Podcast: Gerrin' on wi' it series - “Collaboration brings more strength than going it alone”

“Collaboration brings more strength than going it alone” - Creating networks that address Yorkshire's challenges

In this opening episode of "Gerrin' on wi' it," hosts Paul Hayes and Dr Andy Mycock set the stage for exploring collaboration across Yorkshire and the Humber - a region they argue is England's trailblazer for academic-policy engagement. 

Paul and Andy discuss the origins of the Yorkshire and Humber Policy Engagement and Research Network (Y-PERN) and the Yorkshire Policy Innovation Partnership (YPIP), born from a 2021 memorandum of understanding between Yorkshire Universities and Yorkshire & Humber Councils. They reflect on how COVID-19 became a catalyst for collaboration, revealing the power of bringing together universities, local authorities, combined authorities, and communities around shared challenges. 

The conversation explores what makes collaboration work: building trust through sustained relationships, understanding different institutional cultures, and creating a "network of networks" that maximises regional capacity. From Early Years education to economic growth, they discuss how partnership working has evolved from coffee conversations to formal compacts and community engagement. 

This episode introduces the “Gerrin’ on wit’ it” series as a space to speak to people who are making things happen in the region and driving things forward with collaboration at the forefront.  

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This episode was recorded on 9 December 2025. If you would like to get in touch, please contact contact@y-pern.org.uk. A transcript of this episode is available. Y-PERN is funded by the UKRI’s Research England Development (RED) Fund; YPIP is funded by the UKRI’s Economic and Social Research Council.  

Acronyms explained: 

• Y-PERN – Yorkshire and Humber Policy and Engagement Network 
• YPIP – Yorkshire Policy Innovation Partnership 
• UPEN – Universities Policy Engagement Network 
• YU – Yorkshire Universities 
• YHC – Yorkshire and Humber Councils 
• ESRC – Economic and Social Research Council  

Helpful links: 

• https://www.n8research.org.uk/  

• https://whiterose.ac.uk/  

• https://yorkshireuniversities.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/137/2025/04/YH-Councils-and-YU-MoU-2025.pdf  

• https://www.westyorks-ca.gov.uk/media/csofehp1/further-education-and-west-yorkshire-combined-authority-compact-with-colleges-2025-28.pdf  

About the speakers: 

Dr Andy Mycock is a political scientist with extensive experience of academic public policy engagement. As Chief Policy Fellow for the Yorkshire and Humber Policy Engagement and Research Network he collaborates with a wide range of academic, government and non-government stakeholders across the region and UK and internationally. Andy is also Cross-Programme Lead for the University Policy Engagement Network and is an elected trustee of the Political Studies Association. He chaired the Kirklees Democracy Commission (2016-2018) and was recently appointed to the UK Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government College of Experts.    

Paul Hayes is Senior Policy Engagement Fellow at Leeds University Business School, supporting academic colleagues in developing impacts from their work and in engaging with the policy community and public bodies. He was formerly corporate policy manager at Wakefield Council and policy lead for the Key Cities Group, an association of 27 mid-size UK cities. This role encompassed policy advisory work to local, regional and national politicians; development and authorship of local and regional strategies and plans; engagement with and representation on working groups of UK government and national bodies; and responses to consultations. The role also included scoping, commissioning, and joint development of academic and think tank research and engagement with business and voluntary and community sectors.