A collaboration between the Home Office and Department for Transport to help enable the smooth running of a new automated border system is among the winners of the 2026 Analysis in Government Awards.
The departments have won the Collaboration Award for their “outstanding cross-departmental collaboration, innovation, and delivery” in developing a simulation queuing model for the Port of Dover.
The cross-department team created a sophisticated model to assess the potential scale and impact of car passenger queues at the border following implementation of the EU Entry and Exit System, which went live last autumn. Their pioneering use of GitHub and the R “simmer” package enabled integrated, cross-departmental code development and modelling – setting a new standard for joint analytical work between DfT and HO, the government analysis function said. This “agile and effective approach accelerated progress and enabled the team to provide a high-quality, evidence-based update” to ministers in early June 2025.
The analysis function said the work has provided greater confidence in Dover’s operational readiness, informed both policy and planning, and is “a great excellent example of how collaborative, technically advanced analysis can directly support critical national priorities”.
The judges said this was a “really strong example of collaboration across government and working closely with external organisations and bodies”, and demonstrated “how to collaborate within data security and confidentiality constraints”.
They noted “great collaboration across departments, local government bodies and with French authorities”, particularly with the “use of new and innovative analytical tools and overcoming institutional hurdles to achieve that – for example, new data sharing arrangements and a new level of trust and openness”.
The judges also praised the use of tools, ways of working and wider external collaboration to “get access to necessary sensitive data and test assumptions”.
Other winners this year include the Ministry of Justice’s Better Outcomes through Linked Data programme. The programme won the Innovative Methods award for its AI-enabled software package Laurium, which processes case-notes at scale, turning daily interactions with citizens into actionable insight.
The tool has saved around £250,000 in manual processing costs at the MoJ, and is now open-source and in use across two other ministerial departments
The judges described the software as an “excellent combination of new analytical approaches combined with use of new technology”.
“Using AI techniques and custom models, this project has a cross-government benefit”, they noted.
The judged also noted that potential for further significant cost savings, and described it as a “fantastic example of work on a specific project being identified for its potential to help more widely and then rolled out in an effective manner”.
Here is the full list of winners and runners up:
Rising Star Award
Winner: Delyth James, Welsh Government. Nominated work: ‘Contribution to ADR Wales and Better Outcomes through Linked Data’
Runner up: Eva Grace, Government Actuary’s Department. Nominated work: ‘Cross-government investment advice’
Highly commended: Arywen Morris, Department for Transport. Nominated work: ‘Sustainable Aviation Fuel Analysis’
Innovative Methods Award
Winner: Better Outcomes through Linked Data, Ministry of Justice. Nominated work: ‘Laurium’
Joint runner up: Technology and Science Insights: Data and Analysis, Government Office for Science. Nominated work: ‘Technology Smart Specialisation Analysis’
Joint runner up: Welsh Government Input-Output Table team, Welsh Government. Nominated work: ‘Publication of first official Input-Output tables for Wales'
Inclusion Award
Joint winner: Ofsted Research and Evaluation team, in collaboration with Research in Practice at the National Children’s Bureau, Ofsted. Nominated work: ‘From Trait to State: How Ofsted Might Consider Conceptualising Vulnerability for Inspection and Regulation’
Joint winner: Public Health Analysis Team, in collaboration with UKHSA Health Equity and Inclusion Health, and UKHSA Strategy, UK Health Security Agency. Nominated work: ‘Health inequalities in health protection report 2025’
Highly commended: Black Analyst Forum, cross-government. Nominated work: ‘Empowering Inclusivity – Black Analyst Forum’
Impact Award
Winner: The Global Supply Chains Intelligence Programme team, Department for Business and Trade. Nominated work: ‘The Global Supply Chains Intelligence Programme’
Runner up: MHCLG and HMT housing and planning analysts, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and HM Treasury. Nominated work: ‘Housing and Planning Policy Analysis’
Highly commended: Electricity Strategy Analysis Team, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. Nominated work: ‘Power Sector Strategy Analysis for the 2025 Spending Review’
Communication Award
Winner: Northern Ireland Public Expenditure Webpage team, Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. Nominated work: ‘Northern Ireland Public Expenditure Webpage’
Runner up: NISRA Tech Lab, Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. Nominated work: ‘NISRA Local Statistics Explorer’
Highly commended: The Innovation Clusters team, Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology. Nominated work: ‘The new Innovation Clusters map’
Highly commended: Andrew Lawrie, Health and Social Care, Northern Ireland. Nominated work: 'Pharmaceutical Clinical Effectiveness Project'
Collaboration Award
Winner: EU Entry and Exit System Queue Modelling team, Department for Transport and Home Office. Nominated work: 'EU Entry and Exit System Queue Modelling'
Runner up: NHS Quality, Safety and Investigations Analytical Team, Department for Health and Social Care. Nominated work: 'Assisted Dying Bill Impact Assessment'
Highly commended: The Global Supply Chains Intelligence Programme team, Department for Business and Trade. Nominated work: 'The Global Supply Chains Intelligence Programme (GSCIP)'