Forging Stronger Connections: UCL hosts senior civil servants to drive innovation

UCL welcomed a delegation of senior civil servants from across the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), as part of the university’s partnership with WIG, a charity which enables greater collaboration between public and private sector organisations. The teams were able to visit UCL’s Bloomsbury and East campuses and tour a number of facilities, including Pool Street, the London Centre for Nanotechnology and the Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) Facility, and learn more about the world-leading research conducted at UCL.

Learning About UCL

The visit aimed to provide a number of learning opportunities to explore key leadership challenges, priorities and opportunities and how we can create connections to work collaboratively with our partners. Delegates were welcomed by Professor Geraint Rees, UCL Vice-Provost (Research, Innovation and Global Engagement) and Professor Paola Lettieri, Pro-Provost (UCL East) and Interim Vice-Provost (Strategy), and heard about the development of the UCL East campus, and how UCL has been working with partners and communities in Newham to establish our first campus outside Bloomsbury, the potential for purpose-built science and innovation space, and UCL’s relationships with other institutions at the Olympic Park.

During a roundtable with Dr Jane Kinghorn (UCL Translational Research Office), Dr Anne Lane (UCL Business), Amy Lightstone, Director UCL London and Aimee Chappelle, Vice-Provost (Operations), the wide-ranging discussion explored how UCL works with different stakeholders, collaborates to drive innovation at scale, and the challenges and opportunities of working across organisational boundaries.

Deep Dive into UCL’s Research

In addition to exploring UCL’s facilities and initiatives, delegates had the opportunity to delve into UCL’s research on key DSIT policy priorities, particularly around digital innovation. They met with research students and staff including Professor Huiyun Liu and Professor Neil Curson at the London Centre for Nanotechnology and the MBE facility, who demonstrated some of their current research that underlies developments in quantum technologies and discussed the role universities like UCL play in supporting innovation.

Beyond enabling greater insight and understanding of the work taking place at UCL, the visit also aimed to help policy partners broaden their connections and simplify the complexity of navigating the evidence-policy landscape. UCL Public Policy plays a pivotal role in building connections with policy teams, enabling them to draw on the broad range of expertise across UCL, through programmes including fellowships and secondments, responding to calls for evidence, and supporting rapid reviews.  

Professor Geraint Rees, UCL Vice-Provost (Research, Innovation and Global Engagement), said: “Opportunities to connect with teams from government departments are incredibly valuable. They enable UCL  to showcase the expertise, people and facilities that  drive our innovation. Through our partnership with WIG we can strengthen our connections and explore new areas to collaborate, which is a core part of UCL’s mission in service of national renewal.”