Funding delivered by WMCA and UKRI will help upscale and develop local businesses – including in Health and Life Sciences and Creative Industries
The University of Birmingham will play a leading role in West Midlands-wide projects to upscale and develop local businesses, following the announcement of £50m of UKRI funding for the Local Innovation Partnership Fund for the region.
Among three new projects launched today, the University of Birmingham will be leading the WM Clinical Commercial Catalyst, which will make it much easier for pharmaceutical and healthcare industries to develop life-changing new medicines in the West Midlands. The University will also play a role in supporting the Creative Industries Scale-up Lab (CISL) for Creative and Immersive Technologies, supporting a growing and innovative sector in AI and design-led innovation.
The Local Innovation Partnership Fund (LIPF) is funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology through UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), and brings together academic, business and public sector leaders to deliver projects to accelerate regional economic growth, scale up high-potential innovation clusters, and bridge the gap between research and commercialisation.
I am proud that the University of Birmingham has a key role in delivering a shared, West Midlands vision for how the LIPF can help the region to prosper
Professor Adam Tickell, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Birmingham said: “This significant funding for the West Midlands will help the region do what it’s best at doing: driving innovation that improves lives around the world. I am proud that the University of Birmingham has a key role in delivering a shared, West Midlands vision for how the LIPF can help the region to prosper, through turning research and innovation into jobs, investment and lasting impact.”
During events to mark the launch of the Local Innovation Partnership Fund in the West Midlands, Lord Vallance visited the Birmingham Health Innovation Campus and the PHTA . During the visit, Lord Vallance met with the leaders of the University of Birmingham and local MPs to discuss the critical role of Birmingham's Health & Life Sciences District, a square mile with a £1B five-year cycle of new Research and Development awards, in attracting inward investment and scaling SMEs within the UK.
The visit highlighted the defining contribution of the University, surrounding healthcare partners, industry, Government and charitable funders to grow the region’s capacity, capability and commitment to deliver on the Life Sciences Sector Plan and NHS 10-Year Plan for patients, the public and our UK economy.
Professor Neil Hanley, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Head of the College of Medicine & Health at the University of Birmingham and Executive Director of Birmingham Health Partners said: “This backing from the Government calling out Health & Life Sciences as the leading cluster is really pleasing. It postmarks Birmingham and the West Midlands for what it is--a globally important destination for industry large and small, a place where SMEs can come and scale.
“Our internationally leading clinicians, scientists, assets and talent pipeline in an affordable, internationally well-connected location is what makes us a destination. Our ability to draw together health data, clinical trials, industrial-scale genomics across 11 million people, and leading implementation and regulatory science is why the Government has invested in us to help it deliver the UK's Life Sciences Sector Plan and NHS 10-year plan.”
With this new funding, the WM Clinical Commercial Catalyst will provide a single, simple point of access for health and life science companies to access world-leading strengths in:
The University of Birmingham will lead a collaborative effort with local universities, the West Midlands Combined Authority and West Midlands Growth Company, and private industry.
The resulting project will create a data-backed platform making the region a globally competitive destination for industry. LIPF will also support the completion of facilities to make advanced medicines in Birmingham; and create a growth fund that will help to scale up promising small and medium enterprises (SMEs) developing health technologies and treatments.
The announcement of funding from the Local Innovation Partnership Fund will see the University of Birmingham play a critical role in supporting the West Midlands region’s biggest ever innovation deal from government.
Led by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the national £500m Local Innovation Partnership Fund is designed to support the development and scaling of high-potential, existing and emerging innovation clusters across the UK.
The clusters prioritised for this funding were announced by West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker earlier this year. A formal launch, attended by the Mayor, Lord Vallance, Minister for Science, Innovation, Research and Nuclear, and Mike Wright, Chair of the West Midlands Innovation Board, was held in Birmingham on Friday 3rd July to mark the next phase of delivery.
These projects will support the West Midlands Growth Plan and will help unlock £188 million in private capital and create a £700 million long-term economic legacy in the region. They will also support the Growth Plan’s ambition to grow GVA by £17 billion by 2035, and create 100,000 high-quality jobs.
Funding will be delivered across three flagship innovation programmes, including;
Professor Helen Abbott, Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Head of the College of Arts and Law at the University of Birmingham said of the Creative Industries Scale-up Lab: “The West Midlands has a proud creative heritage and is a hotbed of new ideas, cutting-edge innovation and creativity. The LIPF investment recognises the depth of quality in the creative and immersive industries we already have in the region and will help us build on our pipeline to drive further progress in putting the West Midlands at the heart of the creative map.”
Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “Our track record of investing in the right ideas at the right time has already created hundreds of jobs and attracted millions in private investment. Government is now backing us to do even more through this record innovation funding deal.
“These research labs and tech studios are as important to our economy today as the factories of previous generations that made the West Midlands the ‘workshop of the world. We’re determined to cement our role as a global leader in the industries of the future by backing a new generation of innovators and pioneers to turn their big ideas into commercial success.”
These projects have been co-developed by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and the West Midlands Innovation Board, in partnership with the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). The Fund will be delivered by the West Midlands Growth Company (WMGC) and Business Growth West Midlands (BGWM) alongside lead delivery partners University of Warwick and University of Birmingham.
Science Minister Lord Patrick Vallance said: “Innovation is fundamental to achieving economic growth, which is why we want to support the development of new tech right across the country, including here in the West Midlands. These projects will help secure the region's status as an engine for growth in advanced manufacturing, health and life sciences, and creative technologies – with the local partnership expecting to deliver more than 2,300 skilled jobs and helping unlock more than £180 million in private investment.
“The Local Innovation Partnerships Fund is ensuring the expertise we have right across the country is playing an active role in shaping the future of our economy and in cementing our position as a world leader in science and innovation.”
Businesses can now register an expression of interest for funding and partnership opportunities via the Business Growth West Midlands (BGWM) website.
Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Head of the College of Medicine and Health
Professor Neil Hanley is Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Head of the College of Medicine and Health at the University of Birmingham.
