Working in public sector innovation means spending a great deal of time at the boundary between public bodies, private companies and academic partners. It is at that interface where some of the most meaningful opportunities emerge, particularly when we are trying to address long-standing societal challenges.
The role of the innovation team at Cardiff Capital Region (CCR) is to build the conditions for that type of collaborative innovation to happen. Our public sector focus is straightforward: to support innovation that can help build local wealth, improve services and enable new solutions that are not available off the shelf.
CCR’s Challenge Fund was designed to do that. It brought together public, private and academic partners to work on issues that matter to people across the region, whether in decarbonisation, health and wellbeing, or strengthening communities. It demonstrated that with modest public investment and a clear framework, we can provide testbeds for innovation that accelerate ideas far more quickly than traditional routes often allow. Our work with Cardiff University was central, bringing academic expertise into the process and supporting projects that required a combination of research capability and practical application.
My role is centred on the public sector. That means identifying the problems and opportunities that exist in our communities and in our public services and translating them into defined challenges that innovators can respond to. When public bodies articulate the issues clearly, it creates a space for industry and academia to step in with solutions that may not otherwise be explored. Alongside this, we share our expertise on the problem itself, offer a small amount of public funding to support early development, and ensure that robust impact and outcome measurement takes place. The public sector has an important part to play in creating the environment that helps others to innovate.
The work around endoscopy is an example of this approach. Cardiff and Vale Health Board, working with clinicians such as Jennifer Waterman, put forward a challenge that reflected a very real pressure in their service. By defining the problem openly, they allowed Monmouthshire-based medical technology company IQ Endoscopes to come forward and work with them directly. What followed was a collaboration involving clinical teams, procurement specialists, Cardiff University, our innovation team and external partners. The result has been an innovation which those closest to it have described as transformational, with the potential to improve patient pathways and create benefits beyond Cardiff.
One of the most significant outcomes has been the partnership developed between the various teams. It is often said that procurement frameworks create barriers to adopting new technologies. In this case, the procurement team at Cardiff and Vale played a central role in supporting the work, learning from the process and sharing those lessons more widely. This type of experience shows that procurement can be an enabler when brought into the conversation early.
The project has also demonstrated how innovation can make a tangible difference to people’s lives. Those facing long waits for procedures are individuals in our own families and communities. When innovation delivers practical benefits to those who are waiting for treatment, the purpose of this work becomes very clear. As a public servant, that is an important motivation.
The Challenge has also helped to highlight the potential for commercial solutions to grow within the region. IQ Endoscopes has expanded its team and continued to develop its technology as a result of the work undertaken with Cardiff and Vale Health Board. The early insights gained through the Challenge enabled the company to refine its product in ways that made sense clinically and operationally. This shows how public sector engagement can support businesses to create solutions that are both relevant and scalable.
While the Challenge Fund itself has concluded, the experience gained from it is shaping the next phase of our work. Cardiff Capital Region has recently received positive news about the Local Innovation Partnership Fund, which will bring at least £30 million into the region in partnership with UK Research and Innovation. We are now laying the foundations for this programme, which will support research and development and help move ideas towards commercialisation. It is encouraging to see this level of investment coming to the region, and in many ways it reflects the credibility built through earlier innovation programmes, including the Challenge Fund.
There is more to do. Public sector innovation requires continued support, clear problem definition and a willingness to work differently. But the progress seen through the endoscopy project shows what is possible when the right partners come together. If we can apply the same approach to other areas of public service, there is significant opportunity to create innovations that benefit both our communities and the wider economy.
Owen Wilce talks about this and more in the Cardiff Capital Region podcast episode Endoscopy Challenge: Idea, Innovation and Impact. Listen here.
