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The Evidence Quarter

Wales Centre for Public Policy

The Wales Centre for Public Policy works to address key economic and societal challenges through the use of evidence.

The Wales Centre for Public Policy helps to improve policy making and public services by supporting ministers and public service leaders to access and apply rigorous independent evidence about what works. It works in partnership with leading researchers and policy experts to synthesise and mobilise existing evidence and identify gaps where there is a need to generate new knowledge.

The Centre is independent of government but works closely with policy makers and practitioners to develop fresh thinking about how to address strategic challenges in health and social care, education, housing, the economy and other devolved responsibilities.

The Centre:

  • supports Welsh Government Ministers to identify, access, and use authoritative evidence and independent expertise that can help inform and improve policy;
  • works with public services to access, generate, evaluate, and apply evidence about what works in addressing key economic and societal challenges; and
  • draws on its work with Ministers and public services, to advance understanding of how evidence can inform and improve policy making and public services and contribute to theories of policy making and implementation.

Through secondments, PhD placements and its Research Apprenticeship programme, the Centre also helps to build capacity among researchers to engage in policy relevant research which has impact.

Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and Welsh Government, the Centre is based at Cardiff University and a member of the UK’s What Works Network.