PROFESSOR DYLAN JONES-EVANS

So what is the economic impact of universities?  That was the question posed by London School of Economics policy fellow Anna Valero and her colleague John van Reenen of MIT in a recent academic paper. In reviewing previous evidence, Dr Valero suggest that there are various ways in through which universities can affect economic growth. The most obvious is that higher education produces the skilled workers required by businesses and that this can have a boost to local economies given that students who graduate are more likely to seek work in the area where the university is located. Another important role is that of developing and diffusing innovation with universities being crucibles for research and development (R&D) and there is increasing evidence of this being commercialised either through links with local firms or via academics spinning out to create their own businesses.  This role is particularly important in Wales where universities are responsible for 40% of the t...

As we emerge out of the pandemic, it is clear that the use of digital has become even more important in the home and the workplace.  During the last eighteen months and as the country went into lockdown time and time again, the use of digital tools became critical in being able to work away from the office, to maintain relationship with friends and family and in containing and managing the pandemic itself through track and trace. Yet despite this, not everyone has the digital skills to operate in this environment. As the latest Essential Digital Skills report from Lloyds Bank shows, whilst 42 million adults are able to communicate, transact, problem solve, stay safe online and handle information, 21% of the UK population (roughly 11 million people) lack the essential digital skills for everyday life.  In other words, 10 million people are not able to access the Internet themselves and lack the most basic digital tasks, 6.5 million cannot connect to Wi-Fi by themselves and 4.9 ...

Earlier this month, I was delighted to be able to present Professor Simon Gibson as a candidate for an honorary doctorate from the University of South Wales at our December degree ceremony in Treforest. Born in Essex but now a resident of Monmouthshire, Simon is Chief Executive of Wesley Clover Corporation, a global technology investment fund that has funded more than 150 technology start-up firms across the World. Wesley Clover is also the owner of the Celtic Manor Resort and Golf Course - famously the home of the 2010 Ryder Cup - and the new £83 million International Convention Centre in Newport. Before joining Wesley Clover, Simon was involved in various telecommunications businesses before becoming the co-founder, President and CEO of Ubiquity Software Corporation, a pioneer in the development of media protocols and service platforms for the internet. Amazingly, that protocol now drives every single voice phone call in the world as well as most video conference calls. Given this, i...

According to a report last week from the think-tank Centre for Cities, cities play a significant role in the national economy by being home to home to 56 per cent of businesses, 59 per cent of jobs and 63 per cent of output despite covering only nine per cent of land.  As such, they are attractive to firms, especially those operating in consumer and retail services because of the scale and density of people and businesses located in one place In particular, they play an important role as locations for consumers, with amenities such as shopping centres, theatres and restaurants not only being important to those living and working within these conurbations but also in attracting those living outside to spend their money.  The study shows that not only do cities offer a more diverse set of amenities than other parts of the country, two-thirds of specialist amenities are to be found in cities as their size means they can cater for more niche and expensive markets. For example, 69 ...

In his latest budget last month, the Chancellor of the Exchequer confirmed that the UK Government would be scrapping the Severn bridge tolls by the end of next year. This follows considerable pressure from various business groups and a vote by all political parties in the National Assembly for Wales for backing the abolition of tolls on the crossings between the West of England and South Wales. This will finally bring an end what many businesspeople see as a tax not only on entering Wales but on future opportunities for greater investment and access to key markets by Welsh firms. When the first Severn Bridge was opened on September 8th 1966, the charge for crossing into Wales was set at two shillings and sixpence (or 12.5p in today’s money). Not surprisingly when Government gets a chance to tax the public (and despite the building of a second Severn crossing in 1992), this fee has gradually increased over the last fifty-one years and now stands at £6.70 for cars and £20 fo...

Earlier this month, the Digital 2014 conference was held at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport. Taking place over two days, the event focused on identifying the opportunities within the information and communications technology industry (ICT) especially the challenges and opportunities for young people as they progress through the education system and into the workplace. It also brought together global technology brands, industry professionals and knowledge experts to engage, educate and energise individuals, businesses and public sector organisations around the use and uptake of digital technologies in order to achieve organisational goals and deliver economic success. The venue for the conference was opportune, given the recent strong statement of intent made via the Newport City Task Force to create a major presence in the digital and ICT world. This includes creating an innovation company to act as a hub to attract investors to the area, establishing a National Centre f...

Back in 1940, the Royal Commission on the Distribution of the Industrial Population reported that "London acts as a continual drain on the rest of the country both for industry and population, and much evidence points to the fact that it is already too large.”  Such a sentiment is shared by many living in other parts of the UK seventy four years later, with evidence of a continued imbalance between investment into London as compared to other cities across the nation. In fact, many would not be surprised that, during the last decade, it has been responsible for a third of all economic growth within the UK. And according to a recent study, this is set to continue with the City of London showing a resurgence in the last twelve months and developments such as Silicon Roundabout in the East End of London - where companies such as Facebook, Google, Intel and Cisco have located to create  a high technology hotspot - attracting young people from all over the country into the c...