We were delighted to host the launch of Cambridge University’s Bennett Institute for Public Policy on 16 April, named after Churchill alumnus and philanthropist Peter Bennett (U75).
The launch of the ground-breaking new Institute at the University is dedicated to researching solutions to some of the greatest challenges facing society in the 21st century. The Institute will look at solving public policy problems across four main strands: the technological policy challenge; issues around space and planning; health and wellbeing; and the future of democracy. It will involve thinkers and researchers from across the social sciences and sciences to work in an interdisciplinary way to find cost-effective means of tackling policy questions.
On the day there was a fantastic speaker line up, including new Bennett Professor of Public Policy (and co-director of the Institute) Diane Coyle (pictured above), former cabinet secretary Lord O’Donnell, and Martha Lane Fox. There were over 250 delegates attending the opening event and discussions on themes such as 21st century approaches to tackling inequality and developing policies for environmental sustainability.
The institute was formally opened by the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Professor Stephen Toope. Speaking at the launch, Peter Bennett said he hoped that the Institute might help policy makers make the world a better place, and deal with some of the pressing issues facing humankind, such as climate change, more effectively. He also paid tribute to his parents who had met in Hong Kong when his father was a serving officer in the RAF and dedicated the Institute to their memory.
