WHAT IS Y-PERN?

Y-PERN stands for Yorkshire & Humber Policy Engagement & Research Network.

The project has recently been awarded £3.9m of funding from the Research England Development (RED) Fund, a £27 million annual fund that supports institutional strategic developmental projects in higher education research and knowledge exchange.

Y-PERN is a novel network-based approach to inclusive and place-based academic policy engagement and research. By enhancing the effectiveness of inclusive regional development policy and strategy, Y-PERN will play a critical role in fulfilling the commitment made in the Memorandum of Understanding between Yorkshire Universities (YU) and Yorkshire and Humber Councils (YHC) to work together to identify actions and solutions to some of the major opportunities and challenges facing the region.

WHO IS Y-PERN?

YU is the convenor for Y-PERN, with the University of Leeds (Business School) acting as the accountable body, providing strategic management of the delivery of funded activities.

A region-wide consortium comprises project partners, including all twelve member institutions of YU. Yorkshire and Humber Councils brings together the twenty-two Local Authorities across the region, along with the two Mayoral Combined Authorities in South and West Yorkshire. The Local Enterprise Partnerships in Hull and East Yorkshire and York and North Yorkshire will also be key partners in Y-PERN. We also envisage that Government and other partners in Yorkshire will engage with Y-PERN as our programme of work is rolled out.

WHERE IS Y-PERN?

Y-PERN builds on existing policy and research engagement structures and mechanisms within across all parts of Yorkshire and the Humber.

Y-PERN is founded on a federated model of academic policy engagement and research, building on what currently works in Hull and East Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and York and North Yorkshire. At the same time, Y-PERN provides a framework to share knowledge and experience between the different geographies in Yorkshire, to encourage learning and improvement, and to work collaboratively on issues that are best examined at the regional level.