The Green Paper kickstarted a consultation led by the Department for Business and Trade which, due to its wide-range of multidisciplinary expertise, Loughborough University was well-placed to contribute to. The Policy Unit coordinated an Industrial Strategy working group which brought together researchers who had an interest in contributing to the strategy. A summary of responses can be found on the Policy Unit website.
Following researchers’ submissions, officials from the Department visited the University’s East Midlands campus at the end of January. The officials – from the Cities and Local Growth Unit, Department for Business and Trade/Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government - were keen to talk to a wide-range of researchers, spanning a number of relevant areas to the Industrial Strategy to discuss the facilitators of and the barriers to growth in the sectors outlined in the Strategy.
The officials will report back what they found to the Department. On the day, they met:
- Professor Shahin Rahimifard, who discussed sustainable growth in relation to the Circular Economy of Small Medical Devices
- Professor Sergio Cavalaro, who talked to the group about partnership and skills for growth by providing an overview of Academia-Industry Partnership, which is promoting the effective digital transformation of the NHS. He also talked to the group about the Centre for Postdoctoral Development in Infrastructure, Cities and Energy
- Professor Dani Strickland, who showcased the breadth of hydrogen research at the University, and talked about skills for growth through the Engineering Hydrogen Net Zero Centre for Doctoral Training
- Dr Vicki Williams talked the group through the CoSTAR Foresight Lab. Dr Meh Goh, who talked about the importance of digital technologies for growth, specifically in relation to their application in manufacturing.
The group were also joined by Dr Kathryn North, Associate Pro-Vice Chancellor for Climate Change and Net Zero, Professor Anish Roy, Professor Graham Hitchen, Dr Huw Edwards, and Pete Hitchings for a wider discussion on the University’s broad range of expertise contributing to the Strategy.
The Industrial Strategy is still being developed by the Department of Business and Trade and is expected to be published alongside the Comprehensive Spending Review on 11 June. However, recent reporting has suggested that individual strategies for sectors that the Government has identified as high growth sectors, including life sciences and advanced manufacturing, will be published ahead of this date.
The Policy Unit will continue to convene its Industrial Strategy Working Group as the Strategy continues to be developed. It has also shared details with colleagues of an ongoing Inquiry being run by the House of Commons Business and Trade Select Committee to scrutinise the design and delivery of the Strategy as it develops. Several colleagues have submitted to this. The Committee anticipates it will run a number of such Inquries, representing an opportunity for researchers to contribute in the months ahead.