On Wednesday 5th October, a range of policy leads and practitioners gathered in Belfast City Hall to discuss the recently launched report “Opening the Innovation Economy: the case for inclusive innovation in the UK”.
The Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Tina Black, welcomed 60 attendees to Belfast City Hall including representatives from the 12 members of the UK IDG, as well as partners from academia, local authorities, developers and third sector.
Chair of the UK IDG, Emma Frost, facilitated the session, which included a Q&A with CEO of the RSA and chair of the Levelling Up Advisory Council, Andy Haldane, who highlighted place-based and people-based development as being key elements of inclusive innovation and a vital source of growth. He likened economic growth to a recipe for a cake, of which everyone should get a slice, and noted that too often the most important ingredient of the cake (inclusive growth) is the one that’s missing.
The findings of the research commission were presented by Eleanor Springer from Metro Dynamics and Professor Neil Lee from LSE before the attendees were encouraged to break off into themed roundtable discussions.
Discussion: getting the right ingredients
Attendees discussed practical ways to influence policy for each topic, with the common theme of ensuring the innovation economy creates opportunities for people and communities across the UK whilst supporting growth of jobs and generating skills needed for the future.
Five key topics were discussed each with a key takeaway: skills, metrics & measures, design, levelling up and innovation districts.
Next Steps
Together, the UK IDG will work to develop a full picture of the innovation landscape as well as promote the strengths and opportunities that are relevant to the market and inform and align with wider city strategy and sustainability goals. By developing a metrics & measures framework we will be able to shape the districts’ progress towards inclusive innovation outcomes. Connecting with other groups and individuals who are doing similar research will be a key part of informing the research.