The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts (NESTA) are delighted to announce that they are working together and with others to create an Alliance for Useful Evidence.

In a time of limited resource, there is a need to spend whatever money is available on the best, most successful approaches to policy. And, to identify these we need robust and independent research and evidence. In some areas, there is knowledge about what is - and what is not - effective, but in others, there may be little known about what is successful or otherwise. The situation is complicated further by the many instances where research is available, but is not taken into account. The Alliance for Useful Evidence will help to ensure that rigorous evidence is available, accessible, useable and considered appropriately.

The UK Alliance for Evidence will provide a much needed focal point for improving and extending the application of research and evidence in the UK. The Alliance was announced at an event in October 2011 and is now recruiting members. 

The Alliance for Useful Evidence has also been endorsed in the recent Government "Innovation and Research Strategy for Growth" (see page 86). It has already received a great deal of interest from organisations from around the world, and a partnership has been developed with the US Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy to learn from their expertise and involvement in the Obama evidence reforms.

It is recognised that this agenda is not new and that there are lots of organisations already doing excellent work in this field. The Alliance for Useful Evidence will not compete with, nor replace these; instead it is intended to forge linkages with them, promoting learning and collaboration.

Developments will be announced in the coming months. These are likely to include Evidence Centres covering particular topics areas to develop guidance on evaluation methodology and an evidence base on the effectiveness and design of interventions, and broader research. Further details will be posted below as they become available.

For further information visit the NESTA website.

The ESRC is supporting Project Oracle with the Greater London Authority (GLA) and the London Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime as part of its work to develop new evidence centres. This initiative seeks to understand and share ‘what works’ in improving the lives of children and young people in London. Proposals are being invited from universities and eligible independent research organisations, with a closing date of 16 May 2012. Full details are published on the GLA website