Sector experience

Experience from a wide range of sectors and policy areas and growing...

2024 Office for Environmental Protection, Using the Environmental Policy System Review (EPSR) tool to map and assess government’s actions to deliver Thriving Plants and Wildlife in England and agri-environment schemes in Northern Ireland (with ICF and CECAN)
2023-24 Office for Environmental Protection, Development and testing of an Environmental Policy System Review (EPSR) tool to map and assess government’s actions to deliver Thriving Plants and Wildlife in England, (with ICF and CECAN)
2021-24 DEFRA, Farming in Protected Landscapes Evaluation, (with ICF)
2023 Natural England, Literature review on methodologies to evaluate place-based environmental projects (with ICF)
2023 Natural England, Priority Places Evaluation (with ICF)
2023 Office for Environmental Protection, Mapping government’s actions to deliver Thriving Plants and Wildlife (with ICF and CECAN)
2020-23 DEFRA, Evaluation of DEFRA’s Green Social Prescribing Project; Evaluation design, (with Universities of Sussex, Sheffield, and Sheffield Hallam University)
2022-23 Natural England, Development of an Evaluation framework for Defra’s Nature Recovery Network, (with ICF).
2021-22 DEFRA, Evaluation of Defra's Sustainable Farming Incentive pilot, (with ICF)
2021 DEFRA, Development of a Theory of Change toolkit; (with Technopolis and CECAN).
2020-21 DEFRA, Development of an Evaluation Framework for the England Nature Strategy, (with ICF).

Nature and farming

MBA has contributed to several energy sector projects in recent years:

2021-22 BEIS: Modern Energy Partners Evaluation (with Technopolis)
2020-21 Climate Action Leeds: Evaluation of Climate Action Leeds, Evaluation design (with CAG Consulting)
2019-20 BEIS: Scoping the evaluation of the Whole House Retrofit programme (with Technopolis).
2020-21 BEIS: Evaluation of the Industrial Fuel Switching and Hydrogen Storage Innovation programmes (with CAG consultants and Winning Moves).

During 2012-2016 Matthew was Principal Research Officer, Central Evaluation Team, Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). He played a key role in building the culture and practice of evaluation at DECC helping to develop capacity and capability for innovative evaluation approaches and techniques suited to the complex reality of energy and climate change policy.

Energy and Net Zero

city and countryside sustainable behaviours.png

Youth Violence

MBA has provided evaluation commissioning and management support to the Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) on several projects:

2026 Development and management of YEF’s Restorative Justice RCT
2025 Commissioning and management of various research and guidance development projects to underpin YEF’s flagship ‘Area Leaders Programme’
2025 Development of case studies and a self-assessment tool for partnerships involved in YEF's Area Leaders Programme
2024 Youth Endowment Fund: Evaluation of the Your Choice programme
2022-23 Youth Endowment Fund: Evaluation of the Ministry of Justice’s Turnaround Programme
2022 Youth Endowment Fund: Evaluation of the Neighbourhood Fund.

During previous self-employment (at Baumann Social Research) Matthew delivered several research and evaluation studies in the health sector:

2021 The Health Foundation: Evaluation of The Health Foundation’s Inclusion and Diversity Panel, (with Community Bridges)
2019 Helpforce and Burdett Foundation for Nursing, Rapid review of the academic literature on volunteering in clinical settings; literature and evidence review
2010 The Health Foundation. Formative evaluation of the Safer Clinical Systems and Closing the Gap programmes
2006 Department of Health. Literature review on risk and risk management in maternity services (with Matrix)
2006 NHS Innovation and Improvement. Evaluation of NHSI&I's work processes (with Matrix).

Matthew was employed at NESTA during 2011 and at the Institute of Psychiatry (Kings College London) during 2004-08. During these times he worked on several research / evaluations including:

2011 NESTA People Powered Health - (employee)
2004-06 Department of Health. What went right? A study of hospital discharge practice in 6 high performing hospitals.
2006 North and South Essex Mental Health Trusts. Evaluation of the ‘Support, Time and Recovery’ worker role.

Social prescribing and arts for health

Health and health services

At MBA and during previous self-employment (at Baumann Social Research) Matthew has led or contributed to several evaluation studies in the arts and health space:

2020-23 DEFRA: Evaluation of DEFRA’s Green Social Prescribing Project; Evaluation design; (with Universities of Sussex, Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University)

2008-09 Arts Council England, London. Evaluation of the Taking Part Programme.

2006-09 Isle of Wight NHS. Evaluation of 'Time Being' - an arts intervention for hospitalised patients following stroke (with Matrix Knowledge Group)

2006-09 Isle of Wight NHS. Evaluation of Time Being (an arts intervention for people with depression living in the community) (with Matrix Knowledge Group)

2007-09 Isle of Wight NHS. Evaluation of Time Being seven (an arts intervention for children in schools to encourage activity and health weight) (with Matrix Knowledge Group)

MBA has played a leading role in the evaluation of the UK Freeports programme over the last few years:

2022-2026 MHCLG Evaluation of UK Freeports Programme (with Arup, Technopolis, Cambridge Economics)

Economic Growth

Social care and Communities

During 2016-2019 Matthew worked at the Centre for Ageing Better where he:

Scoped, designed, and established a range of research and evaluation projects connected with the Leeds Neighbourhood Networks
Managed the development of Ageing Better's Outcomes and Measures Framework
Drafted evidence reviews and facilitated evidence coordination amongst agencies on the issue of loneliness and social isolation

During 1995-2000 Matthew worked at Dorset and Newham Social Services where he delivered a wide range of research projects relating to adult and children's social care.

Transport

During 2026 Matthew has started working in the transport sector:

2026 DfT Scoping an impact evaluation of local highways maintenance (with NatCen and Aecom)

Housing and supported housing

During 2000-2004 Matthew worked at the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in the Housing Research and Analysis team where he was responsible for commissioning and managing a suite of projects to support the implementation of the Supporting People Programme and some related housing projects;

Guidance on user involvement in Supporting People
Guidance on supporting older people, people who misuse drugs and alcohol and disabled people
Tracking and assessment in the Supporting People programme
The Supporting People Monitoring System.
Performance indicators for the Low Demand for Housing programme
Evaluation of the Supporting People Health Pilots
A review of the health and education effects of overcrowded housing