The government has published its long-awaited Modern Industrial Strategy, outlining its priorities for investment over the next ten years.
The GW4 Alliance brings together four of the UK’s most research-intensive and innovative universities: Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter. Spanning South Wales and the South West of England, our region is home to a vibrant innovation ecosystem and a dynamic, knowledge-driven economy.
There is strong alignment between the Industrial Strategy's eight (IS8) priority sectors: advanced manufacturing, clean energy, creative industries, defence, digital & tech (including AI), financial services, life sciences, and professional/business services and GW4’s core strategic priority areas of Creative Communities, Strategic Net Zero, Health & Wellbeing and Cyber & Digital.
This positions us well to help to realise the ambitions of the Modern Industrial Strategy:
GW4 institutions recognised: We welcome announcements relating to our partner universities. The University of Exeter is to receive £19.6 million in a 3D Nanoscale Metamaterials Hub and the University of Bristol, alongside Imperial College London, has worked with government to develop a Cyber Growth Action Plan, due to be published this summer, providing a roadmap for future growth.
Facilitating regional collaboration: We have a substantial track record of bringing together academics from across our universities and beyond, alongside industry partners, civic organisations and policymakers, to collaborate on grand challenges in an interdisciplinary, cross-institutional and cross-border way. Our collaborative innovative research delivers real-word impact and addresses global challenges, from accelerating the transition to sustainable Net Zero to advancing health and wellbeing research and improving mental health outcomes. Our return on investment for collaborative research is exceptionally strong; with £25 secured by our research communities in external funding for every £1 invested by GW4.
Creative industries: GW4 is ideally positioned to consolidate and catalyse innovation in the creative industries. Our institutions are home to significant multidisciplinary investments. These include Bristol and Bath Creative R&D, Clwstwr, and two Strength in Places Fund awards at Media.Cymru and MyWorld, where GW4 institutions are already working with the region’s other universities. We welcome the announcement that the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) will be one of six mayoral combined authorities (MCAs) awarded a share of £150 million in funding to develop a Creative Corridor. We look forward to working with WECA, and other sector colleagues, to deliver our region’s Creative Corridor and supercharge our creative industries.
Clean energy: With all GW4 universities declaring a climate emergency, our institutions have committed to fully decarbonising operations within ambitious timeframes, recognising the need to accelerate the pace of transition. As a regional alliance, we are perfectly placed to accelerate the transition to a sustainable Net Zero. The South West of England has one of the highest concentrations of businesses in the Net Zero economy in the UK, and the Net Zero economy in Wales is over three times more productive than the regional average(1). GW4 also plays a leading role in GW-SHIFT where the GW4 institutions, in collaboration with the universities of Swansea, South Wales and Plymouth, are working alongside civil society and industry partners to develop a hydrogen supercluster of expertise and innovation in the South West and South Wales. Through initial financial support from GW4, the supercluster has secured £2.5 million in funding from ESPRC, as well as match-funding from industry partners.
Life sciences: Despite being the only region in the UK without a formal Life Sciences cluster, our geography is home to a thriving life sciences sector, with the Office for Life Sciences analysis for 2021 showing that the life sciences industry generated £2.62 billion in turnover in Wales, and £2.85 billion in the South West of England(2). GW4, together with our regional Health Innovation Networks, the innovation arm of the NHS, and the South West Life Sciences Network are partnering on an initiative to develop a South West Health & Life Sciences cluster, and we look forward to the forthcoming Life Sciences Sector Plan, and exploring how our region can work with government to deliver on its aspirations to kick start economic growth and help deliver an NHS fit for the future.
We will also engage with government in areas where we believe that further action is needed:
Higher Education funding: Whilst the Modern Industrial Strategy is right to identify the fact that universities are a key driver of regional innovation economies, more work needs to be done to bring financial stability to the sector.
Childcare: Despite being mentioned in the Industrial Strategy Green Paper as a key “soft infrastructure” for economic growth, it was disappointing not to see any further commitments on childcare in the Modern Industrial Strategy. Postgraduate education will play an increasingly vital role in providing the upskilling and reskilling opportunities required for high-tech jobs across the Industrial Strategy’s eight sectors. The current lack of government-backed support schemes for postgraduate students is creating a barrier to opportunity, and as part of GW4’s Childcare campaign, we will continue to urge government to extend the eligibility of the current undergraduate childcare support schemes to postgraduate students, as a way of helping those from already economically-disadvantaged backgrounds to further their careers and education via postgraduate research.
Data sources:
- Original source: Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit – Mapping The Net Zero Economy.
- Original source: BEIS, HSC and OLS – Bioscience and health technology sector statistics 2021.
