‘Too early’ to assess impact of Strength in Places Fund

Chair of fund’s assessment panel says “impatient” UK government’s levelling-up agenda must be long term

The chair of the assessment panel of the Strength in Places Fund has insisted it is “too early” to determine the impact of projects funded through the place-based research funding programme.

This is despite a programme-level evaluation of the fund being underway to help improve it, as well as to examine its value to taxpayers and to help build an evidence base of what works in place-based funding.