Too Many Demands are Being Placed on Universities To Support Their Regional Economies, Without Sufficient Support and Partnership

Dr James Davies discusses the pressures on Universities to support the Creative Industries, whilst themselves lacking sufficient support, industry partnerships and clarity of purpose. This blog was originally written for the Creative Industries, Policy and Data Centre. The creative industries have long been heralded as a UK success story. The creative economy grew at twice … Continue reading “Too Many Demands are Being Placed on Universities To Support Their Regional Economies, Without Sufficient Support and Partnership”

The Role of Universities in the Growth and Skills Agenda

Tom Lewis from Univerisities UK reports on the recent University Group APPG on 29th November, where they discussed the role of Universities in the growth and skills agenda. The All-Party Parliamentary University Group (APPUG) acts as a key avenue of communication between parliamentarians and vice-chancellors of the UK’s universities, providing an opportunity to examine issues … Continue reading “The Role of Universities in the Growth and Skills Agenda”

Evaluating the Local Economic Impacts of Student Knowledge Exchange

Johannes Read discusses the Impact Tool, developed to analyse the impact of student-led knowledge exchange on the local economy. The Student Knowledge Exchange Re-Imagined- Removing Barriers, Engaging Communities project is funded by the Office for Students and Research England, to improve the engagement of under-represented groups and the not-for-profit sector to remove barriers and engage … Continue reading “Evaluating the Local Economic Impacts of Student Knowledge Exchange”

Autumn Statement 2022: Implications for Research, Development and Innovation

Kelvin Humphreys looks at the impact of the Autumn Statement on Research, Development and Innovation in the UK. Last week’s Autumn Statement set the scene for £30bn in spending cuts and £25bn in tax rises to plug a £55bn hole in the public finances by 2027/28. All departments except for health and social care and … Continue reading “Autumn Statement 2022: Implications for Research, Development and Innovation”

Innovation Accelerators

Simon Collinson and Carolin Ioramashvili discuss how University-Industry Collaborations support SME Innovation in the West Midlands and Beyond. This blog post was produced for inclusion in the Birmingham Economic Review for 2022.  The annual Birmingham Economic Review is produced by the University of Birmingham’s City-REDI and the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce. It is an … Continue reading “Innovation Accelerators”

Graduate Pathways: Identifying Patterns of Regional Retention and Attraction

In this blog, Dr Kostas Kollydas discusses his recent WMREDI report co-authored with Professor Anne Green on “Graduate pathways: Identifying patterns of regional retention and attraction”. View the report and project page Report objectives There has been an upsurge in policy interest in levelling up UK regions and exploring the mechanisms that influence the interregional … Continue reading “Graduate Pathways: Identifying Patterns of Regional Retention and Attraction”

Regional Brain Drain and Gain in the UK: Regional Patterns of Graduate Retention and Attraction

In this blog, Dr Kostas Kollydas discusses his recent WMREDI report co-authored with Dr André Carrascal-Incera, Professor Anne Green, Alex Smith and Dr Abigail Taylor on “Regional brain drain and gain in the UK: Regional patterns of graduate retention and attraction”. View and download the report Report objectives New workers with higher education qualifications can … Continue reading “Regional Brain Drain and Gain in the UK: Regional Patterns of Graduate Retention and Attraction”

Growth Hubs as an Intermediary of University Business Support: The Case of Coventry University Services Ltd

Freya Williams examines the role of growth hubs in helping businesses to access support from universities.  The Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP) Growth Hub supports local businesses. Support is provided either within the Growth Hub, GBSLEP or external partners. One aspect of this provision is serving as an intermediary between businesses seeking support and … Continue reading “Growth Hubs as an Intermediary of University Business Support: The Case of Coventry University Services Ltd”

Science, Universities and Rebalancing the UK Economy: A Provocation   

Professor John Goddard suggests how targeted R&D spending in universities could help rebalance the UK economy regionally.  R&D Spending and the ‘levelling up’ agenda The Conservative Party’s election manifesto pledged to spend £22bn per annum on research by 2024-25. Many argued that this could only be justified if the research system moves towards supporting the … Continue reading “Science, Universities and Rebalancing the UK Economy: A Provocation   “

Combining Growth and Levelling Up in UK Regions: How Universities and the Social Sciences Can Help

In this piece, Professor Simon Collinson describes the crucial roles to be played by city-regions and by universities if we are going to level up effectively. This article was first posted on the Academy of Social Sciences website.  Over the next few years, the UK faces further challenges which, like the economic impacts of Covid, … Continue reading “Combining Growth and Levelling Up in UK Regions: How Universities and the Social Sciences Can Help”