Policy Innovation Research Unit (PIRU)

Policy Innovation Research Unit (PIRU) Principal Investigator: Professor Nicholas Mays (LSHTM) Business School Investigator: Professor James Barlow Funder: Department of Health Duration: January 2011 – December 2023 Summary Led by the LSHTM the Policy Innovation Research Unit (PIRU) unites leading health and social care expertise to improve evidence-based policy-making and its implementation across the National Health Service, social care and public health. PIRU’s team of researchers from leading research institutions work with policy and decision-makers in the Department of Health (DH), the NHS and local government to provide rigorous research evidence to inform the early stages of policy innovation. The Unit is undertaking a number of research projects involving Imperial College Business School: Understanding participation in genomics research Monitoring the diagnostic odyssey of rare diseases Assessing improvements in dementia care and support Improving evaluation methods Social Impact Bonds for Health and Social Care Developing a Global index of healthcare innovation Integrated Care Pioneers evaluation Direct Payments in Residential Care evaluation Cold Weather Plan evaluation Public Health Responsibility Deal evaluation Department of Health policy pilots: how the purpose of piloting matters for evaluation and learning Partners London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (Lead partner) LSE Rand Europe Nuffield Trust Public Health Research Consortium Outputs & Impact PIRU Website Peer-reviewed publications