PROFESSOR DYLAN JONES-EVANS

Yesterday morning, I listened to a webinar launching a new report by the National Centre for Universities and Businesses (NCUB) which focused on how the power of research and innovation could be harnessed to develop the UK economy.  With speakers including Anne Glover (co-founder of venture capitalists Amadeus), Lord Bilamoria (President of the CBI) and Louise Richardson (Vice Chancellor of  Oxford University), the hour and half was a tour de force on how the UK can develop a policy approach that will not only help us to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic but also on how universities and businesses can work together to seize the opportunities of the fourth industrial revolution. The report itself made a series of recommendations which need to be taken seriously by the UK Government over the next few months. Not surprisingly perhaps, one of the key proposals was for the refreshment of its Industrial Strategy which, given that it was published in 2017, may not be fit for purpose...

Earlier this week, the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW) released t heir future vision for research and innovation and how it can meet the economic, social and civic needs in Wales and beyond. Given that knowledge, both its discovery and commercialisation, is critical to the development of modern economies around the World, the aim of this new strategy is to ensure that Wales has an excellent research base within Welsh universities, especially in terms of one that supports innovation that boosts productivity in Welsh businesses.  From this, it can help deliver economic prosperity and social wellbeing for the people of Wales and make a vital contribution to increasing the proportion of UK GDP spent on research and development every year. It is also critical that whilst the research base be global in perspective, it will respond to challenges specific to the local region and engage with local communities to create new solutions.  Of course, it is easy to argue t...