Ravensbourne University London secures more than £158,000 in UKRI research funding
Publication date:
Ravensbourne University London has secured £158,984 in UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) through the UKRI Translation: Proof of Concept 2026 programme.
This will fund a new research project exploring how artificial intelligence could strengthen the participation of care-experienced young adults in social care policy and service design.
Led by Dr Oras Al Hassani, who has extensive expertise in artificial intelligence and computer science, the Narrative Voice project will build and test a AI-powered platform that aims to turn lived experience into evidence that can inform social care service design.
Professor Chi Maher, Professor of Public Policy, Entrepreneurship and Human Resource Management, will serve as Co-Principal Investigator.
The project brings together expertise in artificial intelligence, public policy, and knowledge exchange to explore a practical challenge facing some of our public services: how to make sure the voices of young people with care experience are heard and meaningfully reflected in the services designed for them.
Oras quote
Too often, the young people who rely on care services have the least say in how those services are designed. NarrativeVoice will help change that by turning their own words into evidence that local authorities can act on.”
NarrativeVoice is an AI-driven participatory evidence platform designed to capture the lived-experience stories of care-experienced young adults aged 18-20 in England. Over nine months, the project will build and test a working version of the platform, with two local authorities hosting six-week live pilots.
Young people will be able to share their experiences securely through writing or video. An open-source AI model, trained specifically for the project, will organise these experiences into themes defined with care-experienced individuals, helping turn their stories into clear, anonymised evidence for social care commissioners and local authorities.
Local authorities have a legal responsibility to involve people with care experience in the design of services. Under the Children and Social Work Act 2017, councils in England must have regard to the need to encourage children in care and care leavers to express their views and to take those views into account when planning and developing services, as well as support, for the future.
The research reflects Ravensbourne’s approach to working across disciplines and with organisations beyond the university to address challenges facing our society today. By bringing together AI, public policy and lived experience, the project will investigate how emerging technologies can be developed and applied responsibly in areas where they could make a difference.
Learning with industry and communities
The project is supported by Ravensbourne’s Knowledge Exchange and Research (KER) team, with Professor Shaun Borstrock, Head of Research, Knowledge Exchange and Innovation, providing institutional partnership brokerage and research governance. Mr Opeyemi Olayanju, Knowledge Exchange and Research Project Manager, will provide project administration and co-ordination.
The project will work with several groups, including care-experienced young people, public sector organisations, third sector organisations and policymakers to develop and test the platform in physical settings. This reflects Ravensbourne’s wider commitment to learning with industry, bringing together academics and lived experiences to develop a number of responses to societal challenges.
NarrativeVoice also supports Ravensbourne’s Knowledge Exchange and Research Strategy and strengthens the university’s growing research activity in the creative, business, and technology industries.
The UKRI award marks a significant step forward for Ravensbourne’s research in AI and its application to community and social challenges. Through this project, we are exploring how technology and collaboration can work together to create positive change beyond the university.
