New paper: The Impact of University STEM Assets – A Systematic Review of the Empirical Evidence

This literature review from the West Midlands Regional Development Institute (WMREDI), looks at the effect of university Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) assets on regional economies and innovation ecosystems. Innovation is good for growth and significant for regional development. The innovation process consists of multiple interlinked steps – innovative products and processes must make … Continue reading “New paper: The Impact of University STEM Assets – A Systematic Review of the Empirical Evidence”

WMREDI Policy Briefing: The Manufacturing Technology Centre

In this policy briefing, Robert Lynam, Dr Chloe Billing and Professor Simon Collinson look at the Manufacturing Technology Centre and its impact in the West Midlands. It outlines the findings from one of our WMREDI projects focused on examining regional innovation ecosystems and the relationships between universities, local firms, entrepreneurship, innovation, technology transfer, and knowledge … Continue reading “WMREDI Policy Briefing: The Manufacturing Technology Centre”

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”

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”

City-REDI Brexit Regional Participatory Workshop Videos

Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, “The Economic Impacts of Brexit on the UK, its Regions, its Cities and its Sectors” project started in April 2017 and is part of a series of 25 projects funded by ESRC to support the initiative UK in a Changing Europe coordinated by Professor Anand Menon at King’s … Continue reading “City-REDI Brexit Regional Participatory Workshop Videos”

The Potential Impact of Brexit on the UK Space Sector

Last week, a team from City-REDI attended the RSA Annual Conference in Lugano, Switzerland. In this blog, Dr Chloe Billing provides a summary of the paper she presented at the conference, her co-authors include Professor Raquel Ortega-Argiles, Dr Tasos Kitsos and Dr Wen Chen (University of Groningen). The paper is a ‘spinoff’ from the City-REDI, … Continue reading “The Potential Impact of Brexit on the UK Space Sector”

Lakes of Knowledge and Mountains of Expertise: A Roundup of the RSA Annual Conference 2018 in Lugano

In a beautiful setting on the shores of Lake Lugano and surrounded by mountains, more than 500 academics came together to attend the Regional Studies Association Annual Conference 2018 called “A World of Flows: Labour Mobility, Capital and Knowledge in an Age of Global Reversal and Regional Revival“. City-REDI was there with a team of … Continue reading “Lakes of Knowledge and Mountains of Expertise: A Roundup of the RSA Annual Conference 2018 in Lugano”

The University of Birmingham’s Impact on the Local Economy

Birmingham was recently ranked as the UK’s number one destination for foreign direct investment – creating over 12,000 jobs in the last 10 years. The West Midlands ranks as the UK’s number one region for manufacturing technology jobs, accounting for 60% of the country’s exports. The focal point for explaining the region’s success often surrounds … Continue reading “The University of Birmingham’s Impact on the Local Economy”

Digital Opportunities – All about the Space

It will have been hard to miss the news last month that Elon Musk had successfully launched his Tesla car into orbit on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. As images emerged in the media of ‘Starman’ gliding through space in his red car, listening to the music of David Bowie, the significance of this technological … Continue reading “Digital Opportunities – All about the Space”