APPENDIX 47
Memorandum submitted by South West Regional
Development Agency (SWRDA)
QUESTIONS TO THE REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCIES
INWARD INVESTMENT:
1. What is your annual expenditure and staffing
resource on inward investment promotion to your region?
The South West RDA has a dedicated overseas
budget of £760,000 a year for overseas inward investment
promotion, investor development and sector development. This covers
overseas offices and staff in Japan and China, two home-based
workers in North America, contract delivery in Australia, UK based
promotional activity (duty tours, inward missions) and UK staff
travel overseas.
There are eight overseas-based staff and one
consultant employed through this £760,000 allocation. In
the South West region there is a team equivalent to six people
working on delivering investment promotion and investor development
activity to Foreign Direct Investment.
2. What activities does the agency carry out
to promote inward investment into the region (such as overseas
offices, missions, information provision etc)?
We have a dedicated office in Japan (covering
the Asia Pacific area) a representative office in Shenzhen (China),
a contract for delivery in Australia and home-based workers in
North America. All of these resources are there to develop market
relationships with significant investors in the South West and
to provide briefing and support to the UKTI network on regional
strengths and collaborate on promotional and visit programmes.
The overseas teams also work to promote and
develop the internationalisation of the South West's sectors through
Higher Education and industry visits out to market and by showcasing
the best of the South West.
3. Is the agency's inward investment promotion
carried out directly by the agency, or by another sponsored body?
Directly in Japan, by a representative office
in China and by consultants in Australia. A very modest amount
of European activity is covered from the South West region itself.
4. Which sectors and countries is the agency
particularly focused on?
Sectors/propositions in Advanced Engineering
(aerospace), ICT (wireless and semiconductor design), Creative
Industries (digital technologies), Biomedical, Marine, Environmental
Technologies, Food & Drink, and Leisure & Tourism.
Countries particularly focused on are North
America, Canada, China, Japan, Australia.
The aim is to further target propositions to
particular markets and as such we are currently reviewing the
South West offer from certain sectors into particular markets.
5. How many inward investment projects has
the agency won in the last three years? How many of these have
created or saved jobs? In total, how many jobs have been created
or saved?
Between 2003 and 2006 using figures reported
to UKTI the South West RDA has been involved in 64 FDI Successes
resulting in 3,051 jobs created and 4,442 jobs safeguarded.
6. Could the agency outline some examples
of successful inward investment projects, which the region has
recently won, and how these have impacted on the region?
Borders Books (Cornwall)
The South West RDA has worked with this company
since 1999 helping with premises and available workforce. Due
to the lack of suitable accommodation in the area a 50,000sq ft
building was directly developed with expansion land surrounding.
In 2004 they expanded by a further 50,000 sq ft Borders Books
are forecast to double their presence to 200 as a result.
Fine Tubes (part of the Superior Group)
The South West RDA assisted in the diversification
and expansion of their business from nuclear, offshore energy
and aerospace tubing into medical. This investment helped secure
276 and created a further 36.
BG Technology
Manufactures cables on behalf of General Dynamics
for communication equipment. This year they increased their employees
by 58 and safeguarded their existing 45 staff. They also expanded
their manufacturing space at the MOD site in Tewksbury.
Toshiba Research Laboratory
23 new research jobs in the laboratory which
currently consists of two groups: the Wireless Systems Group,
researching communications technologies for high performance wireless
and mobile networks, and the Reconfigurable Systems Group, which
investigates the architectures, frameworks and systems to support
such networks.
7. What are the agency's future plans for
inward investment promotion, within the context of UKTI's new
5-year strategy?
The South West RDA has initiated a South West
review of its international activity whilst inputting into the
regional steering group for the national work. We have extended
the current funding levels until September 2008 whilst both reviews
are delivered and the effects implemented.
TRADE PROMOTION:
8. What trade missions to promote exports
from the region has the agency organised or taken part in over
the last three years?
The South West RDA does not explicitly promote
trade missions. UK Trade & Investment SW (UKTI SW) is the
international trade arm of the South West Regional Development
Agency and as such we work together under the dual key agreement
to deliver focussed trade services to the region's priority sectors.
UKTI SW take the lead in promoting and organising missions and
other overseas trade events but are supported by the South West
RDA through a close working relationship particularly in key sectors.
9. How do you determine which missions to
promote? Do you ever co-operate with other RDAs in promoting joint
missions? Do you encourage/allow firms from outside your region
to participate in your missions?
The UKTI team in the South West work with various
regional partners including the South West RDA-supported sector
focused organisations like WEAF and Marine South West to develop
a regional programme of overseas trade missions which are designed
to match the region's strengths with opportunities overseas and
take advantage of any existing links that the region has overseas.
UKTI organise a Market Visit Scheme on a regional basis which
enables the UKTI team in the South West to specifically focus
on regional opportunities. Each market visit/trade mission planned
in the South West is open for companies from any region to join,
however, any funding for that company would come from their own
region.
23 February 2007
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