Backing the Collaborators, Again
The best economic development happens between organisations, not inside them.
A combined authority's mandate meets a philanthropist's patience. A fast-growing firm's technology meets a public priority it wasn't originally built to solve.
That belief is why we're proud to return as Category Partner for Collaborative Initiative of the Year at the iED Annual Awards 2026, taking place on 18 November at BMA House, London.
The category recognises outstanding cross-sector collaboration between two or more partners drawn from local authorities, the private sector, the third sector, business and academia. It's the kind of partnership we exist to help place leaders build.
It's a lesson our own work keeps reinforcing.
"Our work identifying and sharing pioneering practice in the place sector has repeatedly shown the same lesson: organisations that organise around a shared priority stimulate new solutions and amplify the capital and creative resources available for delivering local goals. We've seen it in purpose-driven partnerships with the impact economy, in commercial collaborations through agile procurement, and in collaborations between anchor peers to attract inward investment. Generous, cross-sector collaboration is the key to effective place leadership, and the surest route to delivering good growth in every postcode. That's exactly the kind of initiative this award exists to recognise."
— Sam Markey, Founder of Recurve
Call for entries
We want to hear about the partnerships driving real change in our communities. If you are part of a project that exemplifies the power of working together across organisational, sectoral and even geographic boundaries to deliver local growth, we strongly encourage you to submit an entry.
Applications are simple to complete online and are open to both iED members and non-members. The deadline for award entries is 31st July 2026.
To find out more about the category criteria and to submit your nomination, visit the iED Annual Conference and Awards page.
We look forward to reviewing the submissions, and to seeing this year's winners at BMA House in November.
