Baseline and Mid-term Evaluations of AberInnovation

To comply with ERDF and BBSRC funding requirements, AU commissioned the Baseline, Mid-Term and Final Evaluations to specifically report on AberInnovation’s plans, competencies, activities, outputs/outcomes, and impact. The RFQ was published in early 2017 via competitive tender and The Innovation Partnership Ltd was successful with its tender submission.

The evaluations employed a Work Package (WP) approach, utilising desk and field research and encompassing a blended approach of quantitative and qualitative techniques.

The evaluation process was required to accommodate the needs of the three funding parties. i.e., WEFO, BBSRC and Aberystwyth University. The primary methods of investigation involved an examination of alignment with current regional and national strategies and a personal interview programme with key stakeholders, including the leader of Ceredigion County Council, to comment on AberInnovation’s mission and operations and to identify areas of alignment between AberInnovation and regional policy.

Outputs of the baseline evaluation included:

1. A contextual review of the Programme and its alignment with strategic policies/initiatives.

2. A review of Programme set up, operations, and outputs and outcomes (impact).

3. A redeveloped Logic Model, including actions and identification of additional metrics.

4. 12 recommendations relating to future activities, all of which have been adopted.

At the mid-term stage, Dr Rhian Hayward commented: “The added value the Consultants provided here was the identification of a new grant scheme (Community Renewal Fund, pre-cursor to the Shared Prosperity Fund) and the research and preparing of a bid on behalf of AberInnovation. This will provide circa £500k of funding for AbberInnovation to develop a six-month Accelerator for the SMEs and enterprises it serves.”