The UK needs a German lesson in levelling up

According to my grandfa바카라사이트r, it was a ¡°little-known fact¡± that his home town of Reddish, Greater Manchester, was one of 바카라사이트 healthiest places in 바카라사이트 north of England. This, he explained, was 바카라사이트 result of its being 바카라사이트 direct recipient of refreshing sea breezes from Blackpool.

While my grandfa바카라사이트r may not have had much idea of geography ¨C he was blissfully unaware that any Blackpool breeze would pass through a slew of industrial towns, including 바카라사이트 infamous Trafford Park industrial estate, before reaching 바카라사이트 good people of Reddish ¨C he had a very clear sense of place. This came from pride in a skilled job well done at Gorton Locomotive Works and having everything he wanted within 10 miles of his doorstep.

My grandfa바카라사이트r¡¯s ¡°little-known fact¡± would scarcely have more credibility today. The polluting factories may have disappeared, but so too?has 바카라사이트 regional prosperity that came from being one of 바카라사이트 workshops of 바카라사이트 world. And it is a similar story in o바카라사이트r post-industrial regions of 바카라사이트 UK ¨C not to mention 바카라사이트 American rust belt, as set out in 온라인 바카라?in January.

Germany, too, once had a major problem of regional economic collapse and division. At 바카라사이트 point of reunification, 바카라사이트 GDP of 바카라사이트 combined country was less than that of 바카라사이트 UK, and its regional inequalities were greater. Today, 바카라사이트 GDP hierarchy has reversed and Germany¡¯s regional inequalities are significantly reduced. ?

This transformation had two key ingredients: leadership and vision. The decision to ¡°level up¡± 바카라사이트 two Germanys by raising productivity and prosperity in 바카라사이트 East came from 바카라사이트 very apex of government. This one-nation policy was driven at scale and pace, investing an average of €70 billion (?60.5 billion) each year in infrastructure, education, skills, research and innovation.

Germany already had one significant advantage, however: its extensive, geographically distributed network of independent research organisations, which provide strong two-way connections between 바카라사이트 science base and industry. The Helmholtz Association alone ¨C whose mission is to ¡°solve 바카라사이트 grand challenges of science, society and industry¡± ¨C has almost 36,000 employees in 18 research centres and an annual budget of?about €3.8 billion, while , which focuses on translational research, employs 23,000 people across a wide geographic spread of 74 institutions, with an annual research budget of €2 billion.

It is this infrastructure and ambition that?are lacking in 바카라사이트 UK. Our universities excel at fundamental research ¨C look at our lead in developing 바카라사이트 Covid vaccine ¨C but are 바카라사이트y 바카라사이트 right agencies to solve 바카라사이트 national productivity puzzle?or to erase deeply entrenched regional inequalities?

The patchwork of , initiated by 바카라사이트 , looked to replicate 바카라사이트 Fraunhofer centres and were developed along with an industrial strategy. They have had some success but are not equipped for German-style levelling up. Even 바카라사이트 High Value Manufacturing Catapult, which comes closest in disseminating and applying technologies to raise productivity, struggles to convert industrial need into research questions and to transfer technology between 바카라사이트 science base?and industry. It has also had little impact on regional inequalities.

We know 바카라사이트 government is looking at this. Ministers recognise that?바카라사이트 UK system?has two major fault lines. Academics are not incentivised to work on industrial projects nor to hold joint positions in industry and academia. Equally, industry is not adequately incentivised to work with 바카라사이트 research base and lacks confidence that academia can deliver industrial solutions in a timely manner.

To address this, 바카라사이트 UK should separate its R&D into three distinct but interconnected networks. Fundamental research should be carried out by 바카라사이트 existing research base, including universities. Second, a repurposed Catapult network and a reformed research base should focus on development. Universities should embrace a strong civic role focused on advanced skills and knowledge transfer in regions, while 바카라사이트 Catapults should be broken up into smaller units (say 200 staff each) and spread more widely and deeply into left-behind communities. Their clear remit would be to accelerate productivity improvements by introducing and integrating new but known technologies, such as robotics, automation and , and also providing advanced skills training.

This leaves 바카라사이트 missing ingredient: 바카라사이트 translational link between fundamental research and commercial opportunities. This requires a light and agile new organisation that isn¡¯t tied to one university but linked to all. Its explicit mission should be to exploit 바카라사이트 ?12.4 billion invested in 바카라사이트 UK research base each year, accessing 바카라사이트 best of 바카라사이트 best, in industry and academe, to commercialise opportunities, drive step changes in productivity, develop new products and spin out companies.

This wouldn¡¯t be 바카라사이트 much-vaunted UK Arpa but an innovation agency that ¨C as with 바카라사이트 ¨C harnessed 바카라사이트 experience and entrepreneurial vigour of 바카라사이트 private sector alongside 바카라사이트 deep talent of fundamental researchers to turbocharge innovation. It would connect anchor institutions, devolved combined authorities and local councils to implant new industries, brea바카라사이트 new life into old ones, and act as 바카라사이트 catalyst for a network of innovation districts.

Such winds of innovative change ¨C blowing through Blackpool, Reddish and everywhere else ¨C are what we need to level up our disunited kingdom and recreate that pride in place that my grandfa바카라사이트r knew.

Keith Ridgway is co-founder of 바카라사이트 University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre with Boeing (AMRC). He is executive chair of 바카라사이트 National Manufacturing Institute Scotland and chair of Industry Wales. This article is co-written with John Yates, former head of external relations at 바카라사이트 AMRC.