PraxisUnico welcomes Sir Andrew Witty’s report reviewing the contribution of universities to economic growth. We are pleased Sir Andrew has acknowledged the great contribution UK universities have made to innovation and economic growth over many years, and welcome the challenge to do even better.
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Dr David Bembo, AURIL Chair commented, “There is a widely accepted, and growing, view that universities and public sector research establishments have the potential to be catalytic in driving regional economic growth. ERDF is a very important and very welcome funding intervention with the potential to assist institutions in making their full contribution to regional economic development and placing that economic development more centrally in their institutional strategies.
Dr Sue O’Hare, PraxisUnico Chair, commented: “We agree that there is not a single coherent strategy as yet for innovation but we welcome the longer-term approach demonstrated by the Industrial Strategy and Catapult Centres. Overall the response is positive and we welcome the Government’s commitment to ensuring that investment in innovation would not be at the expense of research budgets. Despite the recognition of the important role of universities, without an overall strategic approach to innovation demand-side issues will remain unresolved.”
Dr Kathryn Walsh who sits on the Advocacy Portfolio group at PraxisUnico attended this conference and kindly submitted this report.
This conference held a lunchtime session hosted by the Intellectual Property Office and the Big Innovation Centre on the theme of Universities in open innovation.
Award winners included a scientific and educational collaboration that is carrying out ground-breaking research into forestry and biodiversity conservation, together with environmental education for the protection and conservation of forest, its species and habitat.
British American Trade & Investment handbook is for those US companies involved in, or considering expansion into the UK to which PraxisUnico authored an article about the successful collaborations between US companies and UK universities.