June 2023
Price: £95 PLUS VAT
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This conference brought businesses, universities, local authorities and policymakers together to examine the development and implementation of the new Investment Zone programme.
It followed the Chancellor’s Spring Budget announcement of 12 new Investment Zones, each centred around a local university and backed by £80m in funding, with aims to foster the growth of new knowledge clusters.
The conference was a timely opportunity to examine how best to identify high-potential investment areas, the industries around which to focus individual clusters, and how cluster planning can build on local research strengths, skills landscapes and the existing industrial base.
Delegates considered the appropriate design and composition of the planned clusters, as well as what is needed from universities, local government and existing economic partnerships to support their growth and development.
We are pleased to have been able to include a keynote session with Henri Murison, Director, Northern Powerhouse Partnership.
Further sessions also explored:
- practical challenges:
- overcoming barriers to implementing new investment zones and clusters
- priorities for infrastructure and connectivity - building research capacity in institutions, including less research-intensive universities
- what is needed in terms of local powers and decision-making frameworks
- strategy:
- the place of new zones in the UK’s economic strategy - existing economic partnerships and structures
- integrating new zones into regional economic strategies and development plans
- learning from international examples
- maximising impact:
- leveraging new zones to attract private investment
- the potential impact of local productivity and entrepreneurship - how new investment zones and clusters will affect local economies - community regeneration
- how the design and implementation of zones can maximise local benefits, particularly for communities in disadvantaged areas
The conference was an opportunity for stakeholders to consider the issues alongside key policy officials who attended from the Cabinet Office; CMA; DAERA, NI; Defra; DBT; DCMS; Department for the Economy, NI; Department of Finance, NI; DESNZ; DfT; DLUHC; DSIT; DWP; HMRC; IPO; MCA; NAO; ONS; Ofsted; The Scottish Government; and the Welsh Government - as well as parliamentary pass-holders from The House of Lords.
