Stirling Local Policy Innovation Partnership
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Stirling
Department Name: Applied Social Science
Abstract
This proposal suggests a Local Policy Innovation Partnership (LPIP) in the region of the Forth Water Basin (FWB) in Scotland (including the Firth of Forth and the capital city, Edinburgh). Its innovative structures for 'optimising outcomes' from water assemble an excellent academic and stakeholder team, combining the capacities of each for the benefit of all. This unique, multi-disciplinary and multi-sectoral partnership addresses three fundamental questions: (i) How can we optimise outcomes from water resources, in the pursuit of sustainable and inclusive economic growth? (ii) How can we raise stakeholder capacity to enable and connect new opportunities from partnership, including community resilience and empowerment? (iii) How can we build productive and harmonious relationships between human and natural systems in these pursuits? In sum, this novel and ground-breaking partnership addresses important, urgent and complex issues that lie at the core of our life and economy.
Everywhere in the world people organize in relation to water. Its resources and assets provide essential 'goods' and 'services' and huge opportunities for the economy, society and communities. Harnessing these productively is a key route to optimising growth, value and community outcomes. Yet water is also multi-faceted and difficult to manage. Our work with stakeholders has identified that a diverse, multi-disciplinary and multi-sectoral social and public policy approach is urgently needed to square the value and impacts of water for human systems and communities and vice-versa. Also urgently needed is a serious investment in science-based capacity building across all stakeholders, focused on demystifying water's value chains and enabling innovative opportunities to raise the levels of key economic, social, community and environmental benefits. Engagement has been high in Phase 1 of the project, and this has been invaluable in prioritizing our activities in LPIP Phase 2. The shared vision we have developed has also significantly increased the membership of the LPIP. Our solutions-led approach to innovation adds to knowledge concerning key unanswered public policy questions of productivity, place-making, and positive-sum system interactions, particularly in some of the most deprived communities in Scotland. No-one has yet assembled the multi-disciplinary scientific capability we propose here, which builds on world-leading technological innovation to (i) optimise outcomes for communities and (ii) create transferable learning for initiatives and investments in similar contexts across the UK. These ideas are generating enormous energy in stakeholder interactions. More than 80 partners have now provided letters of support across all the key areas required to deliver on our key objective to 'optimise outcomes from water resources in the Forth Water Basin'.
Collaboration on this scale is important in building system change. It is strengthening local capacity for innovation, research and knowledge exchange in a way that exceeds the boundaries and boundedness of current networks. With its powerful enabling infrastructure, the Partnership is thus at once a policy network, a learning community, and a direct actor in the water system - able to identify and implement actionable insights and to challenge the conditions that can stifle positive action. 'Optimising outcomes' means raising levels across the board for sustainable and inclusive economic growth, resilient communities and a healthy environment, through innovative solutions, place-making, and positive-sum system interactions. Moreover, our technologically-advanced HsO, and conceptual and methodological development in an important and transferable learning context, will add further value to initiatives and investments in similar water basins across the UK.
Everywhere in the world people organize in relation to water. Its resources and assets provide essential 'goods' and 'services' and huge opportunities for the economy, society and communities. Harnessing these productively is a key route to optimising growth, value and community outcomes. Yet water is also multi-faceted and difficult to manage. Our work with stakeholders has identified that a diverse, multi-disciplinary and multi-sectoral social and public policy approach is urgently needed to square the value and impacts of water for human systems and communities and vice-versa. Also urgently needed is a serious investment in science-based capacity building across all stakeholders, focused on demystifying water's value chains and enabling innovative opportunities to raise the levels of key economic, social, community and environmental benefits. Engagement has been high in Phase 1 of the project, and this has been invaluable in prioritizing our activities in LPIP Phase 2. The shared vision we have developed has also significantly increased the membership of the LPIP. Our solutions-led approach to innovation adds to knowledge concerning key unanswered public policy questions of productivity, place-making, and positive-sum system interactions, particularly in some of the most deprived communities in Scotland. No-one has yet assembled the multi-disciplinary scientific capability we propose here, which builds on world-leading technological innovation to (i) optimise outcomes for communities and (ii) create transferable learning for initiatives and investments in similar contexts across the UK. These ideas are generating enormous energy in stakeholder interactions. More than 80 partners have now provided letters of support across all the key areas required to deliver on our key objective to 'optimise outcomes from water resources in the Forth Water Basin'.
Collaboration on this scale is important in building system change. It is strengthening local capacity for innovation, research and knowledge exchange in a way that exceeds the boundaries and boundedness of current networks. With its powerful enabling infrastructure, the Partnership is thus at once a policy network, a learning community, and a direct actor in the water system - able to identify and implement actionable insights and to challenge the conditions that can stifle positive action. 'Optimising outcomes' means raising levels across the board for sustainable and inclusive economic growth, resilient communities and a healthy environment, through innovative solutions, place-making, and positive-sum system interactions. Moreover, our technologically-advanced HsO, and conceptual and methodological development in an important and transferable learning context, will add further value to initiatives and investments in similar water basins across the UK.
Organisations
- University of Stirling (Lead Research Organisation, Project Partner)
- Edinburgh Social Enterprise Network Ltd (Project Partner)
- NHS Forth Valley (Project Partner)
- Edinburgh & SE Scotland City Region Deal (Project Partner)
- Stirling and Clackmannanshire City Regio (Project Partner)
- Scottish Government (Project Partner)
- Consumer Scotland (Project Partner)
- CENSIS (Project Partner)
- Creative Scotland (Project Partner)
- FORTH VALLEY COLLEGE OF FURTHER AND HIGHER EDUCATION (Project Partner)
- Industrial Biotechnology Innovation C (Project Partner)
- Greenspace Scotland (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- Green Action Trust (Project Partner)
- Scottish Agricultural Org Society (SAOS) (Project Partner)
- Keep Scotland Beautiful (Project Partner)
- Community Led Local Development (Project Partner)
- Dementia Services Development Centre (Project Partner)
- Learning through Landscapes (Project Partner)
- Forth Rivers Trust (Project Partner)
- Development Trusts Association Scotland (Project Partner)
- Homes for Scotland (Project Partner)
- Strathard Community Trust (Project Partner)
- East Lothian Council (Project Partner)
- Falkirk Council (Project Partner)
- NHS Fife (Project Partner)
- Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Project Partner)
- Fife Coast and Countryside Trust (Project Partner)
- The Leven Programme (Project Partner)
- WWF Scotland (Project Partner)
- Forth Valley Chamber of Commerce (Project Partner)
- Scottish Water (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- Scottish Wildlife Trust (Project Partner)
- Scottish Water Independent Customer Grou (Project Partner)
- Forestry and Land Scotland (Project Partner)
- VisitScotland (Project Partner)
- Climate 2050 Group (Project Partner)
- Scottish Enterprise (Project Partner)
- NHS Lothian (Project Partner)
- Aquabio Ltd (Project Partner)
- Scottish Land & Estates (Project Partner)
- Anthony Collins Solicitors (Project Partner)
- NHS LOTHIAN CHARITY (Project Partner)
- EDINBURGH COLLEGE (Project Partner)
- Community Enterprise (Project Partner)
- Clackmannanshire Council (Project Partner)
- FORTH PORTS LIMITED (Project Partner)
- NatureScot (Project Partner)
- Edinburgh and Lothians Greenspace Trust (Project Partner)
- Scotland's Towns Partnership (Project Partner)
- Stirling Council (Project Partner)
- Skills Development Scotland (Project Partner)
- Be-St (Project Partner)
- Sustrans (Project Partner)
- RSPB Scotland (Project Partner)
- Disability Equality Scotland (Project Partner)
- Fife Council (Project Partner)
- Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (Project Partner)
- Scottish Canals (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- Sensory Trust (Project Partner)
- Scotland Food and Drink (Project Partner)
- Clackmannshire Third Sector Interface (Project Partner)
- Scottish Advisory Panel for Outdoor Edu (Project Partner)
- Public Health Scotland (Project Partner)
- Woodland Trust (Project Partner)
- Parenting Across Scotland (Project Partner)
- Edinburgh City Council (Project Partner)
- Fife Chamber of Commerce (Project Partner)
- Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce (Project Partner)
- Scotland and Northern Ireland Forum for Environmental Research (Project Partner)
- Scottish Older People's Assembly (Project Partner)
- CEMVO Scotland (Project Partner)
- Loch Lomond & The Trossachs Nat. Park (Project Partner)
- Anstruther Improvements Association (Project Partner)
- Forth Estuary Forum (Project Partner)
- Social Enterprise Scotland (Project Partner)
- THE UK WATER PARTNERSHIP (Project Partner)
- West Lothian Council (Project Partner)
- Forth Environment Link (Project Partner)
- CreditNature Ltd (Project Partner)