The WMREDI Story: Successes, Challenges, Achievements and Impact

“WMREDI works in partnership with the West Midlands Combined Authority to bring a practical research and intelligence function to the economic benefit of the region.” WMREDI's impact recognised in a British Academy case study on Place-Based Approaches to Research Funding.  

This report provides an in-depth look at the successes, challenges, achievements and impact of the West Midlands Regional Economic Development Institute (WMREDI). 

The project was funded by Research England at a pivotal point in devolution and piloting of place approaches. The university civic movement was gaining traction as the government was introducing combined authorities, and funders were looking to address the complexity of place growth and capacity building across partners. This backdrop set the scene for Research England's investment in a new and innovative approach. 

Our partners were inspirational drivers from the start. Funding from Research England was matched with funding from the University of Birmingham and regional stakeholders bringing total funding to over £11.5 million. They helped guide and advise the project and contributed to our research which developed our intricate knowledge of the West Midlands, and we would like to thank them all for their support throughout.   

The project helped address a need identified by regional partners for a new institute to help develop strategy, policy and practice, and bridge the gap between academia and local policy-making. 

What did WMREDI achieve?  

We developed a powerful model to help evaluate changes in the national or regional economy. We conducted a range of comparative benchmarking projects with partners to assess the relative strengths and weaknesses of the UK regions, focusing explicitly on regional systems of innovation and the relative alignment of university R&D with user needs at the local, regional and national levels. We provided policy support, including over 100 reports, over 45 briefings, 225 academic articles and over 400 blogs to help shape and implement Local Industrial Strategies (LIS), responses to the Brexit/EU exit, COVID-19 and cost of living crisis. We have delivered workshops and training programmes to accelerate three types of economic and social impact. 

What did we learn? 

Places need both long-term investment in the infrastructure for partnerships and investment in research quality is needed to understand challenges and opportunities. 

1 - Long-term infrastructure for collaborative partnerships which create knowledge exchange. The funding process operated by Research England under the Regional Economic Development Fund is a good approach, which can be replicated but the investment in the infrastructure needs to be continued for the long-term. Creating regional centres of excellence and the infrastructure to offer long term security of staffing and operational objectives would help support local partners to develop better interventions. Establishing WMREDI-type infrastructure for the long-term in regions would strengthen the connection between places and universities, help build trust and drive up the quality of the relationships and networks. 

2 - Policy-responsive research calls, which the place infrastructure can access to respond to place challenges and needs. This approach would allow universities to take an innovative approach to public policy and practice, making university-led research responsive to need and allowing horizon scanning for future demands and shocks. The experience of WMREDI has allowed the University of Birmingham to test a new structure and innovative approach to realise its anchor role. This puts the academic rigour and research into economic development and impact at the heart of the University.  

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