Our latest thinking on the issues that matter most in economic and social development through our Viewpoint series, and our latest published reports. Our older Viewpoint ‘thought piece’ publications are available from the archive.
June 2025
In January 2021, The National Lottery Community Fund launched the Dormant Assets NI Phase 1 Grant Programme, which offered grants to VCSE sector organisations in Northern Ireland (NI) to fund activities seeking to build their capacity, resilience and sustainability. SQW was commissioned to evaluate the Grant Programme in November 2023, with the evaluation running to May 2025.
April 2025
In 2020, an SQW-led consortium was commissioned by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to evaluate the Data to Early Diagnosis and Precision Medicine (D2EDPM) Challenge. The evaluation involved four phases of work between 2020 and 2023: a monitoring and evaluation framework; a baseline assessment of the Challenge; a process evaluation and a final impact evaluation.
February 2025
In March 2024, UKRI commissioned SQW, in partnership with London Economics, to undertake a study to provide UKRI with evidence to inform decisions about setting the stipend level. The report has now been published.
December 2024
In November 2020 the Health Foundation commissioned SQW to conduct an independent evaluation of the Common Ambition programme. The theory-based evaluation ran for 3.5 years alongside programme delivery, to report on learning from the process of implementing the programme and what the programme achieved.
December 2024
Launched in 2012, the British Business Bank’s Start Up Loans programme provides personal loans to individuals for the purpose of starting up a new business or developing an existing early stage business. In 2023, SQW (in partnership with Professor Mark Hart, Qa Research and The Data City) was commissioned by the British Business Bank to refresh the evidence on the programme.
November 2024
SQW, supported by partner UK Youth, was commissioned by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to undertake volunteering in the youth sector research, focusing on open access youth provision that any young person can attend.