Welsh think tank marks a successful first year

Today the Public Policy Institute for Wales (PPIW) celebrates its first anniversary.

First Minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones AM is sponsoring an event in Cardiff Bay to mark a highly successful first year for the independent think tank, which is hosted by the University and led by Professor Steve Martin from the University's Business School.

Having quickly established itself as part of Wales' policy community the PPIW has undertaken 25 pieces of work for the Welsh Government on a wide range of topics, and attracted an additional £1 million of research funding to Wales since its inception. It has also attracted additional support from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) to join the UK-wide What Works Network to ensure engagement with the policy community in Wales, and launched an ESRC-funded programme of research on tackling poverty.

The next phase of the Institute's work will see a new tranche of projects commissioned by individual Ministers, alongside analysis and advice on the future of public services in Wales and tackling poverty, two key priorities for the Government as a whole.

Commenting on the anniversary, Rt. Hon. Carwyn Jones AM, First Minister of Wales, said: "When we committed ourselves in our 2011 manifesto, and subsequently in our Programme for Government, to establish a Public Policy Institute for Wales, we did so because we wanted expertise, challenge and fresh thinking to help us as a government to better identify priorities and create more robust policy.

"In its first year, the PPIW has already delivered on these aspirations.  We are using this advice to inform our decisions, to focus our interventions, to target our policies.  The Public Policy Institute for Wales has already established itself as an important part of the policy 'landscape' here in Wales, and I look forward to its continuing success in the coming year."

Professor Sir Adrian Webb, Chair of the Board of Governors for PPIW, added: "This has been a highly productive first year for the PPIW. The array of world-leading experts that have contributed reports has offered the access to independent advice and analysis that we were asked to provide.  Through collaboration with the University of South Wales and the universities in Cardiff, Swansea, Bangor and Aberystwyth, the PPIW has drawn together expertise from across Wales.  I look forward to continuing the good work through 2015 and beyond."

Academics from Cambridge University, the London School of Economics, University of Southampton and Cardiff and Swansea Universities, have joined the Institute's network of experts, along with independent think tanks and research institutes in Wales and beyond. 

Vice-Chancellor Professor Colin Riordan, added: "Our recent Research Excellence Framework results, which saw us come 5^th nationally among research universities on rankings based on quality, demonstrates our commitment and progress in developing world-leading research projects. Hosting an Institution like the Public Policy Institute for Wales is an important element in ensuring we continue to be among the world's best research universities.  I am proud to see that a number of academics from Cardiff University have produced reports in the first year, which are having a positive impact on public policy in Wales.  We are committed to supporting the PPIW as they continue their important work."