We are proud to announce that GIST Impact has been featured in Microsoft’s UK Impact Report!

Microsoft used our objective, research-driven insights to assess the social return on investment of four different programmes:

1. Microsoft Founders Hub – generated over £17 million in value from 2021-22 for UK startups, with 44% of overall benefits going to businesses outside London.

2. Innovate Together 2.0 – generated £2.9 million to date by supporting local government customers accelerate digital transformation through collaboration and training.

3. Microsoft Apprenticeship Connector – generated a 5-year total economic value of £86,000 per person by connecting job seekers to tech apprenticeship opportunities.

4. Digital Edge – generated total economic value of £78,000 per person (and a return of £11.04 per £1 invested!!!) by helping people over the age of 18 to get their first digital job.

Karan Peer, Head of Human and Social Capital Research at GIST Impact, said:

What’s truly inspiring about Microsoft’s approach is their commitment to go beyond usual metrics – like counting certificates earned, public sector employees trained, or start-ups supported. Instead they want to dive deeper, focusing on quantifying their real life impact of their programmes in monetary terms. This allows them to truly understand the transformative change they are driving in people’s lives. It’s a powerful reminder that real impact isn’t just about the numbers, but the difference those numbers represent.

You can find a summary here and the full report below.