Bright ideas

Supporting research and innovation, and piloting new approaches that can be scaled and embedded.

Bright ideas

Research and testing ideas

Embracing technology

Innovative projects

Advancing evidence-led, innovative solutions

This pillar is dedicated to advancing evidence-led, innovative solutions by harnessing research, technology, and innovative approaches to existing and emerging issues in social care across Wales. Our goal is to ensure that all those providing and receiving care benefit from practical improvements to services.

We will achieve this by combining three core elements – Research, Embracing Technology, and Innovative Projects. These elements work together to identify and apply existing knowledge, scan for new opportunities, and pilot promising ideas. We will collaborate with practitioners, academics, and technology partners to explore innovative solutions to ongoing problems in the sector, with evidence-based decision-making supporting our approach.

We’ll know we have succeeded when:

There is a research evidence base that informs decision-making and practice across the sector, allowing targeted improvements to services and ways of working.
New and existing technologies are well-understood, safely adopted, and effectively embedded, with front line workers empowered to use these technologies to improve the services they provide.
Innovative projects and pilots are regularly initiated, evaluated, adopted and eventually scaled to the sector, allowing innovative solutions to lead change in social care.

Objectives

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Research

This element is about conducting and sharing research that underpins digital transformation in social care. It clarifies priority questions to be answered and tests initial ideas so decisions are based on evidence rather than assumptions, building understanding of what improves outcomes and why.

Objective 1 – Commission and share research

Identify research needs by engaging with practitioners, policy makers, academics and others to define priority research questions and problem statements.
Work with partners to commission and new research or identify and collaborate with existing research that addresses the defined questions and problem statements.
Share findings by developing accessible summaries, reports and other resources and distributing them through appropriate channels, to ensure findings reach all relevant audiences to encourage discussion and further collaboration.

Objective 2 – Identify problem areas and opportunities to resolve these

Analyse commissioned and existing research outputs to pinpoint recurring challenges, gaps, or opportunities in current practice.
Engage with stakeholders including practitioners, managers, and partners to validate identified problem areas and gather additional perspectives.
Prioritise and plan next steps, ranking opportunities based on potential impact and feasibility. Develop action plans or proposals to take the most promising solutions forward.

Embracing technology

This element aims to enhance social care services and processes by applying technology to refine and improve both capability and quality in these areas. It will also look to help the streamline the adoption of technology via guidance and demonstrations, working closely with other Pillars to do so.

Objective 1 – Understanding technology and its uses

Conduct horizon scanning to identify and review technological solutions or enhancements to existing systems within social care via tech partners, case studies and collaboration with other pillars.
Gather expert input by consulting with internal and external partners to understand practical, real-world applications of new technology, as well as appropriate pathways to adoption.
Develop and update resources such as policies, guidance, case studies, templates, and DPIAs to explain technology concepts and streamline safe adoption, with the goal of ensuring new users are suitably prepared to adopt these.
Distribute findings and resources through workshops, networks and via the Building Knowledge pillar to build digital confidence and awareness.

Objective 2 – Using technology to enhance workstreams

Work with partners to identify and map current workstreams and processes to highlight opportunities where technology could improve efficiency or outcomes with the goal of providing better services.
Evaluate and compare available technologies and processes, considering factors such as cost, impact, and ease of implementation and adoption. This will draw on outputs from the research element.
Work closely with partners and across pillars to refine approaches, develop templates or best practices, and support wider adoption across teams or departments, with the goal of driving implementation at scale while raising user confidence in both the solution and the technology.

Innovative projects

This element is about identifying and supporting promising digital projects, aligning public, private and academic sector innovation with social care needs. It will look to map the current landscape and build partnerships to avoid duplication, identify the most impactful and feasible ideas, and move these from concept to delivery.

Objective 1 – Funding opportunities for Proof of Concepts

Scan for internal and external funding streams suitable for Proof of Concept (PoC) projects, including grants, innovation funds, and partnership opportunities.
Work with teams to draft compelling project proposals that draw from both the research element and outputs from other pillars to support and reinforce proposals.
Working closely with our network of partners and other pillars, identify similar proof of concept proposals and consolidate where possible to strengthen the bid and encourage collaboration across the sector.
Coordinate the submission of proposals and bids to relevant funding bodies both within DiSC Cymru and across the sector.

Objective 2 – Identify and initiate pilot projects

Use outputs from the research element, network and stakeholder input, and horizon scanning to identify promising areas or challenges suitable for pilot projects.
Select pilot candidates, applying clear criteria to shortlist and prioritise innovative ideas that align with identified problem areas.
Develop detailed plans for each pilot, including objectives, timelines, evaluation methods, and success criteria.
Launch and support pilot projects, provide ongoing support and oversight, and capture lessons learned for future scaling or adoption, feeding into the embracing technology element.