How Does the Innovation Performance of the West Midlands Rank on the National and International Stage?

Kelvin Humphreys and colleagues use World Intellectual Property Organisation’s (WIPO) annual Global Innovation Index to assess how innovative the West Midlands is. This is part of a series of blogs looking at Innovation in the West Midlands. Find out more about our work on regional innovation systems. Summary This analysis compares the innovation performance of … Continue reading “How Does the Innovation Performance of the West Midlands Rank on the National and International Stage?”

New Opportunities for Low Carbon Growth

Professor Martin Freer discusses what areas of the low-carbon sector the West Midlands is optimally placed to develop in the region. This blog post was produced for inclusion in the Birmingham Economic Review for 2021. The annual Birmingham Economic Review is produced by the University of Birmingham’s City-REDI and the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce. … Continue reading “New Opportunities for Low Carbon Growth”

UK Regional Innovation Pilots ‘Should Shun Silicon Valley Myth’

In this article, John Morgan in the Times Higher Education Supplement, discusses the government’s plans to create ‘innovation accelerators’ in Glasgow, the West Midlands and Greater Manchester. City-REDI / WMREDI’s Professor Simon Collison comments on the plans for the West Midlands. Plans to create three UK “innovation accelerators” are seen as giving city regions and … Continue reading “UK Regional Innovation Pilots ‘Should Shun Silicon Valley Myth’”

Comparing Creative Clusters in the West Midlands and South Wales

James Davies and Matt Lyons report on the importance of higher education institutions in the development of regional creative clusters and the questions that remain unanswered. This project, in collaboration with the Creative Industries Policy & Evidence Centre, compares two UK regions with growing creative sectors and asks how can regions optimise their creative clusters. … Continue reading “Comparing Creative Clusters in the West Midlands and South Wales”

STEM Assets in the West Midlands: Tyseley Energy Park

In this policy briefing, Robert Lynam, Chloe Billing and Simon Collinson look at the Tyseley Energy Park, University of Birmingham and explore the extent to which it is being leveraged to improve economic performance and social inequality in our region. The research represents the initial phase of a project which City-REDI/WMREDI are delivering on ‘Universities’ … Continue reading “STEM Assets in the West Midlands: Tyseley Energy Park”

Rapid Review of Evaluations and Evaluative Studies of Cultural and Heritage Sector Activity in the West Midlands

Jo Mills discusses a new report from WMREDI reviewing evaluations and evaluative studies of the cultural and heritage sector activity in the West Midlands.  As part of my secondment to the WMREDI consortium Evaluation Lab,  I undertook a rapid review of evaluations and evaluative studies of cultural and heritage sector activity in the West Midlands published … Continue reading “Rapid Review of Evaluations and Evaluative Studies of Cultural and Heritage Sector Activity in the West Midlands”

Policy Briefing – STEM Assets in the West Midlands: The Warwick Manufacturing Group

In this policy briefing, Robert Lynam, Dr Chloe Billing and Professor Simon Collinson outline the publicly available information about Warwick Manufacturing Group’s (WMG) capabilities and impact, as well as identifying any gaps. This basic scoping work was conducted via internet searches and has a particular focus on what is known about WMG’s governance structure, size, … Continue reading “Policy Briefing – STEM Assets in the West Midlands: The Warwick Manufacturing Group”

Smart Specialisation and the Diversification of Related Sectors: The Context of Developing a West Midlands Space Cluster

Dr Chloe Billing and Professor Raquel Ortega-Argilés discuss smart specialisation and regional diversification processes, and how the West Midlands can use its unique strengths to secure future regional diversification pathways into the space sector. This blog post was produced for inclusion in the Birmingham Economic Review for 2021. The annual Birmingham Economic Review is produced … Continue reading “Smart Specialisation and the Diversification of Related Sectors: The Context of Developing a West Midlands Space Cluster”

Which Parliamentary Constituencies Will Most Likely Face a Homelessness Rise?

Dr Maryna Ramcharan examines which constituencies will most likely face a homelessness rise in the West Midlands.  This is part of WMREDI’s research into Income Inequality, Policies, and Inclusive Growth.  Effects of Covid-19 A Covid-19 related ban on bailiff-enforced evictions in England ended in May 2021 and has been tapering off since. As a potential … Continue reading “Which Parliamentary Constituencies Will Most Likely Face a Homelessness Rise?”

Labour Market Disconnect in the West Midlands

In this blog, Dr Juliane Schwarz summarises the key issues on why there are currently high levels of unemployment in the region, whilst at the same time, record numbers of vacancies for jobs and apprenticeships. View the full policy briefing on the labour market disconnect. The research is a response to a query by the … Continue reading “Labour Market Disconnect in the West Midlands”