This report presents an independent evaluation of Citizen First LCR's first year, conducted by researchers at Brunel University of London and Northumbria University, using social return on investment (SROI) analysis, participatory action research and oral history.
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Citizen First LCR finds and backs the Liverpool City Region's hidden entrepreneurs – people with lived experience of the health and care challenges they're solving. We provide a year's Real Living Wage salary, seed funding and specialist support, and systematically mobilise local businesses, civic bodies and public services around each entrepreneur.
Hundreds applied through our CV-less process, and over the programme year our inaugural cohort built innovative businesses. From robots for healthcare to apps for sleep support, from tackling the NEET crisis to addressing knife crime – even a uniquely accessible mobile hair salon. Businesses that have already secured investment, funding, commercial partnerships and revenue.
Each entrepreneur received business training and mentoring from Public Life, technical support from the University of Liverpool's Virtual Engineering Centre and Civic Health Innovation Labs, and backing from over 50 organisations from across the city region – all passionate about helping LCR's hidden entrepreneurs succeed.
Citizen First LCR is part of the Liverpool City Region Life Sciences Innovation Zone Programme, bringing Public Life's Citizen First model to Liverpool for the first time. The initiative is co-funded by the University of Liverpool's LCR Innovation Zone-funded project, the Civic Health Tech Innovation Zone (CHI-Zone), and Fusion21 Foundation, as well as Liverpool City Region housing associations Torus Foundation, Riverside and Livv Housing Group.
