If you are looking for bold ideas that will deliver long-term impact for people, address persistent inequalities and transform the systems that surround them, read on for inspiration.
We work with ambitious leaders to rethink current approaches to big problems in areas such as health and social care, education and justice. We create better outcomes and experiences for vulnerable people and better outcomes for the wider system. Here’s how:
Imagining and becoming Future St Pat’s
Growing stronger systems of support: Recommendations from the field of Domestic and Family Violence Specialist Support
with Paul Ramsay Foundation
My Home, My Design: Making individualised living options real for people with disability
with Valued Lives
The Caithness Place Based Demonstrator
Developing bold new ways of working to support communities to live well locally
with Hub North Scotland & Scottish Futures Trust
From Vision to Reality
Mental Health Transformation in Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester Living Well
Providing better mental health support across Greater Manchester
with Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Board, Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, Voluntary and Community Sector Organisations and Local Authorities across the 10 boroughs.
Anchored in the Future
Supporting anchor institutions to take a preventative approach to community health
with The Health Foundation
Healthy Devon Learning Labs
A collaborative, whole system, stigma-free approach to weight
with One Devon
The Adopting Innovation Programme
Supporting health and care systems to become active adopters of innovation
Always Hope
Transforming support for care and custody experienced young adults
No Wrong Door
Transforming cultures in and beyond Children’s Social Care
Communities at the core
Greater Manchester’s GoodLives journey
with GoodLives GM
Innovation Unit's impact
Solving today’s problems, growing future solutions
The Living Well UK programme
Transforming adult community mental health services and support
Empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people: learning what works
with Polly Farmer Foundation
GoodLives GM
Tackling inequalities in Greater Manchester by getting rid of barriers to community-led innovation
with Greater Manchester Combined Authority
The Innovation Unit vision
The future of UK public services
An Invitation to Transform
Systems of care and support for neurodivergent young girls
Innovation Unit Design Academy
Young Responders with St John Ambulance
Designing an FDV Hub
Re-establishing safety, rebuilding connections in Armadale
with Western Australian Minister for the Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence
Adopting Innovation to improve health and care
Setting up hubs to identify, adapt and adopt the innovations which make a difference to people’s lives
with Health Foundation
Always Hope
Supporting young adults with experience of care and custody
with Multiple partners
Sport England
Making sport, physical activity and movement a normal part of life for everyone
with Sport England
Thriving in Murihiku
Creating a bright future with the rangatahi of Southland
with Te Rourou, Vodafone Aotearoa Foundation
Health Equalities
Building effective and sustainable partnerships between the voluntary and statutory sector
with The National Lottery Community Fund
Transforming adult community mental health
We work with mental health trusts, voluntary and community sector organisations, local authorities and people with lived experience of mental health issues, to transform adult community mental health services in the UK.
Health Anchors Learning Network
A UK-wide network for people responsible for anchor approaches in health
with The Health Foundation
Diverse NZers’ stories
Opportunities for a more inclusive physical activity system
with Sport New Zealand Ihi Aotearoa
Tāmaki Tauawhi Kaumātua
Collective action for an age-friendly Auckland
with Auckland Council
Foyer Broome
The first of its kind: a regional foyer model for young people in the Kimberley
with Anglicare WA, Foundation Housing Ltd and Nirrumbuk Aboriginal Organisation
Peel refuge
A journey to recovery: co-designing the first therapeutic refuge service model in Western Australia
with Department of Communities in Western Australia
Greater Manchester’s real time learning project
Learning from Innovation in a Crisis
with Greater Manchester Combined Authority
Learning First Bermuda
Collaboratively designing an improved school system for Bermuda
with Ministry of Education
Strengthening families, protecting children programme
Supporting scaling innovation in children's social care
with Department for Education
Co-designing out of home care
Children’s voices guide the way for new model of care
with Parkerville Children and Youth Care
MAI TE WHAI-AO KI TE AO MĀRAMA
Bringing to light distress and healing in early motherhood
with Te Hiringa Hauora | Health Promotion Agency
Bridging the Gaps
New approaches for care experienced young people given prison sentences
with Barrow Cadbury
Learning from a crisis: transforming children’s social care
COVID-19 has highlighted that children’s social care services are not working for many young people and families. We must redesign the system to give families the help they need as early as possible.
Age-friendly Tāmaki Makaurau Report
Opportunities for system-level collaboration to create an age-friendly region
with Auckland City Council
Co-designing the future of mental health services and support
We must redesign services and systems of support so people struggling with their mental health can get the help they need now.
Innovation in Children’s Social Care
Scaling and Spreading No Wrong Door
with Sheffield City Council, Middlesbrough Council, Greater Manchester local authorities and Bradford City Council
Innovation in Children's Social Care Research project
Research ~ Innovation addressing complex safeguarding risks for young people
with ESRC
Adult mental health
Scaling and spreading
Living Well UK to Edinburgh, Luton, Salford, and Tameside & Glossop
with National Lottery
Violence affecting young people
Research ~ Community views on violence affecting young people
with Greater Manchester Combined Authority
Māori heart health
Taking a Māori-centred approach to heart health
with Heart Foundation of New Zealand
Elevate insights
Unleashing Brilliance
with Association of Independent Schools of New South Wales (AISNSW)
Raising Learning Outcomes
Research ~ The opportunities & challenges of ICT for learning
with UNICEF, AGA KHAN EDUCATION SERVICES and AGA KHAN FOUNDATION
Amplify
Designing brighter futures for students
with Association of Independent Schools Western Australia (AISWA)
Named Social Worker
Putting people back at the heart of social work
with Department of Health and Social Care, SCIE
Adult mental health
Creating a new landscape for mental health - with
co-production at its heart
with Lambeth Clinical Commissioning Group & Lambeth Council
Integrated employment support
Supporting people to lead happy, healthy working lives
with LEARNING AND WORK INSTITUTE AND WORK AND HEALTH UNIT
Childhood obesity
Creating easier, healthier food choices on the high street
with HEALTHY LONDON PARTNERSHIP, GUY’S AND ST THOMAS’ CHARITY, BATTERSEA POWER STATION FOUNDATION WITH HYDE HOUSING, HARINGEY COUNCIL, SOUTHWARK COUNCIL AND LAMBETH COUNCIL
Healthy Families New Zealand
Building community capability to prevent chronic diseases
with Ministry of Health and Healthy Families NZ providers across Aotearoa New Zealand
A new care model for older people
Refining a proactive and holistic care model for over-65s
with West London CCG
Spreading and scaling innovation in the NHS
Research ~ Successfully scaling innovation in the NHS
with The Health Foundation
Schools Design Lab
Redesigning schools and learning for the future
with Innovation Unit Australia
Cities + Mayors + Innovation
Providing cities with tools to scale and spread innovation
with Bloomberg Philanthropies
Generations
Reducing social isolation amongst older people
with An Innovate Change / Innovation Unit ANZ venture
Innovations in children's social care
Transforming outcomes for children and young people in care
with Spring consortium delivering for the department for education
Kaitaia Youth Project
Helping young people to thrive in Te Hiku
with Ministry of Social Development
GoodFuture
Ensuring every young Australian has a great start to life, and an even better future
with Goodstart
End of life care
Creating new solutions for end of life care
with Guy's & St. Thomas' Charity
Excluding children doesn't work. It’s time we engaged every learner.
We are on a mission to create new models of learning that engage each and every learner.
New solutions, at scale. We’re up for it. Are you?
New, better, lower cost solutions to big social challenges are urgently needed. We need widespread, affordable, new and better solutions for whole populations now.
Behaviour Change Project
Preventing alcohol related harm among young people
with Counties Manukau Health, the Health Promotion Agency, CAYAD Auckland, the Aotearoa New Zealand Drug Foundation, Odyssey, Healthy Families Manukau, Manurewa-Papakura, CAYAD Auckland (Auckland Council), Youthline, Real and CHAMP
STEM Innovation Partnerships
Schools collaborating to solve system challenges at scale
with Department of education, Western Australia
Learning outcomes for schools
Supporting extraordinary learning across a global network of schools
with Aga Khan education services
Thriving Communities
Supporting families better by investing in community assets & local leadership
with Derbyshire County Council
Homelessness + substance misuse + criminal justice
Revealing & changing lives by going beyond data to share rich, human stories
with Lankelly Chase & User Voice
How do we reinvent school for the modern world?
The thriving societies of tomorrow need thriving young people today: children and young adults who want and are able to positively shape the world around them.
Family relationships
Improving outcomes for children by supporting parental relationships
with Department for Work and Pensions
Harekeke: Parents for Parents
Creating stronger social connections between parents of under-5s
with Innovate change and Innovation Unit Australia
Diabetes model of care
Combatting type 2 diabetes in Auckland
with Auckland District Health Board and Waitematā District Health Board, Aotearoa New Zealand
Behind the wheel
Keeping young drivers safe
with Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC), Aotearoa New Zealand Transport Agency, Curative