to £50,000 to undertake a study assessing the impact of GLA innovation challenge programmes.

5.2. This expenditure will be funded from the London Resilience Fund allocation as approved in MD2664.

5.3. As outlined in MD2664, the LRF was funded by the exchange of uncommitted future Skills for Londoners and Further Education revenue budgets and expected future recycled Growing Places Fund returns.