Memorandum submitted by the University
of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is the largest
HEI in the West Midlands and a major and influential institution
in the Region as confirmed in a recent study of the Economic Impact
of the University on the City and Region.[258]
The University can both contribute to and benefit from the unique
character and development of its Region and as such interacts
closely with the West Midlands RDA—Advantage West Midlands
(AWM)—and its various delivery vehicles. In particular,
the new West Midlands Economic Strategy (WMES)[259]
that AWM drives has a very strong focus on developing a knowledge-based
economy with a central role for Universities. The Strategy is
built around four themes—Business, Place, People, and a
Powerful Voice—in each of which the University of Birmingham
can have a significant delivery role that will both benefit both
the region and positively benefit the University's own objectives
around research, knowledge transfer, teaching and learning and
internationalisation.
It is in this context of a strong relationship
between the University and AWM, with a particular emphasis on
the knowledge-economy, that we respond to the issues of concern
in this inquiry in turn.
The need for a level of economic development/
business/ regeneration policy delivery between central and local
government
The University supports current Government thinking
that there is a role for the Regions in knowledge-based economic
development which the RDAs have an important role in facilitating.
The Sainsbury Review[260]
recommends an enhanced role for RDAs in supporting science and
innovation, particularly user-driven collaborative R&D, knowledge
transfer, cluster development and start up/ growth of new businesses.
It is further elaborated in the "Innovation Nation"
White Paper[261]
that this should be achieved in collaboration with the enhanced
Technology Strategy Board, using RDAs' "single pot"
and ERDF funds to support a range of initiatives (eg innovation
platforms, voucher schemes, proof of concept funding and Knowledge
Transfer Partnerships). The University supports these views because
a regional scale is large enough to encompass significant clusters
of activities or partnerships, which often transcend local authority
boundaries, yet a small enough scale for the players to establish
trusting partnerships with shared regionally specific/focussed
objectives. For example, the University believes that initiatives
like high-technology clusters/corridors around world-class universities,
or Science Cities based on a strong regional knowledge base, are
appropriate subjects for RDA engagement and leadership. This is
also consistent with the view in "Innovation Nation"
that seeks to support partnerships in addressing regional challenges
and developing demonstrators, aligning national and regional programmes
where possible.
The effectiveness of RDAs and their role in adding
value
With respect to the development of the Knowledge
Economy, AWM has become a increasingly important partner in recent
years. In development of innovation AWM funding has become a significant
source, particularly for Knowledge Transfer activities, in this
and other regional Universities and AWM has built a good relationship
with all the regions universities in which each side has a growing
understanding of the others objectives and how they can be mutually
supportive. Together with national and regional policy emphasising
the role of HE in the regional knowledge economy, AWM sees universities,
including Birmingham as the largest in the region, as important
partners in delivering elements of the new West Midlands Economic
Strategy.
The University's impression is that AWM, with
regional partners, has initiated a number of initiatives at the
forefront of national good practice, eg Innovation Voucher Schemes.
They are perhaps prepared to go further in supporting "research
leading to innovation" that is the case in other regions.
For example, within Birmingham Science City, AWM have already
committed £45m (with about the same again in planning) to
development of the Birmingham-Warwick Science City Collaborative
Package of research infrastructure, in the themes of Energy, Advanced
Materials and Translational Medicine. This package will develop
for the region and the partner universities a highly visible critical
mass of research excellence, extensive business interaction, further
collaboration with other HEIs regionally, nationally and internationally,
and leverage of substantial additional revenue support (over £15m
already secured in the first 18 months). A recent independent
report for AWM anticipates a major economic impact of this package
over 10 years plus.[262]
In addition to the innovation role, AWM is at
the centre of the Regional Skills Partnership which brings together
a wide range of appropriate partners, including the regional universities,
for example in initiatives designed develop skills for the new
knowledge economy and to retain graduates in the region, including
specifically the Advantage West Midlands funded Graduate Advantage
Project.
RDA expertise
With respect to the University's main area of
interest with respect to the RDAs, namely economic development
through the knowledge economy, AWM has a growing level of expertise
within its specialist Innovation and broader Economic Development
Team, and a developing sense of its importance at the strategic
and decision making levels. From our experience, however, the
nature of Innovation and its long-term importance to the economy
is not understood sufficiently across the RDA, which leads to
a lack of a joined up view on this agenda.
The extent of, and need for, their overseas activities
As a major asset and presence in the region,
the University has a significant role to play as both a leader
and delivery organisation for promoting West Midlands. As such
it has a role, in partnership with the RDA and other organisations,
to promote the capabilities and infrastructure of the University
as part of the assets to attract people to live, work, study and
invest in the Region. Furthermore, activity such as the Science
City collaborations with Warwick (as above), the Midlands Alliance
in securing the National Energy Technology Institute etc have
a huge role to play in attracting inward investors. AWM have not
exploited this type of highly visible activity fully to date in
this respect, indicating the lack of joined up view suggested
above.
The consequences of expanding RDA remit to include
new functions, as proposed by the sub national review, including
the delivery of EU funding
It is clear from above that the University has
a broadly good impression of the RDA in this region and has built
up a trusting relationship in its areas of concern. Therefore,
based on our experience with AWM, we are broadly content with
the RDAs taking on further responsibilities, as long as the resources
were sufficient. In regard to the particular example, AWM would
already seem to be making an excellent job of delivering the complex
European Structural funds, working well in partnership with the
Universities and a wide range of other stakeholders.
The only concern we would raise relates to the
lack of joined up view mentioned above. With a greater range of
responsibilities, it would be essential that the RDA have appropriate
internal decision making and communication strategies and routes
to ensure consistency and compatibility across its varied remits,
to a greater extent than currently exists.
The accountability of RDAs and how RDA performance
has been measured in the past and will be measured in future
Working with the RDA brings ongoing opportunity
for the University, although AWM funding does bring challenges
associated with the accountability and monitoring of their activity,
which is then passed on to delivery partners. At a large institution
such as the University of Birmingham we have been able to develop
significant specialist resource therefore needed to work with
the complex application, contracting and monitoring procedures,
as well being secure enough to carry some of the risks passed
on to delivery organisations. Smaller organisations that may have
a lot to offer to the RDA are unlikely to have the capacity or
capability to develop and deliver projects via the RDA.
A particular concern for the University is the
nature of the tasking framework outputs that the RDAs are required
to deliver against, and which in turn have to be passed on to
the delivery organisations. These are very poorly suited to developing
the sort of long-term, transformational knowledge economy type
of activity that the West Midlands partnerships are trying to
develop through Birmingham Science City, the Technology Corridors
etc. We would encourage BERR to think widely about indicators
that measure impact more broadly and over the longer term needed
for the full benefit of knowledge economy interventions to be
fully realised.
19 September 2008
258 Regional and Local Economic Impact Assessment of
the University of Birmingham (July 2007;
www.bham.ac.uk/about/regionalimpact.shtml). Back
259
"Connecting to Success", West Midlands Economic Strategy
(December 2007). Back
260
"The Race to the Top", Sainsbury Review of Government
Science and Innovation Policies (October 2007). Back
261
"Innovation Nation", Department for Innovation, Universities
and Skill White Paper, March 2008. Back
262
"Economic Impact Assessment of the Birmingham and Warwick
Science City Collaborative Package", Report for AWM by GHK
(October 2007) Back
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