PolicyWISE highly commended as ‘One to Watch’

PolicyWISE, The Open University’s (OU) innovative cross-nation policy research initiative, has been Highly Commended in the ‘One to Watch’ category at the Smart Thinking Awards 2025. The recognition highlights the initiatives rapid growth, distinctive mission, and rising influence across the devolved policy landscape of the UK and Ireland.

The commendation places PolicyWISE among the most exciting emerging think tanks in the UK. As the Director of Smart Thinking, Emily Redding, noted, “Congratulations on your highly commended in One to Watch – it was an insanely competitive category so to be commended is a huge achievement.” Other finalists in the One to Watch category are of a bigger scale than PolicyWISE – with strong foundations in Westminster.

Established in 2023, PolicyWISE brings a fresh and collaborative approach to policymaking by addressing long-standing barriers to comparative and cross-nation working. It is the only initiative dedicated to strengthening the connections between policymakers and researchers across all the nations of the UK and Ireland. Rooted in the OU’s research excellence and commitment to inclusive knowledge exchange, PolicyWISE is already reshaping how complex policy challenges are understood and addressed.

In just two years, PolicyWISE has pioneered a unique cross-nation policy cluster model that brings together government officials, academics and civic leaders to share insight and design solutions. Its work has supported comparative approaches to major societal challenges, including Active Travel and ending violence against women and girls, while high-impact roundtables in each UK nation are helping to build shared understanding and better policy learning across administrations. It’s work in researching inter-governmental relations across the UK is directly influencing how policymakers are approaching 'collaborative governance’ to shared policy challenges.

PolicyWISE’s communications platform, including its Wise in 5 briefing series, is amplifying comparative insight to a rapidly growing audience. These briefings are now the only regular public policy resource that directly compares issues across nations, offering timely, accessible analysis for busy decision-makers.
Across 22 PolicyWISE training sessions in the past year alone, more than 650 participants, from PhD researchers to senior civil servants, have engaged with tools and methods that make policymaking more comparative and collaborative.

PolicyWISE is entering an ambitious new phase, and over the next 12 months it will launch three delivery units: Insight, Engagement and Development, to strengthen its capacity to drive comparative research, support policy design, and widen participation. The first annual PoicyWISE conference in 2026 will bring together policymakers and researchers to showcase cross-nation learning and set the direction for a more connected policy future. PolicyWISE’s development is funded by Dangoor Education, which has enabled the team to work right acoss the UK and Ireland.

With momentum, innovation and an expanding national network, PolicyWISE is firmly establishing itself as a leading voice in the movement for smarter, more collaborative policymaking.