Lessons for the West Midlands From Greater Montreal

Recently, I had the privilege of travelling to Montreal, to present a paper with my colleague Rebecca Riley and meet with key policy makers. The trip provided a fascinating comparison with the West Midlands, in particular in terms of the success of industrial clusters, approaches to promoting FDI, the use of innovation zones, and university … Continue reading “Lessons for the West Midlands From Greater Montreal”

What is Smart Specialisation?

Welcome to part two in our new series “What is…?” where we explain the language, terms and ideas used in our day-to-day work.  Other blogs from the series include: What is GVA?  What is Transport Resilience? What are Industrial Clusters and Economies of Agglomeration? Definition and description Smart specialisation is a policy framework aimed at … Continue reading “What is Smart Specialisation?”

The Realities, Challenges and Strengths of the External Funding Environment at LEP Level

When I joined City-REDI in October, I was seconded 50% of my time to the Smart Specialisation Hub in Islington for six months. The Hub provided analysis to improve local and national understanding of innovation capabilities, benchmarking innovation activity across Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs). Established in 2010 by the then Department for Business, Innovation and … Continue reading “The Realities, Challenges and Strengths of the External Funding Environment at LEP Level”

Could 5G Technology Power Economic Growth in the West Midlands?

As the next generation of mobile technology, 5G has increasingly become a technology buzzword in recent years. The UK government has suggested in their 5G Strategy that “5G promises a step-change in mobile connectivity with enormous potential to boost productivity and grow the economy”. However, what exactly is 5G technology and could it really power … Continue reading “Could 5G Technology Power Economic Growth in the West Midlands?”

Meet Abigail Taylor, our new Policy and Data Analyst

I recently joined City-REDI as a Policy and Data Analyst. Throughout my academic studies and career, I have been interested in understanding the role of place in social and economic inequalities. Joining the City-REDI team gives me the opportunity to pursue this further through contributing to research and policy analysis that informs and influences regional … Continue reading “Meet Abigail Taylor, our new Policy and Data Analyst”

Autumn Budget 2018: Good news for Economic Growth in the West Midlands?

Since the announcement of the Autumn Budget by Philip Hammond on Monday there has been a raft of analysis at the national level regarding what the budget means. In particular, attention has focused on Hammond’s claim that the era of austerity is “finally coming to an end”, the introduction of a £1,000 increase in Universal … Continue reading “Autumn Budget 2018: Good news for Economic Growth in the West Midlands?”