The idea
The Institute of Life Science 2 at Swansea University was created to develop and support a sustainable Life Science cluster based in South West Wales and with a global reach. The initiative created a Joint Clinical Research Facility to trial new approaches, state of the art imaging facilities, informatics, and business incubator space, as well as providing the means to better link the University’s research with the ABMU health board and also private business with the health sector. The initiative is a European Convergence funded project and built on the previous, very successful, ILS1 initiative. The University wanted to illustrate how the initiative has made a difference, to report to its funders on the impact of their funding, but also to inform the next phase of development.
What we did
We conducted a desk based review of existing project data, comparing outputs against Welsh European Funding Office (WEFO) targets. We also conducted a series of one to one interviews with: staff; key partners, including WEFO and Welsh Government; and supported businesses and individuals. Additionally, we conducted a quantitative survey, reviewed project documentation and project facilities, as well as holding a workshop with the ILS management team to explore the next steps.
Results of our work
The evaluation provided an ex post evaluation in line with EU requirements and signposted ways forward for ILS in fulfilling its role in the Strategy for Life Sciences in Wales. Our report was very well received by the client and we won praise for our insight.
