Financial Support for Businesses in the West Midlands During Covid-19

George Bramley discusses the various national and regional financial support schemes that were set up to support businesses in the West Midlands during the pandemic. This blog post was produced for inclusion in the Birmingham Economic Review for 2021. The annual Birmingham Economic Review is produced by City-REDI, University of Birmingham and the Greater Birmingham … Continue reading “Financial Support for Businesses in the West Midlands During Covid-19”

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”

The Future Business District in a Changing City Centre

The onset of the coronavirus pandemic has forced us to change the ways in which we work, socialise, and move around. The profound impact the pandemic has had on city centres is clear. Yet, as we look to the future, this is less certain. So, what are the long-term trends in the future city centre … Continue reading “The Future Business District in a Changing City Centre”

Covid-19 and the Future Business District

In this blog, Anne Green, Rebecca Riley, Alex Smith, Ben Brittain and Hannes Read examine the long-term impact of Covid-19 on business districts. How can they continue to be successful places attracting business and people and contributing to vibrant city centres? This blog is the summary from the Future Business District report – visit the … Continue reading “Covid-19 and the Future Business District”

Looking Ahead: The Future Business District Study and the Future of the Office

Hannes Read discusses a study looking at the impacts of COVID-19 on business districts and working practices, and what the way forward might be.  The Future Business District Study Since the Covid-19 pandemic, many people and businesses have been required to work from home rather than the office. The sudden shift away from working in … Continue reading “Looking Ahead: The Future Business District Study and the Future of the Office”

City-REDI Policy Briefing: Improving Understanding and Measurement of Productivity

In this policy briefing, Dr Magda Cepeda Zorrilla, Professor Anne Green, Dr Chloe Billing, Professor Simon Collinson and Dr Fengjie Pan report on the findings of their study which collected data from 300 firms across the West Midlands, examining what managers at these companies understood productivity to be, the policy implications of their varied understanding … Continue reading “City-REDI Policy Briefing: Improving Understanding and Measurement of Productivity”

Supporting Regional Resilience Through the Pandemic and Beyond

Welcome to REDI-Updates. REDI-Updates is a bi-annual publication which will get behind the data and translate it into understandable terms. In this edition, WM REDI staff and guest contributors will discuss some of the key topics when trying to understand the long-term economic impacts of the pandemic. In this article, Professor Simon Collinson discusses the role … Continue reading “Supporting Regional Resilience Through the Pandemic and Beyond”

How Can the UK Learn From Different International Skills Systems to Develop Post-Compulsory Education?

In this blog, Dr Abigail Taylor discusses her new report “Skills System International Case Studies” which identifies the key features and challenges of different international skills systems. For the third paper resulting from my recent ESRC-funded secondment to the Industrial Strategy Council, I produced case studies of the post-compulsory education systems in Canada, France, Japan, the Netherlands … Continue reading “How Can the UK Learn From Different International Skills Systems to Develop Post-Compulsory Education?”

Optimising Entrepreneurial Development Processes for Smart Specialisation in the European Union

Optimizing entrepreneurial development process for smart specialization in the European Union by Laszlo Szerb, Raquel Ortega-Argiles, Zoltan Acs and Eva Komlosi.  This paper published in Regional Science demonstrates how the Regional Entrepreneurship and Development Index (REDI) can be used to optimize local entrepreneurial discovery processes, in a manner which can support the construction of regional … Continue reading “Optimising Entrepreneurial Development Processes for Smart Specialisation in the European Union”

Response to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Select Committee Inquiry on the Impact of COVID-19 on Businesses and Workers

City-REDI / WMREDI have collated information from a range of contributors as a response to the Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Select Committee inquiry on the impact of COVID-19 on businesses and workers. It covers a variety of topics from identifying the complex and far-reaching impacts of the crisis to economic modelling … Continue reading “Response to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Select Committee Inquiry on the Impact of COVID-19 on Businesses and Workers”