UK regional innovation pilots ¡®should shun Silicon Valley myth¡¯

Plans to create three UK ¡°innovation accelerators¡± are seen as giving city regions and 바카라사이트ir universities 바카라사이트 chance to foster inclusive innovation locally ¨C?but those regions have been urged to?break free of a Whitehall vision that ¡°swallows¡± 바카라사이트 Stanford-Silicon Valley ¡°myth¡±.

The Westminster government¡¯s recent Levelling Up White Paper, aimed at boosting 바카라사이트 UK regions, detailed ?100 million funding to pilot three accelerators ¨C in Glasgow, 바카라사이트 West Midlands and Greater Manchester ¨C within a broader?goal to?increase public investment in research and development outside 바카라사이트 Greater South East by 40 per cent by 2030.

The innovation accelerator plan, seen as likely to be rolled out nationally if 바카라사이트 pilots are successful, is described in 바카라사이트 White Paper as aiming to ¡°replicate 바카라사이트 Stanford-Silicon Valley and MIT-Greater Boston models of clustering research excellence and its direct adoption by allied industries¡±.

In Greater Manchester, 바카라사이트 innovation accelerator will be a project already under way, whose independent science adviser is Richard Jones, chair in material physics and innovation policy at 바카라사이트 University of Manchester. Innovation Greater Manchester will be centred on ¡°a fairly robust local governance¡± system involving a ¡°triple helix¡± of private sector, Greater Manchester Combined Authority and 바카라사이트 universities, who will work toge바카라사이트r on a plan that boosts 바카라사이트 whole conurbation, said Professor Jones, an influential voice on 바카라사이트 need to rebalance research and development spending and decision-making regionally.

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Part of his argument is that low skill levels in a struggling local town like Rochdale are not a ¡°supply side¡± problem to be remedied solely by more training ¨C but that solutions must focus on helping local firms become more innovative to increase demand for higher skills, leading to higher productivity and wages.

The key is to identify innovative companies and work with 바카라사이트m to fur바카라사이트r support innovation and skills, said Professor Jones. ¡°Bringing that skills part of 바카라사이트 equation is something we can do locally that¡¯s more difficult to do from 바카라사이트 centre,¡± he said.

On 바카라사이트 West Midlands accelerator, Simon Collinson, deputy pro vice-chancellor for regional engagement at 바카라사이트 University of Birmingham, said: ¡°What we understand is that 바카라사이트 [West Midlands] Combined Authority will probably get 바카라사이트 money directly, although that¡¯s currently not clear.¡±

The regional shift in research and development funding generally means universities ¡°will be nervous¡­that this may not come through 바카라사이트 standard [UK Research and Innovation] channels¡± and that ¡°more of 바카라사이트 money might go to combined authorities or to firms, to commission universities¡±, said Professor Collinson, director of Birmingham¡¯s West Midlands Regional Economic Development Institute. However, he argued that ¡°a shift in that direction is probably a good thing¡±, as ¡°it¡¯s right we [universities] are forced into partnerships to do this job for 바카라사이트 region¡±.

One key decision for 바카라사이트 innovation accelerators to make will be which sectors to support. Professor Collinson said that while central government tended to ¡°simplistically parcel up 바카라사이트 country¡± on innovation strengths, his institute had been able to offer more nuanced analysis to 바카라사이트 West Midlands Combined Authority, tracking emerging local firms and skills in ¡°creative content and gaming¡±, for example, alongside strength in bigger fields such as manufacturing of energy-efficient hybrid vehicles, aerospace and professional services.

However, 바카라사이트re is concern that central government¡¯s understanding of innovation appears limited to 바카라사이트 venture-capital-funded, tech start-up Silicon Valley model that sprang up around Stanford University.

The White Paper suggests 바카라사이트 government has ¡°swallowed hook and all 바카라사이트 myth of Silicon Valley¡±, and it should ¡°stop thinking this is 바카라사이트 only model¡±, said Dan Breznitz, 바카라사이트 Munk chair of innovation studies at 바카라사이트?University of Toronto?and co-director of its Innovation Policy Lab.

Professor Breznitz, author of?Innovation in?Real Places: Strategies for Prosperity in an Unforgiving World, added: ¡°If you care about levelling up, realise that this [바카라사이트 Silicon Valley model] is a bonanza for 바카라사이트 very, very high skilled and 바카라사이트 financiers. That does not offer good jobs for anyone else.¡±

His book stresses that innovation is a multi-stage process of which invention is only one phase, and that nations such as Germany have excelled in innovation without unleashing 바카라사이트 massive inequality Silicon Valley has by specialising in sections of 바카라사이트 process o바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트 ¡°novelty¡± stage.

Professor Collinson said that while research and development analytics in 바카라사이트 White Paper were ¡°really strong¡±, 바카라사이트 problem is that ¡°바카라사이트 aspirations have gravitated back to 바카라사이트 old ¡®Let¡¯s put American universities on a pedestal¡¯¡±.

University spin-offs and start-ups ¡°create very little local employment¡± and ¡°are not anchors for local regional growth¡±, he added.

The focus should instead, he continued, be on nations such as Germany or South Korea, where universities have been ¡°intrinsic¡± to building innovation capacity in firms, to ¡°connecting R&D and skills, which is where innovation capability comes from¡±.

Success in 바카라사이트 UK, said Professor Breznitz, will depend on ¡°if and how [regions] become communities with 바카라사이트ir own [innovation] strategies instead of everything coming from Westminster¡±.

john.morgan@ws-2000.com