Professor Steve Martin will be stepping down as Director of the Wales Centre for Public Policy (WCPP) at the end of November after more than a decade at its helm, with current Acting Director, Professor James Downe continuing in that role until Steve’s permanent successor is appointed. Steve will continue to support the Centre in an advisory capacity and contribute to its research on evidence use.
Professor Downe has been WCPP’s Acting Director since the end of 2023 while Steve has been on research leave studying effective approaches to supporting evidence-informed policy making. James will be supported by Professor Dan Bristow who will continue to lead the WCPP’s work with Welsh Government and public services and Senior Research Fellows Amanda Hill-Dixon, Dr Hannah Durrant and Dr Helen Tilley who lead the Centre’s work on Tackling Inequalities, Community Wellbeing, and the Environment & Net Zero.
Steve said “I’m immensely grateful to have had the privilege of establishing and then leading the Centre. It is a truly ground-breaking initiative, and I want to thank our funders, colleagues in the Welsh Government, public services and academia, our advisory group and the brilliant team at the Centre for making it such a success.
“I am delighted to be leaving the Centre in such good shape and in such safe hands, and I look forward to having some time to explore new challenges and opportunities as well as continuing to share what we have learnt over the last decade”.
James Downe added “ Steve has provided outstanding leadership of the Centre over many years. What began as a small team of three has grown into a dynamic group of more than twenty colleagues, all dedicated to meeting the evidence needs of Welsh Government and public services. I look forward to building on this strong foundation in the years ahead”.
The Wales Centre for Public Policy was established in 2013 at the request of the then First Minister Carwyn Jones and is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, Welsh Government and Cardiff University. It supports ministers and public service leaders in Wales to access authoritative independent evidence and expertise that helps tackle major policy challenges.
In its first decade the WCPP undertook more than 200 projects, informing numerous national and local policies in Wales in a wide range of services including housing, education and training, farming and fishing, local economic growth, health and social care, as well as producing leading-edge research on evidence use and research impact. The innovative, demand-led approach to research-policy engagement which it has pioneered has attracted interest from governments and researchers around the world and it also plays an important role in the What Works network and has been instrumental in a range of other initiatives including the International Public Policy Observatory (IPPO) and the creation of a new £5 million Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC) in Rhondda Cynon Taf.