Research as if people and planet matter.
We help organisations make better decisions by bringing people into research, design and innovation.
Who We Are
Elgon is an inclusive research, design and innovation lab that combines human experience and technical expertise.
Our vision is to help create a world that empowers everyday people to shape policies, research, products and services.
We are forging a new path, where strategies, policies, research and innovations emerge from co-creation between organisations and society.
We’re doers and thinkers, developing inclusive research, design, and policy that puts people, planet, and purpose before profit. We champion and pioneer participatory and inclusive practices. We are passionate about amplifying underrepresented voices.
Our name comes from Mount Elgon, a biosphere reserve spanning Uganda and Kenya, reflecting East African heritage and a longstanding commitment to stewardship, community and public benefit.
Elgon Social Research is an MRS Company Partner. All MRS Company Partners and their employees agree to adhere to the MRS Code of Conduct and MRS Company Partner Quality Commitment whilst undertaking research.
Our Approach
People Centred Design
Explore (Research)
Co design with stakeholders at an early stage.
01
Engage (Research)
Identify, involve and research with those stakeholders most affected by your work.
02
Experiment (Design)
Imagine how your work could be different, and understand if they respond to your stakeholder needs.
03
Evaluate (Design)
Define, learn about, and embed success.
04
Our Work
Socio-technical assessment and evaluating AI
A framework and self assessment workbook for including the public in shaping artificial intelligence (AI). We offer bespoke training, capacity building, evaluation and advisory on inclusive and socio-technical AI assessment and AI evaluation.
We can support you to think through the ‘G’ aspects of technology use and development in ‘ESG’.
01
Deliberation design
and delivery
Delivery partner to BBC R&D and Responsible Innovation Centre for the first ever public service media deliberation (National process design)
Strategy, advisory, scoping and implementation of the Global Citizens Assembly (Climate) with
the Wellcome Trust, and partners. (Global process design)
We also work with the Greater London Authority, Liverpool City Region and Cambridge place based networks.
02
Piloting innovative
methodologies
Contact theory methodology to
assess the impact of Migrateful
cooking classes; and participatory
futures methodologies to design
foresight inclusively.
New methodologies to imagine concepts
at work in social policy through mental
models for systems change.
03
Training & coaching
Coaching democratic innovators in
Poland, Italy, Spain and UK to scale
their social impact through People
Powered’s digital democracy and
democratic innovation accelerator programs.
We also offer research methods training through Instats, the Social Research Association and the Market Research Society (MRS).
04
Field building and
grant making
Design and delivery of the ESRC’s
£4m+ strategic investment
(research fund, fellowships and
internships) into a network for a
good digital society.
05
Evaluating and
shaping success
Working with the Wellcome Trust and MEXA to evaluate lived experience in shaping AI accelerators for mental health, and researching global public engagement best practice.
06
Capacity building for
commissioners
Capacity building commissioners
on the 20 year old +UK Research
and Innovation (UKRI) funded
Sciencewise programme;
supporting policymakers with the
commissioning of public dialogue.
07
Dimensions of data
stewardship
We support organisations to think
differently about data
governance in the age of AI. We
work to reframe data governance
as aspirational, operationalising
stewardship.
08
Digital and AI exclusion
Shaping the UK government (DSIT)’s
digital inclusion action plan, an
RNID hosted AI and BSL dialogue
with BSL signers, and the UK Premier
League’s Premier League Equity
Diversity and Inclusion Standard
(PLEDIS) with regard to AI.
09
Our Clients & Supporters
