When Boris Johnson unveiled government’s roadmap for lifting lockdown restrictions in England he stressed that decisions would be governed by “data not dates”.

Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, access to data has been vital in responding to the global crisis, and it’s guided all the work delivered by the North East Local Enterprise Partnership and the North East COVID-19 Economic Response Group.

From publishing intelligence reports on the economic impact of COVID-19 using data from the Office for National Statistics, to reviewing shopping trends and transport use during the pandemic using Google mobility data; access to accurate and timely intelligence has been essential in supporting North East businesses through this hugely challenging time.

Because of the North East LEP’s strengths in evidence-based delivery, we’ve been asked on behalf of the NP11 – the business-led voice for the North that brings together the 11 Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) from across the North of England – to help shape a new data and evidence programme focused on the use of economic evidence, research and data across the North.

We’re currently in the process of appointing a qualified contractor to work in partnership with us to review what economic performance data already exists and identify where there may be gaps or duplication.

We also want to understand what some of the most common research needs are from our partners across the North, including the NP11 LEPs, Transport for the North, and the wider LEP Network.

Using that insight, we plan to develop a list of key research and evidence projects that can be delivered across the North to help stimulate economic recovery, enhance productivity and stimulate sustainable growth.

This new collaborative approach to data and evidence would build on the existing partnership working across the NP11 and further strengthen the North’s role in national policy decisions. It would also allow organisations in the North to combine resources, and complement and leverage knowledge, evidence and research capacity.

More details about the project and the current procurement opportunity can be found here.

If anyone would like a further discussion about the project, please feel free to email me via [email protected].