Best Partnership or Collaboration
European Society of Endocrinology and European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology – “Connecting Endocrinology Across the Life Course”
Collaboration between paediatric and adult-focused clinicians and researchers is rare – and in endocrinology had not ever been achieved. Bringing these two communities together has traditionally been challenging, however, in 2021 the then Presidents and leadership of the European Society of Endocrinology (ESE) and the European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology (ESPE) met to discuss the possibility of working more closely together to connect endocrinology across the life course. This was based on documented evidence coupled with the strong belief that we would be stronger and more effective working together on projects to improve the lives of patients and to impact on changing legislation at European level.
2025 saw the culmination of four major initiatives lead by the two Societies; spanning policy and advocacy, research, clinical care and a global health awareness day at one truly joint Congress, where nearly 8,000 paediatric and adult endocrinologists met together for the first time and forged collaboration and partnerships forming the foundation to connect endocrinology across the life course.
Institute of Employability Professionals – IEP and SDN mesma
The partnership between the IEP and SDN mesma is transforming how quality is understood and improved across employability services. Together, we developed the Quality Improvement Framework (QIF) as a sector-led, evidence-based framework designed to move organisations beyond compliance and towards continuous, meaningful improvement. The QIF was built with input from mesma and 50+ organisations, supported by DWP-linked engagement, mapped to ISO9001, Ofsted and Matrix, and made practical through the mesma platform and MIA software.
This collaboration is delivering real operational change. The partnership is now in year three of its work with Belfast City Council, where providers are quality assured through twice-yearly QA visits, SAR reviews, workshops, and toolkits developed collaboratively and supported by mesma MIA. Belfast City Council describes quality as now being “woven” into provider relationships and says the approach makes quality improvement achievable.
Across the network, 34 teams are currently using mesma, with MIA being piloted through projects with Belfast City Council and Serco ahead of wider rollout, including introduction in Saudi Arabia this year. Feedback from Serco, Imperial Health Charity and CVGT Employment shows stronger engagement, purposeful improvement actions, increased confidence, and a decisive shift from compliance to a culture of continuous improvement.
Irish Deaf Society – Further Education and Training
The Irish Deaf Society’s Further Education and Training (FET) programme is the only provider of Deaf-led education for Deaf learners in Ireland, delivering courses in Irish Sign Language (ISL). For over two decades, FET operated almost entirely in person in Dublin, leaving thousands of Deaf adults across Ireland and abroad without access to education in their first language.
In 2022, FET partnered with D2L to build a digital learning environment on D2L Brightspace. Starting with a pilot of one tutor and eight learners, the partnership has grown to 16 teachers delivering programmes to 2,172 enrolled learners across all 32 counties of Ireland and 10+ countries internationally.
Together, FET and D2L solved challenges unique to the Deaf community. Automated communication tools removed the burden of writing in English (a second language for many Deaf teachers), while a library of 500+ ISL vocabulary videos gave learners resources between classes. FET was subsequently validated by QQI, Ireland’s state accreditation body, for indefinite blended and online delivery.
Learner numbers have grown every year since the pilot, with 90% reporting satisfaction with platform navigability. The partnership has taken FET from a Dublin classroom to a globally accessible, Deaf-led education provider.
Society and College of Radiographers & Wonderly
The enduring partnership between the Society and College of Radiographers (SoR | CoR) and Wonderly, which began in 2020, represents a masterclass in association modernisation and members engagement growth. Having evolved from a traditional publishing contract into a deeply embedded strategic alliance, Wonderly now operates as a unified extension of the SoR team to continually deliver outstanding value.
Driven by comprehensive audience research, the partnership successfully transitioned the flagship magazine, Synergy, into a fully interactive digital platform. This shift permanently eliminated the environmental footprint of printing and shipping over 10 million pages annually, whilst driving unprecedented member engagement, including a 46.9% open rate for the new Synergy News Weekly newsletter.
Commercially, the alliance restructured the CoRIPS industry sponsorship scheme into a new Knowledge Partnership model, resulting in a staggering 57% year-on-year increase in total commercial revenues. Most importantly, these record-breaking revenues are directly reinvested into clinical research grants, empowering the next generation of professionals and perfectly advancing the College’s core charitable mandate. This collaboration is a definitive model of strategic synergy, sustainability, and measurable impact.
The Design Council – World Design Congress 2026
Barbican Centre and World Design Congress 2025 created a purpose led partnership that went far beyond venue hire, using the Congress’ Design for Planet mission as the framework for both content and operations. Returning to London for the first time in more than 50 years, the event welcomed around 1,000 in person delegates and 1,800 online participants from 81 countries, supported by a programme of 177 speakers from 19 countries.
The collaboration brought together the Barbican, Design Council, Stitch powered by Connection Crew CIC, and Searcys to deliver a global hybrid event rooted in sustainability, access and measurable impact. Circular production, recyclable staging, plant forward catering, low impact travel communications and detailed carbon reporting helped reduce the event’s footprint to around five tonnes of carbon, compared with an indicative 17 tonnes for events of similar scale.
The partnership also widened participation through low cost online access, AI powered captions in more than 60 languages and reduced student pricing. By combining the Barbican’s cultural setting, technical expertise and sustainability credentials with the Design Council’s mission, the Congress delivered a credible, replicable model for future association events and strengthened both organisations’ long term relationship.
The Pensions Management Institute, Standard Life, LifeSight, Aviva, Scottish Widows & The Trustee Accelerator Programme
The Trustee Accelerator Programme (TAP) is a pioneering, sector led partnership designed to address one of the UK pensions industry’s most pressing challenges: the need for a more diverse, skilled and accessible pipeline of trustee talent.
Originally developed by the Pensions Management Institute (PMI) and Standard Life, TAP is now an industry-wide partnership, bringing together employers, trustees and trainers to create a structured, scalable route into trusteeship.
Combining technical training, mentoring and real world experience, the programme equips participants with the knowledge, confidence and practical skills required to become trustee ready. Its first pilot cohort delivered exceptional results, with 11 participants successfully passing rigorous PMI exams and progressing towards trustee roles, demonstrating that high quality trustee talent can be developed, not just sourced.
TAP has already driven significant sector wide momentum, securing backing from major master trusts and attracting broad industry support. Crucially, it removes traditional barriers to entry by being fully funded, widening access to individuals from diverse professional backgrounds.
By strengthening trustee capability, broadening representation and fostering genuine cross sector collaboration, TAP is delivering lasting impact. It represents a step change in how the industry develops talent and ensures better governance and outcomes for millions of savers.
