Midlands universities launch £3m campaign to attract global R&D investment
The campaign has been funded by a £1.5m award from the UK’s International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF),
The campaign will see universities across the Midlands joining forces to create a more ambitious offer to global investors.
Midlands Innovation and the Midlands Engine Partnership have launched an international campaign to attract inward investment into R&D, innovation and science to the Midlands region.
The campaign will see universities across the Midlands joining forces to create a more ambitious offer to global investors and will showcase sectors where the region has world-renowned strengths in research and innovation.
Whilst the Midlands has such a wealth of high growth opportunities for global investors, if we are to attract those investors effectively, stakeholders have to work together across the region. This strong coalition is just the right approach to ensure we create and communicate our compelling offer.
It was launched at the UK Real Estate, Infrastructure and Investment Forum (UKREIIF), which was attended by nearly 13,000 investors, delegates and developers and has been enabled by an award of £1.5 million from the UK’s International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF), to support the campaign over the next two years, which has been matched by universities and regional partners.
We are thrilled to have secured Government support for this trailblazing campaign. Through our new Invest Universities Midlands team, we will be able to work with UK Embassies around the world, national government and regional partners such as the West Midlands Growth Company to provide a ‘concierge service’ for investors into our universities. Individually our universities all have outstanding innovation, talent, and state-of-the-art R&D facilities. But together, our collaboration and connections become a distinct competitive advantage for any investor seeking a partnership with a Midlands university.
This funding will provide a platform for us to showcase the unique strengths of the Midlands and position our region on the global investment map. This programme is a perfect example of how the power of partnership between the Midlands Engine and our fantastic universities is helping extend the global reach of our region
The campaigners will work closely with Midlands Mindforge, an independent patient capital investment company, established by the eight research intensive universities in the Midlands Innovation partnership. Midlands Mindforge aims to deploy £250m to “invest with impact”, founding and scaling transformational science backed companies in sectors such as Clean Technologies, AI & Computational Science, Life Sciences & Health Tech. It will create highly skilled jobs in the Midlands and support the UK’s ambition to become a science and technology superpower.
The award follows-on from the ‘Universities as Drivers of Trade and Investment’ Pilot, led by Midlands Innovation, Midlands Engine Partnership and Midlands Enterprise Universities, with support from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. The programme helped lay the groundwork for the campaign by demonstrating the enormous potential universities have and how they can play a much greater role in driving overseas trade and investment into UK regional R&D.
Midlands Engine Partnership Chairman, Sir John Peace, said: "This funding will provide a platform for us to showcase the unique strengths of the Midlands and position our region on the global investment map. This programme is a perfect example of how the power of partnership between the Midlands Engine and our fantastic universities is helping extend the global reach of our region”.
David Coleman, CEO of University of Birmingham Enterprise, said: “Whilst the Midlands has such a wealth of high growth opportunities for global investors, if we are to attract those investors effectively, stakeholders have to work together across the region. This strong coalition is just the right approach to ensure we create and communicate our compelling offer.”
The campaign also being supported by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the UK’s Global Science and Innovation Network (SIN), which is jointly funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
The campaign landing page is available here, and the Midlands Innovation press release is can be viewed here.
Notes for editors
Notes for editors
For media information contact Ruth Ashton, University of Birmingham Enterprise, r.c.ashton@bham.ac.uk
About the International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF)
The ISPF is designed to enable potential and foster prosperity. It supports UK researchers and innovators to work with international partners on some of the most pressing themes of our time. The government announced an initial £119 million for phase one of ISPF which will allow UK scientists and innovators to collaborate with international partners on multidisciplinary projects.
About UKREiiF
UKREiiF stands for UK real estate investment and infrastructure forum. UKREiiF connects people, places and businesses to accelerate and unlock sustainable, inclusive and transformational investment. This 3-day event brings together the public sector – with every core UK city and region involved – alongside Government, investors, funders, developers, housebuilders and more.
About Midlands Innovation (MI)
Midlands Innovation (MI) is a partnership of eight research-intensive universities in the Midlands region of England: Aston University, University of Birmingham, Cranfield University, Keele University, University of Leicester, Loughborough University, University of Nottingham, and University of Warwick
About Midlands Engine Partnership
The Midlands is the largest regional economy in the UK outside London and the place that 11 million people call home. The Midlands Engine partnership spans the heart of the UK. Working at scale, its focus is on adding value – tackling the things that really matter in the region to drive prosperity for communities and businesses. Together, they make sure the Midlands voice is heard and act as a positive agent for economic, social and environmental change, to benefit every single part of the region.
About University of Birmingham Enterprise
University of Birmingham Enterprise helps students and researchers turn their ideas into new services, products and enterprises that meet real-world needs. We also provide incubation and bio-incubation, support innovators and entrepreneurs with mentoring, advice and training, and manage the University’s Academic Consultancy Service. For more about Unit 9 click here and Birmingham Research Park, click here. Follow us on LinkedIn and X.