External evaluation of Innovation Exchange.

From recruiters to estate agents to bankers,brokerage is big business. Within the private sector, innovation brokerage — bringing people together to innovate — is well developed. But what is the power of brokerage to drive social innovation and support much needed social change? These questions are at the heart of Innovation Exchange. Innovation Exchange is a pilot programme primarily funded by the Office of the Third Sector in the Cabinet Office. In its work to 31 March 2010, the Exchange is aspiring to demonstrate the effectiveness of brokerage in supporting third sector innovation through its three core programmes: Festivals of Ideas are events where third sector organisations, commissioners of public services and social investors come together to focus on solutions to pressing social problems. The Exchange has developed, refined and successfully tested the Festival format and facilitated three events so far, with four core scheduled to December 2009.Key features of the format include partnership with public sector bodies ensuring that specific priorities are addressed and the right decision-makers are gathered in the room. A national Call for Ideas surfaces high-potential innovators from the third sector. Strong event design,high-quality facilitation and follow-up support cross-sector conversation and the development of next steps. 1. Participants from the third and public sectors are enthused by Festivals and their potential to support collaboration around new ideas. Innovation Exchange is monitoring the development of relationships formed at Festivals to assess their impact.Next Practice Programme brings together 15 innovative third sector projects and offers them intensive brokerage support to help them grow. Projects are working in two priority areas: supporting independent living and excluded young people.Projects were selected from a pool of over 200 applicants for their potential to develop and grow innovation with possible system-wide significance. While funding has been granted to some projects, the programme emphasises support and sees the main benefits of participation as non-financial. The programme is trialling brokerage practices, including: connecting project leaders to expert consultants, coaches and mentors for short periods of development work; creating opportunities for peer networking within the programme; linking projects to other individuals, agencies and sources of support; designing and facilitating meetings, seminars and workshops to address common needs across the programme; and engaging participants, supporters and collaborators in the programme’s innovations

Mapping the regional social enterprise sector.

CEEDR have been commissioned to carry out research to understand the nature of social enterprise activity in the South East Region and the factors inhibiting/driving growth. This involves the collation of different databases of existing social enterprises and the identification of emerging social enterprise through detailed neighbourhood studies. The existing support system is also mapped and the forms of intervention required are also identified

The dynamics of local economies and deprived neighbourhoods

This report outlines the dynamics of local economies and how deprived neighbourhoods interact within the wider sub-regional context. The roles of different agencies is discussed, mapping how each contributes to the overall effort to bring prosperity to deprived neighbourhoods

Provide advice on methods to improve promotion and facilitation of Rural Enterprise Scheme - RE0114

The project studied the past experiences of firms applying for the Rural Enterprise Scheme and their business advisors and examined the existing promotional approaches. Recommendations are made on promotional and facilitation methodologie

Devolved governance and the economic problems of deprived areas: the cases of Scotland, Wales and four English Regions

A study that links two of the main policy agendas of the last ten years: devolution of power, and policies to tackle deprivation. The study looks at: how far the economic and social aspects of regeneration are being effectively linked; the extent to which political devolution in Scotland, Wales and London is bringing greater strategic attention to the needs of deprived areas; successful initiatives and how they have worked. The main report is supported by two additional volumes: Devolved governance and the economic problems of deprived areas: The cases of Scotland, Wales and four English Regions (PDF, 1.6MB) looks in detail at the governance arrangements in six study areas and their impact on tackling the economic and employment needs of people living in deprived places. Interventions to tackle the economic needs of deprived areas: Analysis of six policy case studies (PDF, 544KB) examines six policy initiatives that show good practice of joint working and effective linking of economic and social objectives

Mapping the regional social enterprise sector: past approaches, challenges and future direction

Draws on a number of other mapping studies carried out by CEEDR, Middlesex University in the past and involving David Smallbone, Mel Evans, Marcello Bertotti, Ignatius Ekanem, Anne Humbert, Ian Vickers, Rob Baldock and others. They are grateful for their contributions to our thinking on conceptualising social enterprises and are also grateful to input from Les Hem from Guidestar. This paper also benefits from comments from attendees of the Social Enterprise Research Conference and Institute of Small Business and Entrepreneurship conference. This paper draws on preparatory material used for mapping studies for DTI, Countryside Agency and SEEDA, although all views expressed are those of the authors alone

Informal economic activities and deprived neighbourhoods.

This report reviews the relative advantages and disadvantages of some types of informal activity to people in deprived neighbourhoods. It cites ways to incentivise and support people who can move from informal to formal status