The GW4 City Summit provided a forum for representatives of the GW4 universities, Local Enterprise Partnerships, local government and the Welsh national government to discuss the trends shaping the South West and Wales.
As well as hosting talks on the region, the summit also included presentations from experts on the region’s prospects.
The summit comes at a time when the UK Government is devolving more power to cities to control their urban environments through ‘city deals’. The GW4 cities of Bristol and Cardiff have received such a deal and form part of the Great Western Cities, an initiative between Bristol, Cardiff and Newport to improve regional cooperation and economic development.
Professor Dame Glynis Breakwell, Vice Chancellor of the University of Bath and Chair of the GW4 Council, said:
“With place now the Government’s key determinant for capital investment, the GW4 City Summit could not have come at a more important time.
“Cities are the foundation of economic growth, and universities provide the knowledge and expertise that underpin them.
“As the region’s leading research centres — and major employers in their own right — the GW4 universities are the best-placed institutions to help partners in local government and the Welsh national government to create jobs and new opportunities in the South West and Wales.”
