A New University Challenge

1
A New University Challenge?
The Regional Agenda
Rebecca Garrod-Waters Head of Knowledge Exchange,
The South West Regional Development Agency
2
What is the Regional Agenda?

• Government has recognised that there are 3 levels
  to policy development and delivery-
• National
• Regional
• Sub-Regional

3
The Policy Context

• The Lambert Review 2004
• The Ten Year Science and Innovation Framework
  2004
• The Sainsbury Review 2007
• Business Support Simplification 2007-09
• The Sub-National Review (2007)

4
What are the RDAs?

• 9 English economic development agencies
• Yorkshire Forward
• One Northeast
• South West RDA
• Northwest Development Agency
• East Midlands Development Agency
• Advantage West Midlands
• East of England Development Agency
• South East Development Agency
• London Development Agency (Mayoral control)

5
What Role do the RDAs play?

• RDAs are Economic Development Agencies
• Measured against outputs that include business
  creation, job creation, and new links between the
  knowledge base and businesses.

6
What are the RDAs?

• Funded by a single pot
• Set amounts from Departments
• Objectives and Targets
• Delivery of agreed schemes and products that have
  been devolved to a regional level

7
What Role do RDAs play?

• Regeneration
• Skills
• Innovation
• Rural Development
• ERDF Commissioning
• Business Support (through Business Link)
• The voice of the region at a national policy
  level
• Crisis management
• (Impact of SNR)

8
Where do RDAs fit?
National Policy Guidance
Parent Department
Parent Department
Business Support Guidance (BSSP)
Parent Department
Strategic Advisory Group
Independent Advisory Body
Strategic Advisory Group
9
What are the Science and Industry Councils?

• Advisory bodies to the RDAs
• Ambassadors for their regions
• A group of independent experts drawn from the
  region
• Input to the Technology Strategy Board

10
RDAs and the Technology Strategy Board

• Alignment of 180 million
• The Strategic Advisory Group (SAG)
• Joint Funding of projects

11
Why are the HEIs important to the regions and the
RDAs?

• Often one of the largest employers within a city
  region
• Providers of skills
• Major land owners
• The heart of the knowledge base
• A major attractor for the region

12
Each Region is different

• The geographical spread of the population
• The technological needs and drivers
• The location and specialisms of the HEIs
• The total number of HEIs

13
How do the RDAs work with the universities?

• Universities provide direction and guidance
  through-
• Board membership
• Panel membership
• Science and Industry Council membership
• Technology Projects
• Regeneration projects
• Pieces of research to inform policy development

14
Examples of Regional Involvement in Science and
Innovation

• Northwest Science Fund
• Yorkshire Centres of Industrial Collaboration
  (CICs)
• South West joint fellowships with the AHRC
• University of Worcester Campus development

15
RDA work with HEIs on the HEIF agenda

• The Lambert Review built on the joint working
  that was already in place but put significant
  political will behind it
• HEIF is not currently seen as part of the
  Business Support Simplification Programme
• RDA and HEIs work together to ensure that HEIF
  activity complements other regional support

16
How the South West works with the HEIs

• A regional body HERDA South West
• Knowledge Escalator South West
• South West Science and Industry Council
• Individual Knowledge Exchange Programmes
• Great Western Research
• Engagement with local business
• Tailored knowledge exchange for each institution

17
Regional Technology Priorities

• Each region has key areas where there is both
  world class research and academic expertise
• These are areas where public sector investment
  can make a difference and catalyse economic
  growth
• The RDAs are not research funding bodies and only
  invest where economic benefit will result

18
How can we catalyse growth in these areas?

• RDAs have undertaken a number of mechanisms to
  bring academics and industry together
• Physical co-location
• Incubation and Science Parks
• Sector networks
• Funding for joint working
• RDAs work with the private sector to identify
  areas of concern, and often projects are
  co-funded

19
What does the future hold?

• The RAE due in November will influence regional
  thinking on investments
• The Sub National Review will significantly change
  the way RDAs work
• The current economic situation is influencing
  government thinking on support and innovation
  is at the heart of maintaining UK industry
• Changing PSA targets for the RDAs mean new ways
  of working
• Business Support Simplification has streamlined
  products

20
What does the future hold?

• The knowledge economy will continue to be at the
  heart of government policy
• All funding bodies recognise the importance of
  knowledge exchange
• We will continue to look to catalyse economic
  growth at the regional level

21
A knowledge driven economy with world recognised
strengths in the all regions.