Dr Ana Manzano awarded prestigious Policy Fellowship by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)

Dr Ana Manzano, Associate Professor in Public Policy in the School of Sociology and Social Policy, will work in the Northern Ireland Executive’s Department for the Economy for 18 months on the ‘Evaluating Innovation’ Policy Research Fellowship.

A leading academic authority on the relationship between evaluation theory, methods and evidence, she will support the Department’s 10x Innovation Policy by creating an evidence base to understand the impact of innovative, inclusive and green growth and to aid future decision-making.

The 10x Innovation Policy forms part of the Department’s ambition for a ‘10x Economy’ – its plan to achieve a decade of economic innovation in Northern Ireland and economic, societal and environmental wellbeing.  Ana said:

I am honoured and thrilled to receive such a prestigious fellowship. This is an exciting opportunity to use my expertise in evaluation while gaining invaluable insights into the complex process of translating evidence into impactful policies.

Following a successful pilot, run by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) in 2021, the fellowship programme has now more than doubled in scale with 44 academic fellows selected to work in government departments and research-focused What Works Centres across the UK.

The programme aims to help fulfil the potential of research and expertise to inform and shape effective public policy and its implementation. As part of the scheme, the cohort of fellows get a chance to connect with each other, and with partner organisations and universities, to build new networks and peer support groups.

Dr Manzano is also the Director Advanced Qualitative Research Methods Training (AQUALM) ESRC White Rose Doctoral Training Partnership.