The University of Lincoln, UK, has joined a pioneering coalition of 17 universities to support a £3 million international campaign launched this week to drive economic growth in the Midlands.
Each year the University contributes more than £400 million to the local economy and has built long-term, sustainable relationships with a variety of organisations. These global links will be leveraged to attract inward investment in research, development, innovation and science. This important work supports the University’s ambitions set out in its 2022-27 Strategic Plan – to be a university that contributes significantly to the success of the region and beyond.
Led by Midlands Innovation and the Midlands Engine Partnership and hosted by Loughborough University, the UK University R&D Investment – Midlands Campaign has been developed with a range of regional partners including the West Midlands Growth Company and the Midlands Enterprise and East Midlands Universities. Free port. It was launched at the UK Real Estate, Infrastructure and Investment Forum (UKREIIF), which was attended by nearly 13,000 investors, delegates and developers.
The university consortium will showcase five sectors in which the Midlands is internationally renowned for its strength in research and innovation. International graduates, industry and universities will be tapped into six markets (Australia, Germany, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and the USA) to engage investors and raise the profile of the Midlands region.
Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lincoln, Professor Neil Juster, said: “The University of Lincoln is proud to be a member of this consortium whose aims align with its commitment to driving and contributing to economic growth and prosperity in the region. Significantly to the nation's success through regional renewal and international connectivity.
“This campaign will help redefine how academia works in partnership with industry, and we look forward to showcasing what the University of Lincoln has to offer. With R&D equipment and facilities covering a range of key disciplines such as agri-food, engineering and life science technologies, we have a wealth of opportunities to collaborate with .
“An example of this is the university’s sector-leading Lincoln Institute of Agri-Food Technology, which recently received the prestigious Queen’s Anniversary Award for its work supporting the success and sustainability of the UK’s food and agricultural industries through innovations in research, education and support technology.”
Secretary of State for Science, Research and Innovation, Andrew Griffiths, announced a £1.5 million award from the UK's International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF) to support the campaign over the next two years, which was matched by universities and regional partners. . The Minister said: “The UK is home to world-class research centres, and by combining the expertise and relationships of universities, government and industry, we can strengthen our efforts to win international investment in some of the strongest sectors in the Midlands.
“Our country’s universities have directly attracted around £4bn of foreign investment in their research since 2015. Today’s new campaign, supported by £1.5m from the Government’s International Science Partnership Fund, will help bring further support for excellent research in the region. “
In line with the priorities of the new West and East Midlands mayors and other local leaders, the campaign will help promote the region as an outstanding destination for global investment. It will support efforts by government and local growth agencies to secure game-changing funding for major regeneration projects across the region that includes universities as key partners.
The campaign will also work closely with Midlands Mindforge, an independent patient capital investment firm, established by the eight research-intensive universities in the Midlands Innovation Partnership. Midlands Mindforge aims to allocate £250m to “impact investing”, establishing and scaling companies backed by transformative science in sectors such as clean technologies, artificial intelligence, computational science, life sciences and health technology. It will create highly skilled jobs in the Midlands and support the UK's ambition to become a science and technology superpower.
The campaign is also supported by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the UK Science and Innovation Network (SIN), which are jointly funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. and Development (FCDO).
