Leeds City Region: Academic strength crucial for growth
BUSINESS leaders have called on the expertise and innovations developed by the Leeds City Region’s universities to be harnessed more to help drive economic growth and prosperity.
Speaking as part of TheBusinessDesk.com’s Leeds City Region supplement, professionals believe the City Region’s academic knowledge base and cutting edge research surpasses that of many other areas of the UK.
Nicola Spence, chief executive of Science City York, said: “We have got eight universities in the Leeds City Region and three of the top 10 in the UK so we have to ask why we are not doing as well on inward investment as other parts of the country?”
An example of collaboration between business and academia for the good of the City Region can be seen at David Brown Gear Systems.
Looking to capitalise on the growth of the wind turbine sector, the company has started developing its own products in the field targeting the growing offshore market.
It has worked with the Leeds City Region Local Enterprise Partnership and Kirklees Council to successfully bid for £2m of Government funding to help establish a new research and innovation centre that will help demonstrate the company’s expertise to potential clients and foster collaborations with academics from the University of Huddersfield.
A full report of the discussion can be read in the Leeds City Region: A Force for Growth supplement, in association with DLA Piper and Santander Corporate Banking.
The supplement contains expert comment, features and analysis on issues ranging from the economy, to the City Region’s local enterprise partnership and growth.
