May 2022 News Digest

Welcome to the  UK Innovation Districts Group Monthly Digest, exploring the latest trends and insights in innovation, regeneration, inclusive growth, placemaking and the sustainable development of innovation districts.

The UKIDG is a network of twelve self-defined innovation districts from across the UK including: Glasgow Riverside Innovation District, Knowledge Quarter Liverpool, Leeds Innovation District, Knowledge Quarter London, Shift at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Belfast Innovation District, Bristol Temple Quarter, Newcastle Helix, Sheffield AMID, Innovation Birmingham, Glasgow City Innovation District, and the West London Innovation District. As a group, we aim to make the case for our urban centres and their potential to advance research in areas such as AI, medical sciences and the humanities, while growing the UK’s wider economy. 

Each of our Monthly Digests is dedicated to ensuring that you are kept up to date with the latest thought leadership and research in this area.

Latest News

Centre for Cities article asks what has happened to the levelling up white paper 100 days on.

World Economic Forum have published a white paper Resilience for Sustainable Inclusive Growth.

Nesta report investigates how cities can reclaim the digital public space.

Connected Places Catapult article explores how cities deliver nations pledges to net zero carbon emissions.

Podcasts

Centre for Cities podcast City Talks explores the findings of the NAO’s Supporting Local Economic Growth report.

Local Authority Podcast asks what councils can do to support their local population during the cost-of-living crisis, including the rise in energy bills to unprecedented levels.

Connected Places Catapult podcast discusses ports as underutilised hubs of innovation and how they can be powerful engines of regional growth, working as gateways to new global markets and routes to foreign direct investment.

McKinsey Podcast discusses Financial inclusion and sustainable, inclusive growth in action. Asking How businesses can promote financial inclusion and support sustainable, inclusive growth more broadly?

Partner News

Glasgow Uni have been awarded £10million from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) for Helping Glasgow reach net zero - The Glasgow living lab programme, GALLANT, will help Glasgow move towards climate resilience whilst tackling health, social and economic inequalities.
It will focus on:

  • capturing greenhouse gases in formerly derelict land

  • improving biodiversity

  • valuing riverbanks as community spaces

  • promoting active travel

  • creating energy solutions.

Almost 50 new jobs will be created in Glasgow.

Queen’s University has taken a major step forward with plans to build three Innovation Centres, with an investment of £200m, as part of the Belfast Region City Deal.
The University has appointed a design team for each of the three centres it will lead on in areas including advanced manufacturing, clinical research, and secure, connected digital technologies.
As part of the Belfast Region City Deal, the UK Government and Northern Ireland Executive are providing £170m funding towards three Queen’s-led Centres - the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre (AMIC), the Global Innovation Institute (GII) and the Institute of Research Excellence for Advanced Clinical Healthcare (iREACH), while an additional £30m will be invested by the University and its partners.

Knowledge Quarter Liverpool have welcomed the launch of the Centre for Process Innovation in the North West, which took place at The Spine in Liverpool.
Attracted by LSP’s vibrant cluster of science and technology-focused customers, as well as Liverpool City Region’s expertise in advanced manufacturing and sustainable packaging, the move will further CPI’s ambition to provide a hub for partnerships with universities, local government, industry and SMEs, enabling transformative innovation programmes and creating jobs in the region.
CPI’s new base at Liverpool Science Park sits within the heart of the Knowledge Quarter Liverpool (KQ Liverpool) Innovation District and has been made possible thanks to £110,000 of pre-development funding from the LCRCA.