December 2018 highlights
Week of 10th of December
Forging our future - anniversary conference and new sector deals
Celebrations to mark one year since the government's Industrial Strategy White Paper was published culminated in a major event in Bristol last Thursday.
Watch the first half of the event, which includes a keynote speech from Business Secretary Greg Clark, and a panel discussion on the Grand Challenges.
Watch the second half of the event, which includes presentations from Bristol Robotics Lab, LettUs Grow, and Five AI, along with a keynote speech from the Bank of England's Chief Economist, and Chair of the Industrial Strategy Council, Andy Haldane.
Sector Deal News
The Aerospace Sector Deal was launched on Thursday, with Business Secretary Greg Clark taking part in an industry roundtable while on a visit to GKN Aerospace in Bristol.
The multi-million pound package of new investment to turbo-charge UK industry in support of the modern Industrial Strategy and put us at the forefront of the industries of the future, includes up to £125 million from the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund to develop future flight.
The Rail Sector Deal was also published last Thursday, which will help to increase efficiency, improve journeys and increase the sector’s capability to trade internationally.
Creative Sector Deal more than £20 million is being pumped into the UK’s thriving creative industries to help inspire and attract new talent, scale up existing businesses, boost skills and provide education. Read more about the announcement from Creative Industries Minister Margot James
post by Christine Gaskell, Chair of Cheshire & Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership and is a member of the independent Industrial Strategy Council.
Two datasets tell very different stories about the state of Britain’s creative industries, graduate talent and prospects. While ministers and the press see one set of numbers as a tale of “roaring” success, they see failure and grounds for possible regulatory intervention in the other.
The poll shows:
- a worrying level of pessimism amongst young people who think they have little chance of moving up in society
- that generally all people across the age ranges think it is getting harder for disadvantaged people to move up in society
- there is an urgent need to ensure people can improve their social mobility
Social mobility is the link between a person’s occupation or income and the occupation or income of their parents. Where there is a strong link, there is a lower level of social mobility. Where there is a weak link, there is a higher level of social mobility. Read the full report here. BBC and The Times cover it too.
Week of 3rd of December
Industrial Strategy The Story So Far.pdfForging Our Future
Industrial Strategy - the story so far
On Thursday 6 December the MadeAtUni campaign was launched to celebrate the positive impact that universities are having on people, communities and lives throughout the country. As part of the launch Universities UK has published a list of the UK’s Best Breakthroughs.
Access the interactive map to get a snapshot of the IS in the UK
Read the regional summaries of Leeds City Region, Humber, Sheffield City Region and York, North Yorkshire & East Riding
The entire country will be able to benefit from developing a local Industrial Strategy, the ministers announced today (Monday, 3 December 2018). Read full story here.
Countering-geography-of-discontent_Hendrickson-Muro-Galston.pdfCountering the geography of discontent: strategies for left-behind places
The 2016 election revealed a dramatic gap between two Americas—one based in large, diverse, thriving metropolitan regions; the other found in more homogeneous small towns and rural areas struggling under the weight of economic stagnation and social decline. This gap between two American geographies came as a shock to many observers.
This paper examines the issue of whether the UK displays high levels of interregional inequality or only average levels of inequality. Following on from recent UK public debates the UK evidence is examined in the context of 28 different indicators and 30 different OECD countries. The result is clear. The UK is one of the most regionally unbalanced countries in the industrialised world.
The north of England has rarely faced such threat and opportunity. Brexit looms; budgets in essential NHS and council services are at breaking point. The world’s major, long-term challenges – globalisation, climate change, AI, automation and an ageing population – continue to test the North’s energy and innovation. Read the full IPPR report here.
This Nesta working paper develops a framework for how innovation policies can be more inclusive, drawing on insights from an international comparison
Spatial_Inequality.pdfMeasuring spatial inequality in the UK: what we know & what we should know?
Report by the Spatial Policy & Analysis Lab, Manchester Urban Institute, University of Manchester
Turning Rustbelts Into Brainbelts.pdfTurning Rustbelts Into Brainbelts
The authors' thesis is that innovation in the modern economy "requires a form of intensive collaboration that goes well beyond the kind of joint ventures and project partnerships we have seen in the past."
Presentations from the Industrial Strategy & Civic Need conference (19-20 November) held at Leeds Town Hall, can be found here.