Innovation Lead - Safer Streets Mission - (R&D MAP)

Innovation Lead

Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
Salary: £58,589 Per Annum.  
Band: UKRI Band F.
Contract type: Open Ended.  
Hours: Full Time or Part Time. (Minimum 0.8 FTE)  
Location: Polaris House, Swindon, Wiltshire.   
 

Closing Date: 20/03/2026

About Us

The R&D Missions Accelerator Programme represents an exceptional opportunity to create real world impact through R&D investment.

The programme will utilise a £500m budget to bring together the private sector, the third sectors and academia to collaboratively develop innovative solutions to public sector problems, resulting in new technologies, services, IP and more.

The programme has been designed to solve the key problems facing HMG’s five national Missions and enable delivery of the milestones in the Plan for Change.

The Government has identified the key problems faced by the UK, to which the R&D Missions Accelerator Programme has designed Research and Innovation (R&I) Challenges to develop solutions.  Importantly, these solutions will then be directly utilised in addressing public sector needs.  

The programme is currently developing its approaches across the Missions, and therefore by joining at this stage there’s a significant opportunity to establish and drive the strategic and operational direction of the programme.

Mission Specific

Safer Streets

The Safer Streets Mission is tackling some of the most difficult, enduring and systemic problems in our society. The ambition is to reduce serious harm and increase public confidence in policing and in the criminal justice system, with a challenging target of halving both knife crime and Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) within a decade. You will work across multiple government departments and a wide range of stakeholders, seeking solutions which are truly innovative and world leading whilst juggling the need for outcomes to be affordable, scalable and trusted by the public. You will play a key role in building and evaluating local neighbourhood partnerships to deliver well targeted, evidence based and innovative prevention and intervention programmes. You will combine a range of approaches including innovation in technology and data capability, behavioural science focused on prevention and interventions and capability building. You will actively drive collaborative working and investment from industry and key partners.  
 

Purpose

As an Innovation Lead, the role holders will be responsible for developing and implementing, with partners, the innovation strategy for R&D MAP. It will involve coordination of private, third sector, and government support taking a key role in development of future strategic initiatives in this fast-moving programme. Commercially minded with significant industry / sector experience, the role holders will seek to deliver the objectives of our investments and to ensure that opportunities for UK businesses are maximised in line with the aims of the programme. The role holders will report to the Challenge Senior Team and work closely with the wider R&D MAP Hub and Challenge Teams.  

This position requires a person with a deep understanding of the pathway to commercialisation, they need to be technically literate and business-aware, with strong interpersonal skills. They should be capable of leading the thinking in their area of expertise, contributing to the creation and implementation of wider R&D MAP strategies.

Main Outputs and Activities

• Lead the development and implementation of R&D MAP challenge strategies and funding to enable industry to develop and commercialise new products, processes, business models and services.
• Build and manage relationships with businesses, trade associations, Catapults, government departments and agencies, private investors, regulatory bodies, and research organisations.
• Work with funding partners and industry groups to ensure alignment of activities to maximise impact on relevant sectors.
• Ensuring that resources are targeted at the companies and technology areas that are most likely to create impact.
• Support communications and engagement activities, representing R&D MAP at leading industry events, raising awareness of the innovation opportunities that exist.
• Support international activities to ensure that UK activity is set in an international context.

This is not an exhaustive list, and the post-holder might be expected to undertake any other duties, commensurate with the Band and level of responsibility of this post.

Personal Specification