Lancaster University staff and students have been given a valuable first-hand insight into making and shaping government policy.

Lancaster is one of four universities taking part in the Cabinet Office’s Open Innovation Partnership. The scheme is designed to bring civil servants together with academic experts to share ideas and develop solutions to policy challenges.

As part of the project, the Cabinet Office’s Chris Webber visited campus on Tuesday, October 9 to deliver two policy masterclass sessions.

The first provided an insight into what it is like to work in government, and gave advice to researchers on how to influence the policy-making process. The second provided students with employability guidance and tips on how to get into the Civil Service.

Mr Webber, head of the Open Innovation Team in the Cabinet Office, said: “It is always great to meet with staff and students who are interested in the policy-making process and the Civil Service. I hope the sessions were valuable to those who attended and provided an insight into how they can get involved in policy in terms of research or as a potential career.”

L-R: Dr Giles Carden (Chief of Staff and Director of Strategic Projects), Chris Webber (Head of the Open Innovation Team)

Professor Andrew Atherton, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Lancaster University, said: “Understanding how government develops policy is really important for staff who want to influence and contribute to policy and also to our students, who will be affected by policy, and some of whom will shape it in the future.

“The policy masterclasses offer direct insight into policymaking and are a key component in our developing relationship with government through the Open Innovation pilot.”

Lancaster University is entitled to a number of benefits through its involvement in the Open Innovation Partnership, which include: academic placements and collaborations; government official visits; and an annual Policy School event for students, hosted at the Treasury.