Project Examples

We supported Sir Halley Stewart Trust to develop a bespoke evaluation framework with outcomes and impact data collection tools, fully integrated with the Trust’s existing grants management system.  We currently provide an annual analytic review of the data the Trust collects from its grantees, responding to any evaluation questions that Trustees might have.  We produce a full report and short summary which Trustees use to inform their Annual Report to the Charities Commission.

The Trust celebrated its 100^th anniversary in October 2024 and our work informed the production of a suite of publications, launched at their Centenary Event in London.

We delivered an impact evaluation of the GCRF African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA)–UKRI partnership, exploring how effectively the programme strengthened research capacity across African universities and supported equitable UK–Africa collaborations.  Our evaluation captured key outcomes, early impacts and lessons from programme design and delivery, providing ARUA and UKRI with clear evidence to inform future international research partnerships and longterm sustainability.

We undertook an impact evaluation of the Global Challenges Research Fund’s Growing Research Capability (GCRF GROW) programme to assess how effectively it supported the development of research capacity worldwide. The evaluation examined how the programme strengthened skills and expertise to address key challenges in developing regions, the outcomes and early impacts achieved by GROW projects, and the likely longerterm legacy of the programme. Our findings provide valuable learning on how capacity strengthening works in practice and inform the design of future international research initiatives. 

NERC commissioned Helix Research and Evaluation, in partnership with the National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement, to carry out a rapid review of public engagement with environmental science and to consult on its draft Public Engagement with Research (PER) Strategy.  Drawing on sector learning and stakeholder feedback gathered through interviews and an online survey, our review assessed support for the draft strategy, identified areas for clarification and improvement, and made practical recommendations to help shape NERC’s future approach to supporting public engagement.

We worked with Wellcome and its pilot partners to deliver a learning and evaluation programme for the Institutional Research Engagement Fund (IREF) across two phases.  Working closely with partners including the University of Oxford and a network of Scottish universities (ScotPEN), we evaluated progress against IREF’s goals and Theory of Change and captured the learning and added value of this devolved approach to funding public engagement with health research.  Using a mixed methods approach, we generated evidence on impact, learning and operational insight to inform future devolved funding models, alongside strategic learning from Wellcome’s wider portfolio, shaping understanding of how devolved approaches can support capacity building, partnership working and sustainable public engagement.

We were commissioned by the Wellcome Sanger Institute to deliver a programme-wide evaluation of One Cell At A Time , a national public engagement initiative inspired by the UK Human Cell Atlas.  Using a coproduced, mixed methods approach, we gathered qualitative and quantitative evidence from public participants, delivery partners and Human Cell Atlas researchers to assess the project’s achievements, learning and outcomes, and to understand how art–science collaboration supported sustained engagement across research and public communities.  The evaluation evidenced short term outcomes and early cultural change, alongside practical learning to inform the design and sustainability of future large scale public engagement programmes.

In partnership with independent consultant David Owen, we were commissioned by the University of Bath’s Tobacco Control Research Group to review the outputs from Phase 1 of STOP, a global tobacco industry watchdog funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies.  The review synthesised existing evidence and new stakeholder insight to examine how STOP’s outputs were used and what difference they made.  The review found extensive evidence that STOP outputs supported policy change, strengthened global capacity to monitor and counter tobacco industry interference, and increased awareness and understanding of tobacco industry tactics.  The findings demonstrate STOP’s significant contribution to advancing tobacco control and supporting implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

We were commissioned by UK universities to support impact case study development for the Research Excellence Framework. We reviewed drafts and provided strategic input to strengthen impact narratives and highlight the evidence that clearly linked impacts to underpinning research.