20Strat%2007

Northwest Science Strategy 2007 – 2010

ContentsChairman’s Foreword 01

Vision 03

Strategy 2007 – 2010

Science and Economic Growth – National Policy 04

Aims 05

Priorities 06

Foundations 07

Strategic Pillars 13

Promotion and Branding 22

Principles for Regional Support 22

Appendix A: Review of Progress 25

Appendix B: Regional SWOT Analysis 32

Appendix C: Northwest Science Facts and Figures 33

Appendix D: Sector Skills and Productivity Alliance Priorities 35

Appendix E: Summary of Strategic Priorities 37

Appendix F: Priority Sector Action Plans 38

Further Information 47

Northwest Science Strategy2007-2010

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Northwest Science Strategy2007-2010Chairman’s Foreword

The UK’s first regional science strategy, wasdeveloped by the Northwest Science Council, andpublished in 2002. Five years on, it is time to takestock of the progress that has been made, to re-examine the environment in which we operate and toreview and update our priorities to ensure they arevalid and appropriate for the next three years.

In Appendix A, we make an open and honestassessment of the progress that has been made by theregion since 2002. Many significant successes havebeen recorded. The science infrastructure has beendramatically improved through developments such asthose at Daresbury Science and Innovation Campus,the National Biomanufacturing Centre in Speke,Liverpool Digital, Infolab 21 in Lancaster and the CoreTechnology Facility in Manchester. Regional venturecapital funds have been established and invested forthe benefit of more than 150 young companies in theregion. The research base has been greatlystrengthened through initiatives such as the CockcroftInstitute, the new University of Manchester, the DaltonNuclear Institute and the support of the NorthwestScience Fund. In other areas, such as within theAerospace cluster, achievements over the reviewperiod have been disappointing although it isanticipated that the work of the National AerospaceTechnology Strategy group, together with our proposedactions, will improve the situation going forward.

The Northwest has many strengths upon which we willcapitalise; a science sector which accounts for over aquarter of the regional £106 billion GVA economy,strong, ambitious and vibrant universities, goodtransport links including the largest internationalairport in the UK outside the South East of Englandand an excellent quality of life. There are some notablegeographical concentrations of scientific excellence,particularly in Manchester where the establishedbase, new building blocks and plans are in place tocreate a significant new science and innovation ‘spike’of real credibility and potential global importance.

Our vision for the future remains unaltered.

England’s Northwest will be renowned as an areaof world-class scientific achievement, creating amagnet for talent and science investment, apowerful driver for innovation and enterprise, andan effective force for delivering benefits to health,the environment and society.

To deliver this vision, we have chosen to be focussedand will concentrate our efforts on three underpinningfoundations and six strategic pillars through whichhigh impact, transformational activity will bechannelled. By focussing clearly on the areas wherewe have competitive advantage and the potential todrive significant progress, we strongly believe that theregion will thrive economically and contribute toovercoming the wider global challenges that we allface such as climate change, the depletion of naturalresources, an ageing population and the spread ofinfectious diseases.

The foundations are, an Internationally ExcellentScience Base, the relevant and timely Exploitation ofScience and a sufficient supply of high quality peoplewith the right Skills. These are essential to create theappropriate building blocks and climate in which newscientific insights can be generated and applied toenable globally competitive, sustainable andsuccessful businesses, well placed to deal withthe evolving environmental challenges, to emergeand prosper.

The strategic pillars reflect industries that are criticalto the success of the Northwest economy, wherescience has a major impact. We will give priorityattention to the internationally competitive sectors ofBioHealth*, Aerospace**, Chemicals** andNuclear*** – three of the clusters highlighted in the2006 Regional Economic Strategy.1 In addition therapidly changing and dynamic nature of progress inscience and technology dictate that we must alsorecognise and encourage Emerging Opportunities.

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The final pillar, ‘Strategic Science Sites’ highlights theimportance of selected knowledge nuclei with thecritical mass and competence to become majornational and international centres of science andtechnology activity.

Overarching professional and coordinated marketingand promotional activities are essential if the regionis to capitalise fully on its assets and create thereputation and brand of a region rich in world classscientific endeavour.

In developing this strategy, we have engaged widelywith representatives from industrial and academicinstitutions across the Northwest. Current positionshave been mapped, critical issues identified andstrategic priorities highlighted. However, thepublication of a strategy will not in itself achieve thedesired results. We must now follow through withenthusiastic implementation otherwise we will fail torealise the vast potential that the region has to offer.I hope when you read this strategy you will catchsomething of our vision and join us in ourdetermination to succeed and deliver.

*Referred to as BioMedical in the Regional Economic Strategy **Aerospace and Chemicals are sub-sectors of the Advanced Engineering and Materials RES priority sector ***Nuclear is a major component of the Energy and Environmental Technologies RES priority sector1 Northwest Regional Economic Strategy 2006: www.nwda.co.uk/strategy

Jeremy ScudamoreChair of the Science Council

Paul Wellings

Malcolm McVicar

Lambert Dopping-Hepenstal

Damien Waters

Alan Gilbert Sue Ion

Robert Boyd David Clarke Richard Clegg

Colin Whitehouse

Michael Dexter Martin Harris

John Stageman

George Baxter Drummond Bone

Dominic Tildesley

Vision

The Northwest is rich in science, technology andtalent. Its companies, universities, colleges andresearch institutions are home to people who areusing science to create new businesses, developbetter products and services, improve theenvironment, protect health and enhance qualityof life.

The Northwest Regional Economic Strategy (RES) 2006sets out the pathway to build a ‘dynamic, sustainableinternational economy which competes on the basis ofknowledge, advanced technology and an excellentquality of life for all’.

To achieve this, the region needs to focus on7 key factors:

• Developing new Enterprise and growing existingcompanies

• Developing higher added value activity inRegional Sectors

• Innovation to improve productivity in all companiesand exploiting the HEI base of the region

• Exploiting the Science/Research and Developmentbase of the region

• Improving International Competitiveness• Using ICT more effectively and efficiently• Focussing on Sustainable Consumption

and Production

The science base is a key contributor to all aspects ofthe region through its impact on business, health,education and culture.

The science vision is simple but challenging:

England’s Northwest will be renowned as an area ofworld-class scientific achievement, creating amagnet for talent and science investment, apowerful driver for innovation and enterprise, andan effective force for delivering benefits to health,the environment and society.

It will take four things to make this vision a reality:

Purpose- the determination to realise the vision, shared by allthe regional partners and supported by resources andcommitment;

People- the talented individuals and teams, from world-leading scientific stars in our major universities andcompanies through talented graduates to youngpeople who are fascinated by scientific achievementand entrepreneurialism and want to be part of it;

Passion- the same commitment and persistence that put theNorthwest at the forefront of technology in the past,and is still doing so through a succession of newscience-based business ventures;

Plans- clear and implementable action plans devised foreach of the priority elements in this strategy.


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Science and Economic Growth –National Policy

Research conducted over a wide range of countriesand timescales has shown a positive link betweenlevels of Research and Development (R&D) andeconomic growth, whether in the public or privatesector. In response to this, many European countriesincluding the UK have set R&D targets as a way ofachieving higher R&D investment in the long term.Table 1 illustrates the level of public and private sectorinvestment in R&D as a percentage of GDP in 2003 forthe Northwest, UK and selected competitor countries.

NorthwestEngland

% of GDP 2002 UK FRA GER USA

Business 1.7 1.2 1.4 1.8 1.8

Public 0.4 0.6 0.8 0.8 0.8

Total 2.1 1.8 2.2 2.6 2.6

Table 1: 2003 Figures Public and Private R&D Investment

UK Government has recognised the significance ofR&D investment in driving economic growth and hasset targets for raising the ratio of R&D to GDP from itscurrent level of around 1.9% to 2.5% by 2014. Thispolicy is laid out in the UK’s Science and Innovationinvestment framework2 2004-14 and is furtherdeveloped in the Next Steps document3 issued inMarch 2006. It is within this framework that theNorthwest’s approach has been developed.

Although overall R&D intensity for the Northwest isabove average UK levels, the data highlights a numberof key challenges for the Northwest:

• Public sector R&D is particularly low. This is due torelatively low levels of direct Governmentinvestment in Research Institutes in comparisonwith other regions in England. Governmentinvestment in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs)HEI R&D is also below the UK average, however,this is due to the large skew of funding towardsLondon and the South East. Northwest HEIsperform well in relation to the remaining UKregions and have the collective power tosignificantly contribute to the creation of a Northern‘Golden Triangle’. The Northwest’s economy has thecritical mass, business R&D potential andinternational branding and infrastructure to exploitgreater public investment.

• Business R&D is concentrated into a few, hightechnology sectors which disguises a long “tail” ofR&D less intensive firms. The overall investmentfigures in Table 1 above, whilst giving theimpression that the Northwest does well comparedto the rest of the UK, conceals the fact that businessinvestment is dominated by a single player,AstraZeneca.

Innovation activity divides into two components –Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics(STEM) related and non-STEM related. Current EUmeasures of innovation activity are weighted heavilytowards STEM. The correlation between high levels ofSTEM activity and GDP per head figures is a statisticalone, not absolute i.e. over a range of economies, thereare those such as Sweden where high levels of STEMactivity do not lead to world-leading GDP/head figures.In these cases, social and political factors such aslegislation, cultural views of entrepreneurship andinnovation have a significant impact. As such, it isrecognised that the target for R&D investment is anindicator rather than an end in itself.

2 www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/spending_review/spend_sr04/associated_documents/spending_sr04_science.cfm3 www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/budget/budget_06/assoc_docs/bud_bud06_adscience.cfm

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Aims

The aims of the region are specified below. If achievedthis will move the Northwest a significant step closertowards attaining the vision. These have beenidentified within the context of a regional SWOTanalysis (Appendix B):

• Grow and maintain world-class infrastructure forthe academic and industry base

• Enhance the creation and exploitation ofknowledge

• Develop, attract and retain high quality people

• Close the R&D funding gap between private andpublic sector

• Promote the image of the Northwest as a vibranthotbed of scientific endeavour

In order to deliver these aims, we will work inpartnership with all of the stakeholders of the sciencebase. In the Northwest, more than elsewhere, theprivate sector accounts for the majority of R&Dinvestment and public-private partnership is vital.There is a dynamic interplay between the componentsand each feeds off the other. The regional sciencepartners are the region’s leading science-basedcompanies, its universities, the regional NHS and itshospital trusts, and research organisations. We willcontinue to work together under the leadership of theNorthwest Science Council to ensure delivery ofthis strategy.

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Priorities

The timescale over which this strategy seeks to makethe most direct impression is the medium term(4-5 years). This is where new science drivers maysteer existing company growth or new companyformation, or where the science and technology needsof regional businesses can be met by coordinatedefforts across the science base.

If this strategy is to have an impact, we need to bespecific and focussed in our priorities. Clear andsometimes difficult choices have been made inorder to define a strategy for maximum impact.Attention will be directed towards three underpinningfoundations and six strategic pillars throughwhich high impact, transformational activity willbe channelled.

The foundations: An Internationally Excellent ScienceBase, relevant and timely Exploitation of Science andsufficient supply of high quality people with the rightSkills, are essential to create the appropriate buildingblocks and climate in which new scientific insights canbe generated and appropriately applied to enablebusinesses to flourish and grow. Without thissupporting environment, creating, nurturing andsupporting globally competitive industries will becomeincreasingly difficult.

The Foundations: Internationally Excellent ScienceBase, Exploitation of Science and Skills

The strategic pillars reflect industries that are criticalto the success of the Northwest economy, and wherescience can have a major impact. We have chosen tobe very focussed and will place our attention on theinternationally competitive sectors of BioHealth*,Aerospace**, Chemicals** and Nuclear*** – three

of the clusters highlighted in the 2006 RegionalEconomic Strategy.4 However, the changing andadvancing nature of science and technology meansthis is a living process and the importance ofrecognising and acting on Emerging Opportunitiesis also recognised. The final pillar, ‘Strategic ScienceSites’ highlights the importance of knowledge nucleiwith the critical mass to become major nationaland international centres of science andtechnology activity.

The Strategic Pillars: BioHealth, Aerospace,Chemicals, Nuclear, Emerging Opportunities andStrategic Science Sites

Overarching marketing and promotional activities areessential for the region to capitalise fully on its assets.We need to create the image that it deserves, of aregion rich in world class scientific endeavour, inorder to attract new skills and resources which in turnwill lead to self-sustaining growth.

*Referred to as BioMedical in the Regional Economic Strategy.**Aerospace and Chemicals are sub-sectors of the Advanced Engineering and Materials RES priority sector ***Nuclear is a major component of the Energy and Environmental Technologies RES priority sector4 Northwest Regional Economic Strategy 2006: www.nwda.co.uk/strategy

SKILLS

EXPLOITATION OF SCIENCE

INTERNATIONALLY EXCELLENT SCIENCE BASE

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Foundations

1. Internationally Excellent Science Base

The region hosts a number of major world-classindustrial laboratories, with total business R&Dinvestment in excess of all other regions outside theSouth East and East (£1.56 billion of a total of £12.79billion business R&D investment in 20035).International companies including AstraZeneca,Unilever, BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce and BritishNuclear Group6 are all major R&D investors in theregion along with a growing number of smallerenterprises, most notably in life sciences.

The great majority of businesses, however, investcomparatively little and only a few independentresearch and development businesses are in place.In some disciplines, such as bioscience, SMEengagement in R&D is strong but overall there isscope to improve in this area. Globalisation, changingpriorities and increasing ‘open innovation’ could causethe loss or downsizing of major corporate R&Dfacilities. In addition, increased competition throughgrowth of the science base in major lower cost growtheconomies, such as China and India, poses a majorthreat to the share of R&D spend available to theregion and the UK.

Universities in the Northwest have a range ofdepartments and centres of international standingwith 14 STEM related units receiving 5* ratings in theRAE assessment 2001 (See Appendix C). HEIs mustcontinue to develop research initiatives within thecontext of the RAE (due for refinement in 2008) inorder to maximise HEFCE research funding in theregion and achieve an equivalent or improved rankingunder the new system. It is worth noting that there isnot necessarily a direct correlation between 5*excellence and regional economic performance – it ispossible that economic impact is greater from 4 or 5

rated departments. This will be an issue for theNorthwest in future if the RAE exercise or anysuccessor continues to concentrate quality researchfunding in a small number of research excellentdepartments, leading to the closure of 4 or 5 ratedgroups and the consequent decrease in the research,innovation and knowledge transfer capacity of theregion, and the supply of graduates and postdoctoralresearchers to industry. It is desirable to haveincreased recognition of academic/industry links in therefined assessment. In some research areas,excellence in the knowledge base is fragmentedacross institutions, mitigating against the regionachieving its full potential. The new University ofManchester now has the scale to make a real impactworldwide. This is an opportunity that should beseized for maximum advantage.

In relation to other regions in England, the Northwestreceives comparatively little public sector R&D funding(£54m, which equates to 3% of the total expenditure of£1.679 billion).7 The majority of this funding is centred

5 Regional Economic Indicators February 2006, Office for National Statistics, www.statistics.gov.uk6 Currently under review7 Regional Economic Indicators February 2006, Office for National Statistics, www.statistics.gov.uk

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on Daresbury Laboratory, which houses world-classscientific equipment and has enormous potential togrow in light of recent Government decisions torecognise the site as one of only two science andinnovation campuses in the UK for large sciencefacility development. The NHS has several excellentfacilities that should be built upon and exploited. TheProudman Oceanographic Laboratory in Liverpool andthe Centre for Ecology and Hydrology in Lancaster areimportant specialist research locations.

In light of the above, the following strategic prioritiescan be identified:

• The region must retain and adapt the science basealready in place. It must understand the issuesfacing its major private and public researchfacilities, and exert influence where appropriate toretain them, facilitate change, or plan to mitigatethe effects of downsizing. Partners across theregion must present a strong case to retain currentpublic sector investment and build compellingarguments for additional investment asopportunities arise. Immediate opportunities of longterm significance are Daresbury Science andInnovation Campus, the proposed National NuclearLaboratory and opportunities arising from theNational Energy Technology Institute.

• Alliances outside the region. If the region is tomaximise the benefits from first class researchconducted elsewhere, it is vital that the number ofnational and international scientific collaborationsincrease, especially with those teams at theforefront of understanding. Working in multinationalteams can stimulate fresh thinking, and increasethe pool of intellectual property to which allmembers have access. Considerable resource tosupport science is available via such collaborations;for example, the EU's Framework VII programme.The NWDA will continue to sponsor the

FrameworksNW project to foster greater take up ofthis currently underutilised programme. TheNorthern Way is working with the N8 group ofNorthern research intensive universities andNorthern industry to create virtual ResearchCentres; by pulling together first class researchteams from across the North, synergy, critical massand added value should be created.

• Centres of excellence. Within each broad prioritysector, there should be centres of excellence,offering a critical mass of world-class science indisciplines with regional industrial application andparticipation. Knowledge transfer should beconsidered an integral part of the remit ofsuch centres.

• The profile and perceptions of the Northwestscience base must be raised. This science basemust be strengthened together with increasedmarketing activity to ensure greater awareness ofthe assets within the region.

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2. Exploitation of Science

More successful, higher impact exploitation of scienceis a major challenge facing the Northwest and the UKas a whole. Building blocks that contribute to creatingan environment in which this process canspontaneously flourish include: business capability toutilise scientific developments; physical infrastructure;knowledge transfer processes; enterprising peopleand flexible financing. Each of these aspects isconsidered below:

Business capability: The Northwest does have thebusiness ecosystem in place to benefit from emergingscience and technology. It is internationally strongacross a range of sectors and contains a number oflarge global companies that not only take the lead inexploiting science within their own companystructures but also form the customer base for manySMEs. These companies are increasingly looking totheir suppliers to provide innovative, leading edgesolutions. This presents a key issue for those sectorswhere SMEs are not sufficiently engaged in R&D andinnovation. The injection of a more entrepreneurialapproach to the implementation of new sciencewithin the NHS and the use of NHS capacity forscientific studies is an important special element ofbusiness capability.

• The interaction of SMEs with the knowledge baseneeds to be stimulated.

• The benefits of R&D / innovation need to bepromoted and companies supported to undertakethe innovation process.

Physical Infrastructure: Nine technology focussedbusiness incubators and a number of science parks, invarying degrees of maturity, are available across theregion. These house approximately 400 tenantorganisations and 4,500 employees and are located inclose proximity to the region’s major researchorganisations. An incubation network has beenestablished to foster collaboration and knowledge

sharing. The National Biomanufacturing Centre andthe Advanced Manufacturing Centre provide specialistproduction facilities for SMEs.

• It is a key aim of this strategy to continue to growand maintain world-class infrastructure for theacademic and industry base. For the BioHealthsector, collaborations with the NHS will be key.

Knowledge Transfer Processes: There is a significantamount of activity within the region’s universities toencourage and promote businesses to take advantageof their expertise. This has been demonstrated by theformation of knowledge transfer offices and thesuccess of Northwest universities in securing HEFCEfunding to support knowledge transfer activities anddeveloping HEI engagement with business and thewider community. European Structural Funding (ERDFand ESF) have also been a key tool in building on theinnovation and knowledge transfer agenda within HE.The North West Universities Association (NWUA)administered the Knowledge Based Action Plan(KBAP) and, jointly with the NWDA, the subsequentRegional Action Plan (RAP) to provide assistance to abroad range of SMEs in the Northwest, many relevantto the science base. Moving forward, it will beimportant for the region to continue to effectivelyutilise European Funds for maximum benefit.

Networks to coordinate the needs of SMEs in keyclusters are now well established, for example, theInnovation Relay Centre helps companies accesstechnology providers across Europe. The Northwestalso benefits from national schemes promoting theexchange of people and knowledge through KnowledgeTransfer Partnerships and Knowledge TransferNetworks (KTNs) respectively. Looking to the future:

• Industry needs to be proactive in sharing theirlong term needs and goals with academic partnersand there must be a willingness to adjust theacademic research programme to reflect thoseneeds. Cluster organisations and KTNs will perform

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an important intermediary role in facilitating thisprocess. Product innovation requires excellence inthe science and technology infrastructure to bringnew products to market and the region shouldexploit its strengths in the high technology servicecompanies with a base in the region.

• The flow of people across the HEI / businessboundary should be encouraged.

• For SMEs, simplified access to the wealth ofknowledge available in the region is an urgentrequirement; the aim to simplify should takeaccount of the complexity of processes required todeliver high intensity, high value interventions.

Enterprising People: Data from the RegionalEconomic Strategy shows that the Northwest overallsuffers from a lack of entrepreneurship. Data specificto science and technology based entrepreneurship isunavailable, however the UK as a whole is generallyaccepted to be weak in this area when compared withthe quality of its science. The availability of people inthe region, with the desire to start a business,possessing appropriate entrepreneurial skills andinsight, is a key issue. The Science Enterprise Centresat the Universities of Manchester, Liverpool andSalford have gone some way to address this, howeverthere is scope for considerable expansion.

• A working definition of high growth, knowledgebased businesses and a means to collect data needto be established.

• Just-in-time, flexible education needs to be madeavailable for those in work thinking about startinga business.

• A means to link businesses with potential non-executive chairmen and board members would bea valuable asset.

• More needs to be done to promote entrepreneurialrole models within the region and to engender aculture of entrepreneurship within the science andtechnology community.

Flexible Financing: Venture capital funds in theregion, backed by NWDA and European funds, havebeen very effective at supporting technology basedbusinesses. To date, £80m has been invested in over150 companies. A majority of investments from thesefunds is directed towards high-tech companies. Anintermediary advice and support service (TEChINVEST)is available to help businesses access these funds.TEChINVEST also leverages private sources ofinvestment.

• We need to ensure that Northwest propositions areof the best possible quality and attractive forinvestors, i.e. ‘Investment Ready’.

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3. Skills

For Science to continue to flourish in the Northwest, itis important for scientists and science basedbusinesses to engage with the public of all ages withenthusiasm and openness. The creation of a vibrantscience and technology culture in the region will havemany positive effects. The most important will be tocreate the next generation of scientists who willdevelop exciting careers within the region at a timewhen, due to demographic changes, the numbers of14-19 year olds are projected to decline by 12% overthe next five to ten years, combined with increasedcompetition from social science and arts subjects. TheSir Gareth Roberts report, “SET for Success”published in 2002 stressed the need to increase thesupply of science and engineering skills in the UK andimprove the recruitment of highly skilled scientistsand engineers. This has been reiterated in the 2006Science and Innovation Framework Next Stepsdocument and continues to be an area of priority forthe UK and the Northwest.

There are many ‘curriculum enhancement activities’carried out across the Northwest. However there ispotential to achieve a far greater impact from these.Focus needs to be placed on coordination of activitiesto ensure maximum benefit, to simplify access and toprovide clarity on the range of options available. Moreemphasis needs to be placed on the involvement ofindustry working with organisations such as theScience, Engineering, Technology and MathematicsNetwork (SETNET and SETPOINTS) to provideinitiatives, challenges and competitions relevant toscience and mathematics. In addition, the nationalRegional Development Agency STEM mapping exerciseconcluded that the HE sector needs to be moreproactive with the pre-16 cohort to facilitate thepromotion of high level technician skills.

• The development of a regional Science SupportHub in conjunction with the Science LearningCentre will greatly assist the education sector tomeet these teaching and learning challenges.

Sectors need to take a proactive role in raising theprofile of their industries to ensure there is a flow ofwell-motivated, high quality people from schoolsthrough further / higher education into Science,Technology, Engineering and Maths careers.

• The regional Careers Northwest resource needs tobe utilised to a greater extent by industry sectorsand effectively promoted to ensure widespreadcommunication of the wide range of opportunitiesthat are available.

• A delivery mechanism needs to be developed tolink progression through the education pipelinewith industry. The UK Career Academy for thefinancial sector and ‘Progression Accord’ offerpossible models.

The Regional Skills Partnership (RSP) is the strategicbody that addresses the issues facing those individualsand regional businesses that have a need to improvetheir level of skills. In their latest annual statement ofpriorities, level 3 and 4 qualifications have beenhighlighted as priorities for the advanced engineering& materials (automotive, chemicals, aerospace andengineering) and energy & environmental technologiessectors. Within the short to medium time frame, thefollowing opportunities exist to further accelerate anddevelop the capacity of the region to meet the skillsdemands facing these industries:

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• Sector Skills Agreements (SSAs) will become thekey mechanism to ensure that employer needs andpriorities shape the supply of education andtraining, and secure increased demand andinvestment. The SSAs for Cogent (Chemicals andNuclear), EU Skills (Energy and EnvironmentalTechnologies) and SEMTA (Aerospace and BioTechnology) are under development. It is importantthat the Northwest continues to influence thedevelopment of these agreements for the benefitof the region.

• Sector Skills and Productivity Alliances (SSPAs)are sector based structures to enable key partnersto understand and implement their lead andsupport role in the region’s skills and businessdevelopment strategy and delivery plan. There areSSPAs for: Aerospace and Engineering, Chemicals,BioMedical and Energy and EnvironmentalTechnologies. Specific priorities identified by theSSPAs are given in Appendix D.

• National Skills Academies are employer-led world-class centres of excellence that will deliver skillsrequired by the major industry sectors in theeconomy. Progression of academies in the Nuclear,Manufacturing and Chemicals sectors is of greatimportance for the economy of the Northwest.

• Foundation Degrees integrate academic and work-based learning through close collaboration betweenemployers and programme providers. Of theFoundation Degrees offered in the region forscience (11 in total), only 4 relate to the prioritysectors covered in this strategy. An opportunityexists to further develop the progression routes byexploring the possibility of increasing the type andavailability of foundation degrees at level 4 tomeet the needs of the sector by working inpartnership with Foundation Degree Forward.

• Specialist Schools and Academies Trust andCentres of Vocational Excellence: There is aneed for the NWDA and its partners to collaborateon influencing the spread of expertise acrossthe region.

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Strategic Pillars

1. Aerospace

Aerospace, a principal component of the Northwest’sAdvanced Engineering and Materials sector, has aturnover in the order of £6 billion. It is estimated thatthe supply chain located in the region directly employsover 21,000 people, nearly a quarter of the total UKaerospace workforce, with double this numberindirectly supported by the industry. As with allsectors, there are challenges as well as opportunitiesto address if aerospace is to sustain and increase itscontribution to our regional economy. Globalisation ofthe industry is driving the need for continuousimprovement of business performance in all ourcompanies, from the large trans-national primes suchas BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce, down throughsupply chain companies. The Northwest aerospacelandscape has traditionally been dominated by thedefence sector, possibly accounting for the majority ofthe work that flows down into the region’s supplychain. The Defence Industrial Strategy8 will result in acontraction of traditional defence manufacturingactivities over the next 20 years, including aconsolidation of the BAE Systems activities.

Whilst the NWDA has traditionally pursued a clusterstrategy for the aerospace sector, there are structuralweaknesses within the cluster, including relativelylimited interaction between the region’s primeaerospace companies and the regions HEIs,particularly on R&D activity. There is also a majorconcern regarding the lack of engagement of Tier1, 2 and 3 supply chain companies with innovationand R&D.

There are also some potentially exciting prospects forthe Northwest Aerospace Sector. The teaming of BAESystems with Lockheed Martin on the 25 year JointStrike Fighter programme, the emergence of theirAutonomous Vehicles business as a cornerstone of the

Defence Industrial Strategy, and the continuation ofthe Rolls-Royce Barnoldswick plant, as the WideChord Hollow Fan Blade Centre of Excellence willhopefully be testament to the ability of the industry toremain world competitive. Furthermore, through theNorthwest Composites Centre, and the region’shistoric strengths in the technical textiles business,there is an opportunity to capture niches in the rise ofcomposite use in the civil aerospace industry.

The Northwest aerospace industry faces a number ofkey challenges. Firstly, the presence of the aerospaceOriginal Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) needs to beretained in the region. The OEMs, such as Airbus,Rolls-Royce and BAE Systems, are global players andtheir presence is vitally important for the future of theNorthwest aerospace supply chain. Secondly, there isa need to transform aerospace supply chaincompanies in the Northwest into a world-class supplychain; this is essential if they are to survive, let aloneflourish. The companies need to improve in areas ofleadership, skills and processes and then worksuccessfully within a fully integrated supply chainmodel. Transforming the supply chain will also requireattracting new world competitive major sub-systemand aerostructures companies into the region as wellas supporting those existing companies with the bestprospects of making the transformation.

Whilst the first two activities will retain and providesome growth opportunities for the sector, there alsoneeds to be activity in the region to enable theexploitation of emerging aerospace technology trends,to ensure the sector’s growth in contribution to theregion’s economy. Priorities for the region are to:

• Engage the region in developing technologies thatbuild on national strengths for exampleautonomous air systems and development of anenvironmentally friendly engine. This is beingaddressed through the National AerospaceTechnology Strategy (NATS) and the region needs to

8 www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/CorporatePublications/PolicyStrategy/DefenceIndustrialStrategyDefenceWhitePapercm6697.htm

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connect with this process to derivemaximum benefit.

• Confirm and exploit those emerging technologieswhich will have the greatest economic impact onthe Northwest aerospace sector in the future.Areas identified by the sub-team are: AutonomousAir Systems, Systems Engineering and Integration,Niche Composites for Civil Aerospace andVirtual Engineering.

• Increase the interaction of companies – both OEMsand the supply base - with the region’s HEIs. Weneed to understand the emerging technology needsof the OEMs and position the research base to excelin this area. We need to increase the awareness ofLower Tier companies to the need for innovationand support them in R&D and collaboration acrossthe supply base.

2. BioHealth

The vision for the sector remains “A fully integratedbiotechnology, pharmaceutical and healthcarecompany support structure for the Northwest”enabling regional biomedical technology forglobal benefit.

There are now some 230 (previously 120 in 2002)biotech/pharma/healthcare companies in total withover 120 (70) in the identified ‘core’ group of some17,500 (13,500) employees, i.e. R&D based andmanufacturing biomedical companies (drugdevelopment, diagnostics, devices & healthcare). Ofthese, six are multi-national pharmaceuticalcompanies (AstraZeneca, Novartis, Eli Lilly, SanofiAventis, Bristol Myers Squibb and GlaxoSmithKline).They still account for about 70% of the ‘core’employees, dominated by AstraZeneca, as well asidentifying the region as the largest producer ofpharmaceuticals in the UK (exports of £3.4 billion in2003) and providing a Balance of Trade of £2.8 billion.Investment into facilities within the sector isestimated at nearly £0.5 billion over the recent andnext few years.

The cluster is characterised by considerable strengthsin the academic and clinical base (Manchester &Liverpool), relatively few mature (listed) R&D basedbiotechnology companies and a major pharmaceuticalpresence, particularly in manufacturing. However, anumber of the ‘rising stars’ in biotech have now grownconsiderably, employing between 50 and 150 people,entering phase III clinical trials, and achieving InitialPublic Offerings (IPO). It is vital that such growingcompanies and the region’s established companies arefully supported in order that the Northwest and UK plcdo not lose such activity to mergers and acquisitions,led by well funded overseas companies.

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Revision of government policy for Department ofHealth and Medical Research Council researchfunding, including greater competitiveness andtransparency in allocation of funds, provides a specialopportunity for the Northwest which will bevigorously pursued.

The sector strategy, initially developed in 2002, willbe augmented and developed by the following priorities:

• Alignment with national policy and proactiveinvolvement in setting national priorities. Bionowmembership of national committees, e.g.Bioprocess UK KTN and close communication withDTI bioscience unit and UKTI biopharma &healthcare group. Encourage key members of thecommunity to join national committees and seek toinfluence agenda.

• Promoting and supporting internationalexcellence. Focus on R&D activities of globalcalibre (as identified in the competencies tablebelow) and support developing competenciesbut only where there is an opportunity to becomeworld-class.

• Consolidation of major project investments ratherthan new investment but with a readiness torespond to national and internationalopportunities. Considerable investment has goneinto capital infrastructure and support programmesfor the sector. It is important that they are allconnected and create an integrated environment forthe sector. However, we must also be ready torespond to strategic opportunities by developing thisinfrastructure or creating new facilities.

• Enhanced support to the healthcare industry,particularly medical devices and diagnosticscompanies. This will be achieved by additionalresource within the Bionow team and developmentof the Northwest Medilink franchise with TrusTECH.

• Leveraging NHS activities for economicdevelopment and for improved public health andcare. Northwest NHS Innovation Hub (TrusTECH)remains a key portal to the NHS R&Dcommercialisation activities while there are majoropportunities for the region to capitalise on the newresearch centre for infectious diseases awarded toLiverpool under the new Department of HealthResearch programme.

• Ensuring efficient technology transfer andcommercial exploitation channels. The region hasexcellent bioincubation facilities and it is crucialthat the technology transfer and commercialisationprocess is efficient and highly professional. Inaddition, the needs of the independententrepreneurs in the region must be addressedthrough networking, mentoring and appropriateinvestment support.

• Improved support to maturing and establishedcompanies. Sector focused accommodation (Grow-on facilities), financial, regulatory and professionalsupport structures are key for ensuring regionalstart-ups are able to grow and become anchored inthe region.

• Specialised skills provision via Sector SkillsProductivity Alliance and cluster projects. R&Dbased skills gaps are already being addressed in anumber of the cluster projects and remain a clearpriority. Support of the biomanufacturingcommunity is a particular focus for the region.

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The focus for science and technology support is basedon key competencies of international excellence/critical mass within the region:

Projects and activities already developed and initiatedin the Northwest means that the region is very wellplaced to respond to the DTI Technology Agenda inBioscience and Healthcare which has three priorities:Medical Devices; Pharmaceuticals &Biopharmaceuticals and Exploitation of Bioscienceby industry.

3. Chemicals

The Northwest is home to the UK’s largest and mostextensive cluster of chemicals-using industries,contributing in excess of £10 billion of sales,representing around 20% of the UK chemical industry.The sector is very broad, incorporating a complexsupply chain matrix and consists of approximately1,300 organisations. Directly and indirectly, around220,000 people are dependent on the sector foremployment. The cluster has maintained its highperformance in recent years and productivity remainshigher than other industrial sectors, with GVA ofapproximately £55,000 per employee. Start-up firmsare evident at around 4% of the total company base,mainly in the high technology sectors. Decline inemployment has slowed - with a 5% decrease inemployment in the period 2003 – 2006. This was duelargely to the basic chemicals and the inks, dyes andpigments sectors, however, these organisations nowstand in a far more competitive position. The specialitysector has seen a small amount of growth in salesand employment has stabilised. This will remain themost significant component of the chemical sector inthe region.

The Chemistry Leadership Council9 has identified‘materials chemistry’ and ‘novel surface effects’ asmajor growth opportunities for the chemicals-usingindustries. New commercial opportunities ofparticular relevance to the region includebiomedical/healthcare applications, smart coatings,new applications of inkjet technology, technicaltextiles, cleaning and consumer personal care.Specific examples of technologies of interest tocompanies in the region include (but are certainly notlimited to): encapsulation of active ingredients,preferential adsorption of polymers and new functionalmaterials (Unilever and PZ Cussons); microdepositionand nano-particle encapsulation (Fuji-Film), molecularsalts (AstraZeneca), materials analysis and

Technology Areas• Biohealth Informatics

• Genomics, Proteomicsand Pharmacogenomics(Personalised Medicines)

• Medical Imaging

• Clinical Genetics

• Bio/pharmaManufacturing

• Clinical Trials and Ethics

• Pharmaceutical Sciences

Therapeutic Areas• Regenerative Medicine

(Tissue Engineering)

• Cancer

• Neuroscience, MentalHealth & DegenerativeDiseases

• Cardiovascular -Respiratory Medicine

• Infectious Diseases(Vaccine Development)

9 Chemistry Leadership Council, Research and Technology Priorities, February 2005.

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characterisation (Intertek), molecular precursors fordeposition of electronic materials (Epichem) and novelsurface coatings on glass (Pilkingtons).

In order to capitalise on these opportunities, theregion needs to enable the exploitation of emergingtechnologies by the existing industry base.

The following specific priorities have been highlighted:

• World-class Science and Knowledge Transfer. Thenumber one priority identified by the NorthwestScience Council Chemicals sub-team is theestablishment of a (virtual) knowledge centre forMaterials Chemistry that will build on existingrelationships in the region, position the Northwestas the UK leader for research and increaseinteraction with industry.Northwest universities have a real opportunity tolead the UK in materials chemistry research andteaching. Significant expertise is present in theregion including (but not restricted to): High-throughput technologies, nanoformulation,lithography (Liverpool); organic material analysisand synthesis (Manchester) and computationalmaterials chemistry (Daresbury). Through initiativessuch as the Organic Materials Innovation Centre,the Molecular Materials Centre, CoEBio3 and theCentre for Materials Discovery, some steps havebeen taken to align industrial needs with theacademic research programme and stimulate theflow of new ideas and skills between academia andindustry. This process requires constantrefreshment and renewal and we call on thesecentres to work together to address emergingtechnology capabilities and industry opportunities.The landscape with regard to academic andindustrial capabilities needs to be clarified andoverlapping strengths identified and exploited.Industry needs to be proactive in sharing their longterm needs and goals with academic partners andthere must be a willingness to adjust the academicresearch programme to reflect those needs.

Product innovation requires excellence in thescience and technology infrastructure to bring newproducts to market and the region should exploit itsunique strengths in the high technology servicecompanies with a base in the region. For SMEs,simplified access to the wealth of knowledgeavailable in the region is an urgent requirement.

• Industry Promotion: A consistent supply of highcalibre scientists in the future is imperative.Interest in scientific subjects within school agegroups remains a major concern. Careersinformation requires considerable improvement andthe numbers of pupils being exposed to promotionalinitiatives and demonstration facilities needs to besubstantially increased. This requires an integratedapproach and coordination of the various operatingschemes across the region.

• Skills: There is a well developed infrastructure inthe region considering the skills agenda, howeverthis tends to be complex and fragmented which canreduce flexibility and impact. The current SectorSkills Agreement (SSA) process has confirmed aclear age profile concern within the industry thatneeds to be addressed, and a requirement to‘upskill’ the workforce towards NVQ level 3. TheSector Skills and Productivity Alliance (SSPA) isworking to coordinate responses. A key priority forthis area is the approval of a National SkillsAcademy by the Department for EducationalStudies (DfES), a facility that will provide anintegrated approach to this important and complexarena. Considering the strength of the sector,location of a delivery hub within the Northwest is amajor priority.

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4. Nuclear

The Northwest is at the heart of the nation’s nuclearenergy sector with major operational sites at Sellafield(waste management), Springfields (fuel manufacture),Heysham (electricity generation) and Capenhurst(uranium enrichment), supported by an extensivesupply chain network. Over 40,000 people areemployed in the sector in the UK with more than 50%located in the Northwest. In recent years majorrestructuring of the industry has taken place, broughtabout by the creation of the Nuclear DecommissioningAuthority (NDA) which is charged with thedecommissioning and clean-up of all the civil nuclearsites in the UK. This is an enormous task that willtake many decades to complete at an estimated costof £72 billion.

Whilst this task is now underway the Government isalso considering options for the long term disposal ofnuclear waste and has just completed a review of itsenergy policy, paving the way for the construction of anew generation of modern reactors. A recent report bythe Sector Skills Council, Cogent, has estimated theemployment demand between now and 2015 could beas high as 11,500. The challenge therefore for theregion is to position itself to win new decommissioningbusiness and to react to the changing skillsrequirements of a new build programme using thecapabilities that are already prevalent in theNorthwest. The industry restructuring has also led toa more diverse range of companies competing forwork. Attention is needed to ensure the R&Dinvestment of these new entrants to the market ismaximised within the region.

Active nuclear facilities are a key resource for theNorthwest and include the £250m Technology Centreat Sellafield which is undergoing activecommissioning. This, together with the largestcommercial and academic radiochemistry laboratoriesin the UK, represents a strong attractor for newbusiness both from the UK and overseas. TheGovernment has recently announced the formation of

a National Nuclear Laboratory based around the activefacilities in the Northwest, with the Technology Centreat Sellafield at its core.The communication and marketing of these uniqueregional capabilities needs to be improved.

There is a unique opportunity within the Northwest toestablish itself as a world leading centre of reactortechnology based on its existing capabilities in theindustrial and academic sectors and the strongprospect of a new nuclear build programme in theUK (and the wider prospect of a global renaissanceof nuclear energy). Such a centre will alsostrengthen the region’s position regarding the NationalNuclear Laboratory. Northwest activity in reactor technology should beencouraged and supported.

The new initiatives taken in postgraduate educationand the development of The Nuclear Academy areimportant steps to remedy the poor position outlinedin 2002. New postgraduate training provision has beenestablished, notably the Nuclear Technology EducationConsortium led by the Dalton Nuclear Institute at theUniversity of Manchester and a new MSc inDecommissioning and Environmental Clean-up atLancaster University. A new undergraduate degreeprogramme in Nuclear Decommissioning and WasteManagement has been introduced by The University ofCentral Lancashire (UCLan), and at foundation degreelevel a new course in Nuclear Decommissioning isbeing run by the Westlakes Research Institute (UCLan)and Lakes College. In addition, work has alsocommenced on the build for The Nuclear Academy inWest Cumbria to provide craft and technical skills,innovation and business support. This will form adelivery arm of the National Skills Academy Nuclearwhich is supported by the Northwest Science Counciland currently under review.Concerted action will be needed over the next threeyears to see current skills initiatives come to fruition.

The success of any training programme is dependanton its ability to attract students and here the nuclearsector suffers with difficulties in attracting students into

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STEM subjects, coupled with the relative unpopularity ofnuclear as a career choice. Efforts are needed both topromote science and engineering subjects in schoolsand to increase the nuclear content across a wide rangeof relevant undergraduate courses, includingenvironmental sciences and project management.It is proposed that a scheme be established for seniorscientists and ex-employees from industry tocontribute actively to these courses through lecturing,mentoring and course material development.

With the restructuring of the industry there havealso been concerns about the research intensityof Tier 2 and 3 companies as well as Tier 1commitments and an increase in the mobility ofstaff between organisations.It is important for companies to be encouraged towork together, sharing best practice to ensure themaintenance of standards and key skills acrossthe sector.

The NDA will continue to specifically encourageinvestment in skills development, innovation andR&D via contractual arrangements in order tounderpin their mission.

Despite the evident strengths in the region, thereremains a difficulty in attracting SMEs to invest in R&D.It is proposed that action be taken to support andfacilitate greater SME involvement with HEIs and R&D.

Concerted effort and lobbying will be needed to ensurethe funding of academic research on nuclear topicswhich has recently seen something of a revival withthe Engingeering and Physical Science ResearchCouncil (EPSRC) providing £5.7m to support aprogramme on Keeping the Nuclear Option Open and£5m for a new EngD in nuclear engineering. The DTIhas also indicated that it would allocate £5m tosupport the UK’s participation in the internationalGen-IV project looking at advanced reactor concepts.This has yet to be realised. It is essential that thissupport continues as it will provide the training

opportunities for scientists and engineers that will beneeded once new nuclear capacity is commissioned.NDA is also set to spend £8m this year on basic R&Dto support its waste management anddecommissioning task. Although these examples arenational R&D programmes, they are almostexclusively led by Northwest organisations who alsoreceive the majority of the funding. The region needs to capitalise on its excellenttrack record to win future funding throughopportunities such as EU Framework VII, US GlobalNuclear Energy Partnership, further Gen-IVactivities, potential waste repository research andenergy initiatives being developed by the N8 allianceof northern universities.

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5. Emerging Opportunities

The strategic pillars identified in this strategy focus onthose sectors where strong industry clusters andstrengths in the science base converge. It is crucial tomaintain and build on these successes to ensureeconomic growth for the future. However, there mayalso be opportunities lying on the boundaries of thissegment, where supporting a growing industry, e.g.ICT or Media, or the underpinning science base, mayresult in a new competitive advantage for the region.

The region needs to remain alert to futuredevelopments impacting on science and innovation.The long timescale for most major innovations meansregions require far-horizon thinking, planning and skilldevelopment capability if they are to take leadership orplay a major role. Flexibility needs to be maintained inorder to respond quickly to new opportunities as theyarise, sometimes unexpectedly.

• To ensure the science base anticipates new needsand new themes, foresighting and horizonscanning activities will be conducted – helping theregion’s scientists to have an ‘over-the-horizon

radar’ capability. This means we will be able to takeadvantage of opportunities where clusters andtechnology converge.

• The Science Council, supported by the NWDA, willidentify the most influential regional players, andtemporary resources to respond to major shortterm opportunities.

6. Strategic Science and Technology Sites

There are four strategic regional Science andTechnology sites, of which Manchester has the highestconcentration of science and innovation assets and theassociated infrastructure to build a centre ofsignificant global visibility. Other key sites withsufficient critical mass to become major national sitesare Daresbury Science and Innovation Campus,Merseyside and West Cumbria. These sites also havesignificant public sector involvement.

In addition, the Heath Business and Technology Parkat Runcorn, AstraZeneca (Alderley Park), UnileverResearch and Development (Wirral), BAE Systems(Wharton) and the Blackley Science Park (Fuji Film,Arch) are all large research and innovation sites,which are major contributors to the regional economy.Lancaster University has the potential to significantlyimpact the local, sub-regional economy and hassignificant potential for the future.

RESEARCH

SUPPORTINDUSTRYGROWTH

MINIMALSTRATEGIC

IMPORTANCE

REINFORCERESEARCH

BASE

BUILD ONSUCCESS

INDUSTRY SECTOR–

–

+

+

Name

1. ManchesterScience City*

*Led by ManchesterKnowledge Capital

2. Daresbury Scienceand InnovationCampus (DSIC)

3. MerseysideLiverpool SciencePark (LSP) andSpeke Biotech

4. West Cumbria

Current Position

• Numerous new science investmentsunderway e.g.

- Photon Science Institute- Bio-incubators- Organic Materials Innovation Centre

(OMIC)- Northwest Embryonic Stem Cell Centre/

UK Centre for Tissue Regeneration• Partnership with Greater Manchester

Research Alliance (GMRA)

• New company formed betweenNWDA/CCLRC/Universities ofManchester, Liverpool, Lancaster andHalton Borough Council to carry outbusiness development

• Innovation Centre performing well• Nominated by Government as one of

two “big science” sites

• First stage of Liverpool Science Park(LSP) opened 2006

• LSP Ltd charged with providingstrategic leadership to next stage

• Phase 1 Liverpool Digital now full• National Microsystems Packaging

Centre (NMPC) under development• National Biomanufacturing Centre

(NBC) opened 2006

• Nuclear Decommissioning Agency(NDA) HQ now at Westlakes

• Rebuild of nuclear power-stations• Westlakes now owned by UCLAN• Future role of technology facilities at

Sellafield and Nexia• University of Manchester Dalton

Institute investment in new facilitieswith NDA

Issues and Priorities

• Successful development of the OxfordRoad corridor (led by University ofManchester)

• Establishing University of Manchesteras a leading global HEI

• Commercialisation of UniversityInterlectual Property

• Continued expansion of ManchesterScience Park (MSP)

• Next stage infrastructuredevelopment – need to get privatesector investment

• 4GLS investment case to be carriedthrough

• Increasing collaboration with NHSresearch

• Obtaining private sector investmentinto LSP

• Formalising NMPC project structureand contracting the project

• NBC to build on HEI and commercialcapability in infectious diseases andvaccines

• Awarded one of the new NHSspecialist Research Centres

• Build a strong nuclear cluster aroundthe NDA

• Develop The Nuclear Academy• Potential for the hub of a National

Nuclear Laboratory• National nuclear archive

Strategic Science and Technology Sites


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Promotion and branding

The Northwest’s image does not do justice to thequality of its science. The region will be promoted forwhat it is: an area that is alive with scientificendeavour, with world-class people, facilities andprojects in areas of cutting edge importance, includingpharmaceuticals and biotechnology, chemicals,aerospace, communications & IT, astronomy,environmental sciences and energy.

Northwest Science is being promoted by all of theregional science partners. We will target young people,scientific and entrepreneurial talent, science-basedbusinesses looking for a chance to grow and inwardinvestors with a view to attracting R&D facilities andforging links with the region’s laboratories anduniversities. For example, if all regional playerspresenting at conferences, exhibitions or networkmeetings were to begin with just one slide highlightingthe strengths of the region, the potential impact andglobal and national reach is enormous.

This is not just about hard science - every opportunitywill be sought to highlight the benefits the Northwestcan offer businesses choosing to locate in the regionand the lifestyle that makes it attractive to world-classtalent as a place to live, prosper and build success.Existing excellence will be showcased and newopportunities highlighted to ensure a consistent andfrequent drip feed of positive PR coverage.

Principles for Regional Support

It is suggested that future Northwest ScienceCouncil supported activity be consistent with threebroad principles:

– Investing in specific schemes only where there is anabsence of appropriate market mechanisms (i.e. nofunding from alternative sources) and only inalignment with the national Science and InnovationFramework and regional strengths;

– Focus more on high impact, transformationalprojects (acknowledging relatively high risk) thatdemonstrate an opportunity to the market;

– Use and develop business support and skillsdelivery structures, together with venture capitaland knowledge transfer schemes to provide theright environment for sustainable exploitation andcommercialisation of scientific strengths.

In particular, therefore, science investment shouldmeet most or all of the following criteria:

– Build on regional strengths

– Proven market demand for product/service

– Demand can be aggregated (ie. there is a commonneed from a number of SMEs)

– Internationally competitive

– Support from business sector/cluster(financial and moral)

– Pre-competitive or ‘proof of concept’ research

– Sustainable beyond RDA funding

– Exploitable in the Northwest

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– Fits with RES/Northern Way priorities

– Encourages industry to work with sources ofknowledge, e.g. HEIs

– Built in knowledge transfer mechanismsand resource

The region has a number of existing initiatives andpolicies either directly targeted at supporting andmaximising the economic gain from the strengthsoutlined, or with significant impact on them. Lookingahead, we need to consider how these investmentscan continue to be most effectively targeted. Wesuggest that the most effective approach will be toidentify transformational projects that demonstratebusiness opportunities and encourage a marketthat mainstream business support services arethen geared up to support. This approach mayrequire reviewing the direction of a number ofcurrent activities. These are set out below:

Science Park development

In the case of classic Science Park developmentwithout major, embedded science research facilities,then the default position should be that these aredeveloped with private sector investment as hashappened in Manchester, at Runcorn Heath andelsewhere across the UK.

Incubation

NWDA Incubation policy, developed in 2002, was tofund a series of small (a few thousand square metres)regional incubators based around particulartechnologies. Evidence has shown that these havebeen most successful where they have been linked toa source of ideas and businesses (e.g. an HEI) and/orhave an outstanding management team. Any futuresupport of science-based incubators should demandthat they:

– Have sufficient scale to be sustainable withoutpublic support (over 3000m2).

– Be linked to an HEI/college/industry if possible

– Link to the regional technology strengths

– Be located in an environment attractive to newbusiness start-ups

Business Support

The Science investment model proposed is one wherethe NWDA would make key interventions where therewas strong indication of likely market engagement.This requires appropriate and effective businesssupport and skills delivery structures. It is clear fromfeedback during a review of the Regional InnovationStrategy in 2005 that many SMEs still feel that theirinnovation support needs are not being met by theusual public support routes (e.g. Business Links) andthey therefore lack the capacity to exploit newtechnologies. This will be addressed through thecurrent review of business support in the region.

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Venture Capital

The venture capital funds developed by the NWDAhave been very effective at supporting technology-based businesses – for example, around 50% of allinvestments made have been in the Biotech area.There is no lack of ideas or ingenuity among smallstart-ups in the Northwest – the issue identified by theventure capital community is the lack of ability bythose with ideas to make a business case.

Clusters

As defined in the Regional Economic Strategy, theNWDA has adopted an approach based on a smallernumber of large interventions in the STEM area andhas moved towards a twin-track approach to relevantclusters where some warrant additional investmentbeyond basic networking and collaboration supportand others do not.

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Appendix A: Review of Progress

A number of key industry clusters were selected foraction in 2002. These were based on where theNorthwest has the potential to secure competitiveadvantage and on where science can have the greatestimpact. Highlights of major achievements in each ofthese sectors are given below. The contribution ofmany partners and funding bodies is recognised inensuring the success of these initiatives.

Key Sectors

BioHealth10

The biomedical sector has achieved outstandingsuccess over the last five years, across bothcommercial and academic sectors. Manyaccomplishments have been recorded, notably:

• Significant success in international & nationalcompetition:

– Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine wasawarded $50m research funding at the end of2005 by the Gates Foundation. This was leveragedby £26m funding from partners across the regionto build a new research facility (NWDA, GONW,University of Liverpool, the Wolfson Foundationand the School of Tropical Medicine);

– University of Liverpool & Alder Hey Hospital wereappointed to lead the £20m Department of HealthUKCRC Research Network for Medicines inChildren in 2005; Greater Manchester ResearchAlliance (GMRA) success (including widerNorthwest) in all national rounds to house localresearch networks;

– Royal Liverpool University Hospitals Trust and theUniversity of Liverpool awarded Department of

Health biomedical research centre, specialisingin infectious diseases;

– UK Biobank Ltd has been established inManchester after national competition;

– The University of Manchester won one of threeBBSRC national centres for Systems Biology;

– Manchester and Liverpool Universities joinedtogether to win one of four national centres forIntegrative Biology funded by BBSRC and thepharmaceutical industries;

– Northwest Genetics Knowledge Park (NOWGEN)building opened in 2006 to deliver training, adviceand research across the genetics, society andindustry interface.

• Considerable company activity and growth:

– Investment: DxS, Gentronix, Farfield Sensors,L3 Technology, Provexis, Platform Diagnostics,Epistem, F2G, Eden Biodesign, and Oncoprobehave all raised investment funding, manythrough regional funds and the majority areincubator based;

– Listings: Provexis completed a reverse takeoverof AIM listed Nutrinnovator, Intercytex floated onAIM raising around £20m and Renovo floated onLSE raising c. £50m and giving the company avaluation of ~£150m, the latter two havingcompleted Phase II trials for regenerative andwound healing products respectively;

– Merger and Acquisition Activity: Purchase of AIMlisted Neutec Pharma by Novartis for anestimated £360m with leading product for MRSAtreatment; Dishman Europe acquired Manchesterbased Synprotec and Teva Pharmaceutical

10 Biotechnology in the previous Science strategy. This definition has been expanded in the strategy to include a greater of range of health disciplines under

the heading of BioHealth

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Industries acquired Ivax including amanufacturing facility in Runcorn, Inyx Inc (withbase in Runcorn) announced its acquisition ofCelltech Manufacturing Services from UCBincluding the Ashton site - now called AshtonPharmaceuticals; Chiron Vaccines acquired byNovartis having developed a new vaccinemanufacturing facility;

– Expansions: Eli Lilly opened a newly expandedcapreomycin plant in Speke; AstraZeneca openednew centres for advanced lead discovery andcancer research at Alderley Park.

• Cross sector working for added value. A £20mCentre of Excellence for Biocatalysis,Biotransformation & Biomanufacturing (CoEBio3)was established in 2005 at the University ofManchester with satellites in York, Glasgow andWilton after a national competition. This is anexample of development in one sector(biotechnology) giving provision for another sector(primarily chemicals). Daresbury Innovation Centrehas proved attractive to a number of independentbiomedical companies and Daresbury CCLRCcomputing science and structural biology linksclosely with the wider biomedical research agenda.

• Delivery and opening of the NWDA’s £34m flagshipNational Biomanufacturing Centre (NBC). Thecentre began operation in spring 2006 withcommercial operator, Eden Biodesign, supplyingproduct development and clinical trial manufactureto research organisations and SMEs across the UK.

• Development of several new research centres ofinternational excellence. The Northwest ScienceFund helped establish the joint University /NHSTrust Northwest Embryonic Stem Cell Centre andthe UK Tissue Regeneration Centre with co-development of cGMP facilities and the NationalCentre for Zoonosis Research. The Northwest

Institute for Biohealth Informatics (NIBHI -supported by the NWDA and AstraZeneca) to delivertraining, research and support across industry,academia and the NHS was launched in 2005. TheManchester Wolfson Molecular Imaging Centreopened in 2006 and is now operational.

• Opening of the Core Technology Facility in June2006, adjacent to the Manchester BiotechnologyIncubator and providing grow-on accommodationfor bio and high-tech companies, with a strongpipeline of tenants including US company inwardinvestment.

Environmental Sciences

In the UK, the environmental market has increasedfrom £16 billion, 170,000 jobs and 7,000 companies in2001 to £25 billion, 400,000 jobs and 17,000 companiesin 2005. This growth is reflected in the Northwestwhere the sector has grown to more than 1,300companies, employing an estimated 43,250 employeesproving that the pursuit of environmental gains makesgood business sense and is an important driver forsocial and economic prosperity.

Progress in the sector since 2002 can be reportedas follows:

• 85% of companies in a survey reported an increasein sales over the previous three years and morethan 60% reported increases in employment, profitmargins and investment.

• Rapid growth of the region’s renewable energysector; a recent Envirolink survey showed that inthe last three years the size of the sector in theNorthwest has almost doubled and the number ofemployees has increased from 500 to 930 in 2005;the number of companies grew from 100 to 160with annual turnover increasing from £52 million to£96 million.

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• Launch of the Joule Centre for Energy Research inJune 2006. Working in collaboration with industryand universities across the region, the £10m JouleCentre is the first centre for the development ofsustainable energy sources in the Northwest.Funded by the NWDA, it will develop sustainableenergy sources which are low in carbon emissions,such as hydro and wind-power, as well as improvingenergy-efficiency within industrial and homeenvironments.

• Launch of the Envirolink Waste Technology Project.Funded by the NWDA, the BREW programme andNorthwest local authorities, this £4.1m programmewill help Northwest companies to develop innovativetechnologies for waste treatment to ensure that theregion is recognised as a centre of environmentalexcellence. The programme will stimulatecollaborative R&D networks, develop demonstratorplants to showcase the commercial and technicalviability of processes and so promote the capabilityof the regions waste technologies sector and itssupply chain regionally, nationally andinternationally.

• Development of Lancaster Environment Centre,where University, Government (NERC), NWDA andERDF funding is coming together to create asignificant critical mass where research councilemployees work in close association withuniversity staff.

• Successful attainment of competitive HEIF3 fundingby Manchester Metropolitan University for a projectlooking at ’Opportunities for meeting theenvironmental challenge of growth in aviation’(OMEGA project).

Chemicals

The sector has been active in pursuing key areas ofopportunity and has recorded a number of notableachievements since 2002 including:

• Formation of many new companies, including ‘spin-outs’ from both industry and academia, examplesinclude: Acimetrics, Iota Nanosolutions, NanocoTechnologies and Novel Technical Solutions. Severalof these organisations have benefited from moderninnovation facilities in the vicinity of the region’smajor research centres and regional venture capitalfunds.

• Leading the establishment of the ChemistryInnovation KTN, a new national network to simplifyaccess to technology and capability across theChemistry Using Industry. The development of theNorthwest capability matrix identifying academiccapability in key technologies is an important steptowards this.

• A significantly increased flow of research councilfunding into the Chemistry departments of theregion since 2002. EPSRC figures suggest thishas more than doubled11. This success provides agood foundation for the next researchassessment exercise.

• An excellent training record with a growing numberof chemistry graduates, despite a decreasingnational trend12. The Northwest produces over 300chemistry graduates per year.

• Building substantial research capability in MaterialsChemistry:

– Establishment of the Organic MaterialsInnovation Centre (OMIC) for the speciality

11 Figures provided by EPSRC indicate grants announced to a value of £2.4m in 2002 and £9.6m in 2005. The 2005 figure includes a long term portfolio grant of £5.3m.12 Statistics of Chemistry Education, Royal Society of Chemistry, 2005.

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organic material and polymer industries.Coordinated by the University of Manchester andinvolving other HEIs across the region, the centrehas become recognised for its flexible andresponsive delivery to industry. Over £6madditional funding has been secured and 26industrial contracts fulfilled since 2004.

– Establishment of the Centre for MaterialsDiscovery, a world-leading facility focused on thediscovery of new, step-change materials usingautomated methodology. A £9.5m projectco-funded by the NWDA, ERDF (Objective 1,Merseyside), the University of Liverpool,and industry.

– The Molecular Materials Centre, an effectivecollaboration between the Universities ofLiverpool and Manchester and industry.

• Establishment of the UK Centre of Excellence inBiocatalysis, Biotransformation andBiomanufacturing (CoEBio3). ManchesterInterdisciplinary Biocentre won the bid to hostCoEBio3’s core research facility out of 30contenders nationally. The CoEBio3 initiative willfocus on the development of novel biotechnologicalroutes to the synthesis of fine chemicals anddevelop them in partnership with industry. This is anexample where a technology development in onesector (Biotechnology) meets the needs of another(Chemicals).

• Establishment of the Northern Way SustainableManufacturing initiative delivering solutions todeliver improved productivity and efficiency.

Looking back, many of the initiatives detailed in the2002 action plan were judged to be inappropriate at anearly stage following publication and as a result, havenot been progressed. The number of initiativesidentified was too great and there was no clear, high

level ownership. Moving forward, a more focusedstrategy will be presented ensuring that attentionis placed where the Science Council can havemaximum influence.

Aerospace

In response to the Science Strategy of 2002, stepshave been taken to create a coordinated vision for theindustry, to create centres of excellence in keytechnology areas and to influence national technologypriorities. However, it must be acknowledged that realand significant progress has been limited. An openand honest account of progress to date has beencaptured below:

• Work undertaken in support of developing theAerospace Innovation Centre (AIC) concept has ledto the establishment of a significant businessimprovement programme, sponsored by the primeaerospace companies, aimed at improving theregions aerospace supply chain. The AIC will nothowever be developed as a physical technologycentre as was originally anticipated at the time ofthe previous Science Strategy.

• The Northwest Science Fund has provided seedfunding to help create the Northwest CompositesCentre (£2.1m) and the Northwest LaserEngineering Consortium (£2.5m). Each of theseprojects has attracted significant interest fromindustry including Rolls-Royce and BAE Systemsand, through further development of these links,they have the vision to become internationallyrecognised centres of excellence.

• The Northern Aerospace Technology ExploitationCentre (NATEC) was established to provide amechanism through which industry could accessthe university knowledge base. At least 4 of theagile technology units ‘ATU’s’ formed are self-sustaining based on industry contributions and are

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still operational. Funding for the overall project hasnow ceased.

• Progress has been made to establish a commonview of the business process needs of the ‘primes’and to communicate this down the supply chain.There are signs that the supply chain are beginningto understand what is required. This is a timeintensive process and much effort is still required toeffectively communicate and implement the scienceand technology vision of the primes down the supplychain and into the science base.

• Effort has been invested in attempts to formconsortia of supply chain companies to respond tothe procurement needs of the ‘primes’,unfortunately, these activities have not beensuccessful.

• NWDA has played a significant role in shaping theimplementation of the National AerospaceTechnology Strategy. The agency has signalled itscommitment to the development of autonomousvehicles through its £3.7m investment in theASTRAEA programme, a national programme toopen up the UK’s civil airspace for use byautonomous air vehicles, a prime enabler for thenascent UAV industry.

Nuclear

Since the production of the first Science Strategy, thenuclear industry has been experiencing a period ofunprecedented change. The formation of the NuclearDecommissioning Authority (NDA) in 2005 to overseethe clean-up of the civil nuclear sites in the UK has ledto company re-organisations and the introduction of acompetitive marketplace. Against this background theNorthwest has managed to retain its position as aleading supplier of science, engineering andtechnology to the industry and in doing so hassafeguarded employment in the region. Indeed with

the prospect of new nuclear generation alongside thecurrent focus on clean-up and decommissioning thereis optimism for expansion of the skill base and newinvestment into the region. The sector has recorded anumber of notable successes over the past four yearsincluding:

• Significant investment by private sector companiesin the region:

– Location of the Nuclear DecommissioningAuthority in West Cumbria and establishment ofoffices of several world-leading global nuclearcompanies from overseas in the Northwest suchas Washington Group, Fluor and Bechtel.

– Commissioning of the £250m Technology Centreat Sellafield which is a unique active facilitycapable of supporting global collaborativeresearch programmes.

• Enhanced HE capacity across both research andtraining activities:

– Formation of the Dalton Nuclear Institute at theUniversity of Manchester with the aim ofestablishing a world-leading academic capabilityin nuclear education, science and research.

– Enhanced postgraduate training provisionthrough the formation of NTEC (a collaborativepostgraduate programme co-ordinated by theDalton Nuclear Institute and including theWestlakes Research Institute (University ofCentral Lancashire) and the Universities ofLiverpool and Lancaster), a new MSc inDecommissioning and Environmental Clean-up atLancaster University and initiatives taken toenhance nuclear training by UCLAN.

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– Appointment of new academic posts including alecturer in Radiation Sciences andDecommissioning Engineering at Manchester, achair in Epidemiology at UCLAN following a £5mendowment from the NDA and others such as theacademic fellow post at Salford University whichwill specifically address issues around theremoval of radioactivity from fluid streams.

– Securing significant new research fundingincluding £5.7m from EPSRC for research intoKeeping the Nuclear Option Open and £5m fromEPSRC to establish an EngD programme innuclear engineering.

• Development of plans for an employer-led NuclearAcademy to be located in the Northwest to provideskills development and training (includingapprenticeships and foundation degrees), innovationand business support.

• Significantly enhanced international reputationthrough:

– Conducting the majority of UK related support toleading edge, international collaborative venturessuch as the Generation IV advanced programmeand the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership.

– The signing of partnerships with leading nuclearorganisations in the US, France, Japan and China.

– Hosting of prestigious national and internationalconferences such as Managing NuclearLiabilities, Actinides 2005, PSD7, IAEAworkshops and other activities for the first timein many years.

Elements of Excellence

Underpinning the key sectors were a number of cross-cutting themes which provide infrastructural supportand help to create the right environment for success.Not all of these elements have made equal progresssince 2002 and evaluation of the impact of many ofthese activities will continue over the coming years.A summary of activities and achievements to date isgiven below.

Leading the regional endeavour: Since 2002, theScience Council has become a leading and influentialbody, embedded in the regional endeavour to becomean international player in the knowledge economy.Strategic guidance has been given to the regionalcluster organisations regarding sector approaches andpriorities. At a national level, relationships have beenfostered through meetings between Science Councilmembers and Government ministers and officials.

Collaboration: Organisations across the Northwesthave demonstrated their willingness to identifysynergies and to build upon complementary strengthsin order to compete on a national and internationalstage. The new University of Manchester has beencreated which combines the expertise of UMIST andthe Victoria University of Manchester to create thelargest University in the UK and one which has theaspiration to hold a leading world ranking in Scienceand Technology and was the Sunday Times Universityof the Year in 2006. In another example, the CockcroftInstitute – a collaboration of the Universities ofManchester, Liverpool, Lancaster and the Council forthe Central Laboratory of the Research Councils(CCLRC) – was successful in winning the UK’s Instituteof Accelerator Science beating stiff competition fromOxford and London. The close cooperation of CCLRCand NWDA has resulted in Daresbury Science andInnovation Campus being officially recognised as oneof only two science and innovation campuses in the UKfor large science facility development. Major public

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and private investment for the site is planned. Thereare many other examples, and it is not possible tomention them all here, however it can be said withconfidence that major strides have been madein this area.

Academic – Industry Links: Steps have been taken toencourage greater interaction between academicinstitutions and industry. The Northwest Science Fundhas been launched with the aim of creatinginternational centres of excellence with a stronglyapplied and industry led focus. The NWDA’s matchfunding of the second Higher Education InnovationFund (HEIF2) was unique in the UK and helped tomaintain Northwest HEI’s reach-out activities toindustry and the community. Faster access to theappropriate university expertise for the private sector,particularly SMEs, was facilitated through theKnowledge Northwest portal (although this brokerageservice provided a valuable tool to ease businessaccess to university knowledge and expertise, it alsodemonstrated the limitations of such a simple,generalist intervention; consequently the serviceceased to operate in March 2006). Clusterorganisations and incubator programmes have alsospecifically targeted academic-industry links. In someclusters, this has been augmented by the NWUA LeadAcademic Network, funded as part of theKnowledgeNorthwest cluster engagement project.

Public Science: A new interactive science gallery atthe Museum of Science and Industry has beendeveloped which illustrates the scientificachievements of the region across the ages. Thegallery has attracted many visitors since its inception.Many outreach activities have also been carried out tobring science to life to children of all ages, examplesincluding the work of NOWGEN, SETNET, Catalyst andmany others.

Incubation Services: Five technology focusedincubators13 have been provided through public fundssince 2002 which brings the total to 9 across theregion. These incubators provide a professional,supportive workspace in which new businesses arenurtured and encouraged. Incubation Northwest hasbeen established to provide professional trainingservices to regional incubators and to help sharegood practice.

Flexible Financing: Considerable improvement hasbeen seen in the options for financing of newenterprises in the region. There is now provision ofseven publicly supported venture capital funds14 withtotal assets in excess of £180m. To date, £80m hasbeen invested in over 150 companies. An intermediaryservice ‘TEChINVEST’ provides mentoring andguidance to improve the probability of success of smallcompanies bidding for funds. The NWDA has alsoassumed responsibility for DTI support schemes suchas Selective Finance for Investment (SFI) and Grant forResearch and Development (GRAND).

Networks: The regional cluster programme is nowwell established in key science areas such asBioHealth, Chemicals, Environmental Science andAerospace. The NWUA plays an active role in linkinguniversities across the region, while the NorthwestScience Alliance (NWSA) brings together animpressive range of representatives from across theregion that are interested in the public promotion ofscience.

Promotion: A wide range of opening events, launchesof initiatives, press articles, PR briefings and specificmeetings have taken place that have promoted theNorthwest as a good place to do scientific business.

13 Infolab 21 (Lancaster), Daresbury Innovation Centre (Daresbury), Liverpool Innovation Centre (Liverpool), Core Technology Facility (Manchester), Digitalinc (Liverpool).14 Northwest Business Investment Scheme (funded by NWDA and ERDF), Northwest Seed Fund (funded by NWDA), RisingStars Growth Fund (funded by NWDA + Institutional investors), Northwest Equity Fund

(funded by DTI + Institutional investors), Merseyside Special Investment Fund (funded by Objective 1 ERDF + Institutional investors), Lancashire Rosebud (funded by Lancashire County Council) andManchester Technology Fund (funded by UK government, Wellcome Trust and University of Manchester).

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Appendix B: Regional SWOT Analysis

The strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threatsfacing the Northwest are highlighted in the analysisbelow. This sets the scene within which strategicchoices have been made.

Strengths

– High private sector R&D investment– Internationally strong across a range of sectors:

Chemicals, BioHealth, Nuclear and Aerospace– Good academic links and collaborations– High graduate output

Opportunities

– Growing Biotechnology industry– Nuclear re-build and decommissioning– Increased exploitation of the range of world-class

research strengths across Northwest HEIs– University of Manchester has ‘world-scale’– Strategic science sites have the potential to

become world class– Have the capacity available to accommodate

growth– Increasing trend towards ‘open innovation’– A changing NHS / MRC policy and practice

(Cooksey report)

Weaknesses

– R&D focused in a small number of largecompanies

– Low non-HEI public sector investment– Lack of knowledge regarding emerging

opportunities (Except Bio)– Not ‘top of mind’ for science investors from

outside the region and outside the UK

Threats

– Key sectors are mature industries, and asindustry needs change they may not map ontoNorthwest strengths

– Outsourcing of manufacturing and researchcapability to India and China

– Reduction of numbers studying STEM subjects inschool

– Aerospace supply chain is concentrated on ‘old’technology.

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Appendix C: Northwest Science Factsand Figures

Core strengths in R&D expenditure by privatebusiness, government and higher education institutesare set out below:

i. Private Sector

Data regarding private sector R&D investment isavailable based on global figures. Governmentstatistics from the 2005 scorecard15 show that 4 of thetop 10 companies by R&D investment have significantR&D activities in the Northwest:

– AstraZeneca (£2 billion)– BAE Systems (£1.1 billion) – Unilever (£736m) – Rolls-Royce (£282m)

Other major contributors in the region include: BritishNuclear Group Sellafield (£59m), Pilkington (£26m)and Fuji Film (£17m).

R&D investment data at a national or regional level isunavailable due to confidentiality.

ii Government

The majority of government investment in theNorthwest is directed towards Daresbury Laboratory.

– Daresbury Laboratory, Daresbury.(Synchrotron science, computational science,accelerator science and structural biology)

– Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory, Liverpool.(Oceanography, climate change and tidal prediction)

– Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Lancaster.(Environmental sciences)

iii Universities

Core funding for traditional academic research comesfrom the Higher Education Funding Council forEngland (HEFCE). Quality Research (QR) funding iscalculated using data from the Research AssessmentExercise (RAE) and the number of active staff.

In RAE terms, 14 STEM related units received 5*ratings in RAE 2001. The number of research activestaff in each department is given in brackets.

Manchester: Studies Allied to Medicine (12)Metallurgy and Materials (30)Pre-Clinical Studies (27)Pharmacy (30)Biological Sciences (101)Computer Science (55)

Liverpool: Physiology (16)Engineering (21)

LJMU: Sports Science (12)

MMU: Sports Science (12)

Lancaster: Physics (21)Statistics (16)

Salford: Built environment (45)IRIS Library and Informationmanagement (23)

In 2004/05 12 departments attracted 15% of qualityresearch funding:

– Nursing (29%)– Metallurgy and Materials (27%)– Built Environment (31%)– Library and Information Management (28%)– Sports Related (27%)

15 www.innovation.gov.uk/rd_scoreboard/

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– Preclinical Studies (21%)– Physiology (16%)– Vet Science (21%)– Earth Sciences (21%)– Computer Sciences (18%)– Chemical Engineering (16%)– Business (21%)

In addition to traditional research departments, theregion has over 50 Research Institutes, many multi-institutional. While it is not possible to provide acomplete list, a number are given below:

– UK Centre for Tissue Engineering– Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility– Wolfson Molecular Imaging Centre– UK Biobank– Organic Materials Innovation Centre (OMIC)– Molecular Materials Centre– Dalton Nuclear Institute– Lancaster Environment Centre– Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine – Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology– Salford Centre for Research and Innovation in the

Built Environment– Patterson Cancer Research Institute– National Centre for Zoonosis Research– Northwest Institute for BioHealth Informatics– Northwest Composites Centre

In summary, across the private sector, Governmentand HEI, the Northwest is internationally strong in thefollowing sectors:

– Pharma/Medical/Health related research– Chemicals/Materials (high end)– Aerospace/Materials (high end)– Nuclear

There is significant growth potential in

– Biotechnology (2nd strongest Cluster in U.K.)– Energy (transmission, alternative energies)– Aerospace– Nuclear– ICT (including Microsystems Packaging)

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Appendix D: Sector Skills andProductivity Alliance Priorities16

Aerospace and Engineering

• Lack of graduate engineers

• Lack of graduates with specific Technical Skills,Business Information Technology (BIT), Marketing &Project Management

• Acute shortage of level 3

• Skills for Life, IT and bite sized/flexible training

• Apprenticeships required for 19+

Chemicals

• “Skills for Life” for both new and migrant workersand older workers from sectors not previouslyaccessed

• Level 2 for skilled trades plus process and machineoperatives

• The BIT route is seen as the preferred skillsdevelopment model

• There is a need for some form of vocational elementto be built into school level qualifications to ensurethat young people acquire practical or “hands on”skills (e.g via the expansion of YoungApprenticeships in Science and Engineering and thedevelopment of 14 -19 Diploma models)

• Level 3 – increasingly the entry level for the sectorwill be Level 3

• The highest growth in demand, for both adultsand young people, is predicated to be in Level 3Process Skills.

• The area of Process Skills needs to be reinforcedwithin the apprentice programmes

• Higher Level Skills - Significant concerns remainthat the HEI Sector cannot respond fully to theneeds of the Chemical sector, at least in partbecause suitably qualified graduates are notchoosing the sector for their ultimate employment.(Although there are a large number of chemistrydegrees in the northwest e.g Lancaster, UCLAN,Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores, Manchesterand MMU)

• The need for improvement in the quality of sciencebased degrees. It appears that, because the cost forscience based degrees is prohibitive, other degreetopics are receiving greater levels of support and/orchemistry related degrees are becoming dilutedwith associated learning (e.g. ‘Chemistry with …’ or‘Chemistry and …’ courses dominating)

• For existing employees there is a need to increasethe development and uptake of foundation degreesdesigned to employer’s specifications and deliveredlocally to upskill the current workforce and toinfluence the graduate intake.

BioMedical

• Level 2 (5 GCSE passes or equivalent) - STEMsubjects

• Level 3 (2 A-Level passes or equivalent) - STEMsubjects

• Higher Level Skills (Level 4 and above) first degreeor equivalent and above

• Key skills identified in bioprocessing industry(reference: Merseyside Biosector Skills Study 2006& Bioprocess UK KTN)

16 Northwest annual statement of learning and skills priorities 2006/07

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• Key skills identified by the pharmaceutical industry(reference: ABPI skills study)

Skills Gaps

• The supply of scientists, technologists andmathematicians to the biomedical and other hightech sectors in the future is at risk due to decline instudents taking these subjects at GCSE and A level

• Some of the specific subject areas at advancedapprenticeship, degree level and above are beingaddressed through current biomedical sectorprojects e.g. NBC and IMB, but there are still otherareas to be investigated with regard to futurerequirements versus potential supply

Energy and Environmental Technologies

• Level 4 Technical First Line Management

• Graduates include Business Skills, ProjectManagement in Science and Engineering courses,develop new modules to include Fuel Cells, Micro-generation and Renewables

• Apprenticeships

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Appendix E: Summary of Strategic Priorities

PROMOTION

FOUNDATIONS PRIORITY CLUSTERS STRATEGIC SCIENCE SITES

Internationally Excellent Science Base

Exploitation of Science

Skills

Aerospace

BioHealth

Chemicals

Nuclear

Emerging Opportunities

Manchester Science City

Daresbury Science & Innovation Campus

Merseyside

West Cumbria

Retain and adapt science base already inplace

Build Centres of Excellence

Build Alliances (N8 and Northern Way)

Improve profile of the Northwest

Increase interaction between SMEs and thescience base

Promote benefits of innovation and supportcompanies to undertake innovation

Build science infrastructure

Partnership working between industry andacademia

Encourage the flow of people acrossHEI / business boundary

Simplify access to knowledge basedenterprises

Provide just-in-time, flexible education foremployed people thinking about starting abusiness

Link businesses with potential non-executivechairmen / board members

Promote an entrepreneurial culture

Improve investment readiness of businesspropositions

Create a regional science support hub

Link progression through education pipelinewith industry

Influence Sector Skills Agreements

Support Sector Skills and ProductivityAlliances

Progress National Skills Academies

Develop foundation degrees

Engage the region in the National AerospaceTechnology StrategyExploit emerging technologies with economicimpact on NorthwestIncrease regional industry interaction withHEIs

Proactively influence national priorities

Promote and support internationalexcellence

Consolidate major project investments

Enhance support to healthcare industry

Leverage NHS activities for economicdevelopment

Ensure efficient commercial exploitationchannels

Improve support to established companies

Specialised skills provision

Establish regional knowledge centre formaterials chemistry

Promote chemicals industry to young people

Address skills shortages

Improve marketing of unique regional facilities

Ensure fruition of current skills initiatives

Establish scheme for senior scientists toengage with HEI course development

Encourage companies to share best practice

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority toencourage investment in skills, innovationand R&D

Facilitate greater SME involvement in R&D

Capitalise on track record to win futureresarch funding

Carry out foresighting activities

Respond to major short term opportunities

Sucessful development on the Oxford Roadcorridor

Establishing University of Manchester as aleading global HEI

Commercialisation of University IntellectualProperty

Continued expansion of Manchester SciencePark (MSP)

Next stage infrastructure development

Fourth Generation Light Source (4GLS)investment case to be carried through

Increasing collaboration with NHS research

Obtaining private sector investment intoLiverpool Science Park

Formalising National MicrosystemsPackaging Centre (NMPS) project structureand contracting the project

National Biomanufacturing Centre to deliverbusiness plan to build on HEI andcommercial capability

Build strong nuclear cluster around NuclearDecommissioning Authority

Develop Nuclear Academy

Potential for hub of a National Nuclear lab

National nuclear archive

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Action

Programme: Engage the region in developing technologies that build on national strengths

Vision and Knowledge Transfer: To enable the exploitation of emerging technologies

Support and contribute toprojects in the NationalAerospace TechnologyStrategy (NATS) ofstrategic importance to theNorthwest, initially,ASTRAEA (Autonomous AirSystems) and EFE(Environmentally FriendlyEngine)

Leads:BAE SYSTEMS(ASTRAEA),Rolls-Royce (EFE)Other Partners:NWDA, DTI, otherRDAs, and HEIs

ASTRAEA: Completion ofcritical, technological,experimental, and regulatoryactivities to enable thesubstantial opening ofcontrolled civil airspace to arange of autonomous airvehicles

EFE: Validation of enginetechnologies leading toreductions in emissions ofCO2, NOx and noiseemissions, thus incorporatedon the next generations of civilaero engines in which theNorthwest has significantworkshare. Adoption of enginetechnologies will contributesignificantly to Europeantargets for reducingenvironmental impact of civiland military aviation

December2010

From 2012onwards

Completion ofPrognosis And HealthManagement activity –09/08

Qualification ofaffordablemanufacturingprocesses – 12/08

Flight Demonstrationof test vehicles – 12/08

NWDA Supportconfirmed – 03/07Northwest ExploitationPlan – 05/07Technology ValidationDemonstrations –by 12/12Confirmation ofpossibleenvironmentalemissionimprovements –by 12/12

Establish NWDAprogramme to support andcontribute to theAerospace InnovationNetworks (AINs) identifiedin the NATS of strategicimportance for theNorthwest

NWDA, OEMs, NWAA,HEIs

Direct involvement of theregion’s OEMs, SMEs and HEIsin appropriate AINs leading todemonstrable exploitation ofknowledge transfer intoNorthwest involvement inforthcoming aerospaceprogrammes and workpackages

CONTINUED

From 2007Onwards

Confirm Northwestcriteria for assessmentof AINs – 10/06Launch NWDAProgramme – 06/07Establish NorthwestScience Councilmandate for approvingAIN programmeapplications – 06/07

Lead and otherpartners

Success Measures TargetDate

IntermediateMilestones

Appendix F: Priority Sector Action PlansAerospace

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Action

Vision and Knowledge Transfer: To enable the exploitation of emerging technologies (CONTINUED)

Capability: To increase interaction between HEIs and the business base and stimulate innovation in the supply chain

Establish plans to enablecommercialisation ofemerging ‘technologies’with potential forsignificant economicimpact

First areas will be:Autonomous Air Systems,Systems Engineering andIntegration, Compositesfor Civil Aerospace andVirtual Engineering

NWSC Aerospace sub-team, NWDA, NWAAIndustry, HEIs

Focus and vision agreed withkey industry and public bodies

Resources identified to deliverkey actions

2007

Ongoing

Leadership teams andaction plans in place

Implementation

Establish the NorthwestComposites Centre as thefocal point for regionalcomposites knowledge anddevelopment activity

NWCC with NWAA,Texnet

Technology programmesbased on the strategy in place

Capability exploited by supplybase

2010

Clear strategy forcomposites technologydevelopment andexploitation based onmarket need withsupport from OEMs,SMEs - 09/07

Funds in place – ‘08

Create innovationmanagement capability inthe supply chain

NWDA, NWAA, Projectencumbent

Aerospace supply chainengaged with proposedregional Innovation Advisorsand Innovation SupportProgramme

Best practice from SC21 andDIS in use

Ongoingfrom 2007

Innovationmanagement servicefunded andoperational, with clearlead organisation




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Action

Ongoing management andmonitoring of BiomedicalProjects deliverables:NBC, CTF, NIBHI, WMIC,UK Biobank, LSTM,Nowgen

Bionow team plusproject developers

Delivery of all outputs Asindividualproject

As individual project

Continue majorinvolvement withBioprocess UK KTN;establish links with andBiotechnology 4 BusinessKTN

Bionow, NBC,CoEBio3

Northwest Bioprocess Centreof Excellence

Increased involvement forNorthwest companies in KTNs

Increased recognition ofNorthwest projects at UK level

Ongoing




BioHealth

Establish new MedilinkProgramme in Northwest

Trustech(CMMCUHT)

Enhanced support toHealthcare sector

Improved information forsector on HEI/NHS support

Summer2006

Detailed assessment ofregional healthcareindustry via target accountmanagement and deskresearch

Bionow team (andsub-regionalpartners), Trustechand Medlink

Increased R&D based activityand/or new processinnovations in companies

Improved competitivenessand growth

Spring2007

Ongoing

Target accountidentification (May 06)

Initial mapping(Jan 06)

CONTINUED

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Action

Review of approachrequired to supportcommercialisation ofregional core capabilities(as detailed in Table onPage 15) and to identifynew ones

Bionow, NWSCBioHealth sub-team,Bionow SteeringCommittee

Defined approach for eachcore capabilities

Improved commercialisationand/or industry development

Spring 2007

Establish Sector SkillsProductivity Alliance(SSPA) for Biomedical

Bionow, LSC, HEIs,Industry, Providers,SEMTA

Delivery of skills programmesas required by industry

Summer2006

Ongoing

SSPA requested(Nov 2005)

Membership identified(May 06)




BioHealth (Continued)

Work with Northern Way &NoE to promote anddevelop RegenerativeMedicine and alliedprojects

UK Centre for TissueRegeneration,NorthwestEmbryonic Stem CellCentre, CELS,Yorkshire Forward,One North East

Establish the North as majorforce for RegenerativeMedicine & ensure stronglinkage between northern wayactivities

To 2010

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Action

Establish (virtual)knowledge centre formaterials chemistry.

NWSC ChemicalsSubteam, CI KTN (managingthe project andproviding the link toother KTNS andpotential partners). ChemicalsNorthwest,universities andindustry

Increased research fundinginto Northwest departments –public and private

Northwest perceived as UKleader in materials chemistry

Significant leverage (3:1) asmeasured by estimated ‘netprofit from sales’ of deliveredprojects

2007

2007

2008Onwards

Conduct a feasibilitystudy for the centreincluding the criterafor partners Qtr 1 2007(£60k)

Implement the plansfor the centreincluding the NationalLink to ChemistryInnovation KTN centreof excellencedevelopment.(est. £2 – 5m)




Chemicals-Using Industries

Carry out a programme ofactivities to facilitateknowledge transfer with afocus on materialschemistry.

Chemicals Northwest CI KTN NWUAIndustry

Knowledge transfer eventsachieving a balance ofindustrial and academicattendance

Improved understanding bythe research base of industryneeds

Increased exploitation ofknowledge in the marketplace as defined by thenumber of new ‘projects’.

2007

Ongoing

Map the landscape interms of academicstrengths and industryneeds

Agree sponsorshipand programme

Establish regularevents

Infrastructure and Capability: To build on the Northwest’s strengths, commercial and academic, in Materials Chemistry

CONTINUED

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Action

Increase penetration ofcurrent schools educationprogrammes; initiate newprogrammes; raiseawareness and improveperception of chemicalssector with young people,leading to higher uptake inFE/HE courses andcareers

ChemicalsNorthwest,NWDA,Regional STEMSupport Centre,RSC

Northwest STEM SupportCentre launched,co-ordinating:

Increased number of schoolsparticipating in CCI and CoSIprogrammes

New ‘Chemistry @ Work’events launched, andsupported by CNW members

Chemistry: The NextGeneration programmesrolled out across the region

Increased Science &Engineering Ambassadortake-up from within the sector

Perception changes amongstyoung people

Increased uptake at GCSE/Alevel, and follow-on careerchoices

From Apr 07Ongoing

Formation of theNorthwest STEMSupport Centre

Mapping of currentsector schools relatedactivities

Provision gaps,opportunities,partners identified

Co-ordinated regionalbusiness plan forfuture activities

Widercommunicationsstrategy established

Evaluation metricsagreed/established

Drive Cogent as necessaryto secure Skills Academyfor chemicals sector, tosimplify/expedite andincrease efficiency ofdelivery, maximising publicsector resource value

CNW/SSPA (Cogent),NWDA, Industry

Delivery organisation in placeto address regional skillsneeds of sector

Skills gaps and shortagesaddressed in line with SectorSkills Agreement needs

2006(approval)

2007(businessplan)

2007/8(operational)

Ensure that USPs ofsector clearlydifferentiate fromother manufacturingindustries

Ensure that regionalissues are integratedinto business plan.Generate firmemployer commitment

Drive planning processto locate Hub activityin largest sector orbest geographicalregion in UK




Chemicals-Using Industries (Continued)

Skills and Training:

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Action

Establish a NationalNuclear Laboratory withthe Technology Centre atSellafield at its core

All stakeholders Active laboratories in theNorthwest regarded as keyinternational facilitiesenabling a greater share ofnational/internationalresearch funding to be won

2007 Support for concept(2006)

Support for reactortechnology centre(Ongoing from 2007)

Implementation(Ongoing fromApril ’07)




Nuclear

Produce marketing planfor Northwest capabilitiesto promote inwardinvestment.

NWDA supported byindustry anduniversities

Greater utilisation of theNorthwest nuclear capabilityfrom overseas and other partsof the UK

Better exploitation ofsynergies with other relatedindustrial sectors (e.g.medicine)

2008 Marketing plan andbrochure onNorthwest nuclearcapabilities (2007).

Implement plan andmeasure impact

Support the setting up of aNuclear Academy with aNucleus Centre for craftand technical skillstraining, innovation andbusiness support acting asa delivery arm

Industry supported bygovernment (NWDA,NDA, DfES, CogentSSC)

Nuclear Academy built.

Employers utilising NuclearAcademy to meet their craftand technical skillsrequirements.

2009 Decision on NNSA (2006)

Implementation(2007 on)

Building work beginson Nuclear Academy(2007)

Nuclear Academyopens (2008)

Share best practice toalleviate impact of staffmobility, early retirementsfrom the sector anddifficulties in recruitmentwith the latter being aparticular issue forregulatory bodies

Industry via CogentSSC and NuclearIndustries Association

Mobility or loss of key staffactively being addressed

2010 Action plan in place(2007)

Infrastructure and Capability: To promote and exploit the position of the Northwest as a major provider of “active” laboratoryfacilities and nuclear expertise.

Skills and Training: To address the on-going concerns for the maintenance of nuclear skills in the UK.

CONTINUED

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Action

Ensure that conditions areplaced on contractors (Tier1,2,3) to demonstrate theircommitment to universitylinks, skills developmentand R&D when bidding forcontracts

NDA Evidence of greaterinvestment of Tier 1,2,3contractors in skillsdevelopment / R&D initiatives

2010 NDA plan articulated(2007)

Skills plan per site inplace (2008)

Establish scheme toenable senior scientistsfrom industry and ex-employees to contribute touniversity courses (e.g.lecturing, mentoring,placements, coursedevelopment)

NWDA supported byindustry anduniversities

Greater nuclear contentacross a wide range of full andpart-time courses with moreactive involvement fromindustry

2010 Funding secured forscheme (2008)

Continue the expansionand development ofundergraduate andpostgraduate trainingprovision in the Northwestto meet industry needsand be responsive tochanges such as new build

Universitiessupported by industryand NDA

Increased no. ofundergraduate courses withnuclear component

Increased enrolment onpostgraduate training coursesin nuclear subjects

Skills gap being bridged

Review in2010

Produce marketing plan topromote careeropportunities in thenuclear sector andprovision of educationalmaterial to 12-18 year olds

Cogent SSC,supported by NWDA,industry anduniversities

Increased enrolment onFE/HE courses that contain anuclear component. Skills gap being bridged.

Review in2010

Marketing planproduced (2007)




Nuclear (Continued)

Skills and Training: To address the on-going concerns for the maintenance of nuclear skills in the UK.

46

Action

Co-ordinate efforts tomaximise income fromnational and internationalresearch programmesincluding EU FrameworkVII, Gen-IV, GNEP, EPSRCand be responsive to newopportunities as they arise(e.g. repository research,energy initiatives via N8).

Universitiessupported by industryand the NDA

Increase in nuclear researchfunding for Northwestorganisations.

2010 Bids submitted (2007)

Increase and facilitateinteraction between SMEsand universities (e.g. useof vouchers to enablebetter use of existingschemes such asKnowledge TransferPartnerships)

NWDA supported byuniversities andindustry

Evidence of greater use ofuniversity capabilities by SMEs

2010 Concept developedand funding secured(2007)

Scheme in place(2008)




Nuclear (Continued)

Programmes and Initiatives: To win a greater share of research funding from UK and international schemes and increaseintensity of R&D activity.

47


Further Information

Acimetrics http://www.acimetrics.com

Advanced Manufacturing Centre http://www.amrc.co.uk

AIM http://www.londonstockexchange.com/aim

Airbus http://www.airbus.com

Ashton Pharmaceuticals http://www.inyxinc.com

AstraZeneca http://www.astrazeneca.co.uk

Auralis http://www.auralis.co.uk

BAE Systems http://www.baesystems.co.uk

BBSRC http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk

Bristol Myers Squibb http://www.bms.com

CCLRC http://www.cclrc.ac.uk

Celltech Manufacturing Services http://www.celltechgroup.com

Centre for Ecology and Hydrology http://www.ceh.ac.uk

Centre for Materials Discovery http://www.liv.ac.uk/chemistry

Chemistry Innovation KTN http://www.chemistryinnovation.co.uk

Chemistry Leadership Council http://www.chemistry.org.uk

Cockcroft Institute http://www.cockcroft.ac.uk

Cogent http://www.cogent-ssc.com

Core Technology Facility http://www.umic.co.uk

Cussons http://www.pzcussons.com

Dalton Nuclear Institute http://www.manchester.ac.uk/dalton

Daresbury Innovation Centre http://www.daresburyinnovation.co.uk

Daresbury Laboratory http://www.cclrc.ac.uk

Daresbury Science andInnovation Campus http://www.daresburyinnovation.co.uk

Defence Industrial Strategy http://www.mod.uk

Dishman Europe http://www.dishman-europe.com

DTI httP;//www.dti.gov.uk

DxS http://www.dxsgenotyping.com

48

Eden Biodesign http://www.edenbiodesign.com

Eli Lilly http://www.lilly.com

Epichem http://www.epichem.com

Epistem http://www.epistem.co.uk

EPSRC http://www.epsrc.ac.uk

EU Framework VII http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7

F2G http://www.f2g.com

Farfield Sensors http://www.farfield-scientific.com

Fuji-Film http://www.fujifilmic.com

Gen-IV http://www.gen-4.org

Gentronix http://www.gentronix.co.uk

GlaxoSmithKline http://www.gsk.com

Grant for Research andDevelopment http://www.nwda.co.uk/Business

Greater Manchester Research A partnership of all NHS bodies in Greater Manchester with universities, city Alliance (GMRA) council and private sector

HEFCE http://www.hefce.ac.uk

Higher Education Innovation Fund http://www.hefce.ac.uk/reachout/heif

Incubation Northwest http://www.incubationnw.org

Innovation Relay Centre http://www.ircnorth.org

Intercytex http://www.intercytex.com

Intertek http://www.intertek.com

Inyx Inc http://www.inyxinc.com

Iota Nanosolutions http://www.iotanano.com

Ivax http://www.ivax.com

Knowledge Transfer Networks http://www.ktnetworks.org.uk

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships http://www.ktponline.org.uk

L3 Technology http://www.l3technology.co.uk

Liverpool Digital http://www.icdc.org.uk

Liverpool School of TropicalMedicine http://www.liv.ac.uk/lstm

49


Liverpool Science Park http://www.liverpoolsciencepark.co.uk

Manchester BiotechnologyIncubator http://www.umic.co.uk

Manchester MolecularImaging Centre http://www.manchestermolecularimaging.com

Molecular Materials Centre http://www.ce.umist.ac.uk/MMC

Museum of Science and Industry http://www.msim.org.uk

N8 Consortium of 8 Northern Universities

Nanoco Technologies http://www.nanocotechnologies.com

NATEC http://www.natec.org.uk

National Aerospace TechnologyStrategy http://www.sbac.co.uk

National Biomanufacturing Centre http://www.biomanufacturing.co.uk

Neutec Pharma http://www.neutecpharma.com

Nexia Solutions http://www.nexiasolutions.com

Northwest Science Alliance http://www.ccl.ac.uk/Home/WEBNAME=ScienceAlliance

Northwest Science Fund http://www.northwestscience.com

Novartis http://www.novartis.co.uk

Novel Technical Solutions http://www.atomisation.co.uk

NTEC: Nuclear TechnologyEducation Consortium http://www.ntec.ac.uk

Nuclear DecommissioningAuthority http://www.nda.gov.uk

Nucleus Centre http://www.thenuclearacademy.com

Nutrinnovator http://www.nutrinnovator.com

Northwest Composites Centre http://www.futurecomposites.org.uk

Northwest Embryonic Stem http://www.ls.manchester.ac.uk/research/Cell Centre themes/stemcellresearch/stemcellcentre

Northwest GeneticsKnowledge Park http://www.nowgen.org.uk

50

Northwest Institute for BiohealthInformatics http://www.nibhi.man.ac.uk

Northwest Laser EngineeringConsortium http://www.lasers.org.uk/nwlec

NWDA http://www.nwda.co.uk

NWUA http://www.nwua.co.uk

Oncoprobe http://www.umip.com/spinout_list/?letter=O

GONW http://www.gos.gov.uk/gonw

Organic Materials InnovationCentre (OMIC) http://www.omic.org.uk

Photon Science Institute http://www.psi.manchester.ac.uk

Pilkington http://www.pilkington.com

Platform Diagnostics http://www.platform-diagnostics.com

Proudman OceanographicInstitute http://www.pol.ac.uk/home

Provexis http://www.provexis.com

Renovo http://www.renovo.com

Rolls-Royce http://www.rolls-royce.com

Sanofi Aventis http://www.sanofi-aventis.co.uk

Sector Skills and Productivity Alliance between employers, training providers and government to provide theAlliance skills needs for a particular sector

Selective Finance forInvestment (SFI) http://www.nwda.co.uk/Business

Synprotec http://www.synprotec.com

TEChINVEST http://www.techinvest.org

TrusTech http://www.trustech.org.uk

Sellafield Technology Centre http://www.nexiasolutions.com

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries http://www.tevapharm.com

University of CentralLancashire (UCLAN) http://www.uclan.ac.uk

51


UK Biobank Ltd http://www.ukbiobank.ac.uk

UK Centre of Excellence inBiocatalysis, Biotransformationand Biomanufacturing (CoEBio3) http://www.coebio3.manchester.ac.uk

UK Tissue Regeneration Centre Website under development

Unilever http://www.unilever.com

US Global Nuclear EnergyPartnership http://www.gnep.energy.gov

UCB Group http://www.ucb-group.com

Westlakes Research Institute http://www.westlakes.org

Wide Chord Hollow Fan BladeCentre of Excellence http://www.rolls-royce.com/civil_aerospace/technology/widechord.jsp

Contact:PO Box 37, Renaissance House, Centre Park, Warrington WA1 1XB

www.northwestscience.co.uk

NWDA KADM 04/07 20492

20Strat%2007

Documents

science sector

regional science strategy

northwest science strategy2007

northwest science facts

northwest science council

science investment

daresbury science

science infrastructure