From Vision to Action: Driving Inclusive Growth in East London

26 June 2026

In March 2026, Queen Mary University of London convened over 150 leaders from business, government, education, health and the voluntary sector for a major civic summit focused on growth, skills and innovation in East London. Delivered through the East London Civic Action Network (ELCAN), the event set out a clear ambition: to build a shared, place‑based approach to prosperity that expands opportunity for all.  

Hosted at Canary Wharf and in partnership with the East London Business Alliance (ELBA), the summit moved beyond high‑level strategy to focus on how collaboration can translate policy and strategy into meaningful local action and impact. Contributions from local leaders emphasised the urgency of aligning education, skills and economic policy with community challenges, particularly those historically excluded from opportunity.  

Central themes emerged throughout the day: 

• closing skills gaps and strengthening pathways into “good jobs” 
• embedding inclusive talent pipelines within local institutions 
• connecting large employers with local communities 
• ensuring growth is shaped by place and partnership 

Through roundtables and cross‑sector discussion, participants underscored that inclusive growth depends not just on economic outputs, but on systems that enable people to participate fully - from education and employment to health, community infrastructure and civic voice.  

Turning insight into action 

Building directly on this momentum, Queen Mary’s new Inclusive Growth Grants programme represents the next phase of this agenda: moving from strategy to practical, community‑led delivery. 

Launched following the East London Civic Action Network as a pilot initiative, the programme provides seed funding to projects that demonstrate what inclusive growth looks like in practice - locally rooted, people‑centred and co‑designed with communities. Drawing on many of the priorities identified through ELCAN, the funded projects translate shared ambitions into targeted interventions across East London. 

Together, they illustrate how universities can be instrumental in enhancing economic growth in their local places, working alongside communities to tackle structural barriers to participation in economic life. 

Read more about the funded projects.

1. Skills, opportunity and pathways into work 

A key focus of the ELCAN summit was strengthening skills pipelines and improving access to employment. Several funded projects respond directly to this challenge. 

Initiatives such as Inclusive Growth on East London High Streets, Breaking Barriers for Home‑Schooled Students, and the East London Youth Skillathon support young people who are often underrepresented in traditional education and employment pathways. These projects connect skills development with real‑world contexts - from high street regeneration to STEM progression - ensuring that young people are not only prepared for work, but able to shape the economic future of their local areas. 

By linking learning with place‑based opportunity, they reflect the summit’s emphasis on aligning education with local economic needs. 

2. Widening participation in economic life

Discussions at the summit highlighted the importance of ensuring that growth benefits those who face systemic barriers. The Inclusive Growth Grants programme strengthens this agenda through projects focused on inclusive employment pathways. 

For example, Empowered Employment: University Engagement Extension works with disabled young people in partnership with a community‑based disability rights organisation, building confidence, skills and access to work. This approach mirrors ELCAN’s focus on widening access to “good jobs” and rethinking who economic systems are designed for. 

Rather than short‑term outcomes, these projects invest in long‑term participation, a critical factor in creating sustainable, inclusive economies. 

3. Supporting enterprise and local innovation

The summit also explored how enterprise and innovation can drive inclusive growth when rooted in communities. This theme is reflected in projects supporting entrepreneurship among underserved groups. 

Co‑designing a Women’s Microenterprise Support Pathway works with women in Newham and Tower Hamlets to develop locally relevant routes into business, while Community‑Led Inclusive Growth centres the experience of British Bangladeshi organisations to inform new models of economic participation. 

These initiatives echo the event’s emphasis on co‑design and local knowledge, ensuring that growth strategies are shaped not only by institutions but by the communities they serve. 

4. Connecting health, place and economic participation 

A distinctive feature of the ELCAN discussions was the recognition that inclusive growth extends beyond jobs and skills. Health, wellbeing and place all affect people’s ability to engage in economic life. 

Projects such as Living and Working with Osteoarthritis in Tower Hamlets and Circular Economies Community Land Trusts highlight these connections. By addressing health inequalities and supporting community‑led development, they contribute to the wider ecosystem conditions identified at the summit as essential to long‑term prosperity. 

A shared, place‑based future 

Taken together, the Inclusive Growth Grants programme demonstrates how the strategic priorities articulated through ELCAN can be translated into action on the ground. The projects embody a place‑based, partnership‑driven approach - one that aligns with the summit’s call for collaboration across sectors and sustained civic engagement. 

They also reinforce a broader shift in how growth is understood: not simply as economic expansion, but as a process shaped by participation, trust and shared ownership. 

As Queen Mary and its partners continue to take forward the insights from the March 2026 summit, the grants programme provides an early indication of what this work can achieve. By investing in community‑led innovation and embedding collaboration at every stage, it helps ensure that East London’s future prosperity is both inclusive and locally grounded. 

In this way, ELCAN is not just a forum for discussion, but a catalyst for change - linking civic vision with practical action and demonstrating how universities can work alongside communities and local partners to build fairer futures.