R&D Place Advisory Group
The role of the R&D Place Advisory Group is to advise and support Ministers on the opportunities and challenges in developing an ambitious research and development (R&D) place strategy, and the measures that work effectively in different places across the country.
The upcoming R&D place strategy is an important part of the government’s ambitions for R&D and innovation, building on the approach set out in the R&D Roadmap published in July. This also supports the government’s levelling up agenda, and its wider approach in the context of wider economic recovery from COVID19.
Below are the Terms of Reference for the Group.
Purpose
The Group’s role is to advise Ministers in confidence on the development of the ambitious new UK R&D place strategy to support thriving R&D in public, private and voluntary sectors across the whole country. The aim is to build on local potential so that all regions and nations of the UK benefit from a R&D intensive economy. The Place Advisory Group would support this by:
- proposing, challenging & testing potential policy options to make the most of R&D potential to support local economic impact in areas across the UK, including how best to increase the place focus in public R&D investment, factor place into decision-making across the R&D system, and foster greater local and national co-creation and collaboration to make better decisions on R&D
- contributing to the evidence base, including identifying priorities for long-term development
- exploring other relevant issues as requested by the Minister
Scope
The Group will consider public policy interventions across the UK government and their effective interface with interventions made by civic authorities at local and regional levels in England and by the devolved administrations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Operation
The Group reports to, and is chaired by, the Minister for Science, Research and Innovation.
The Group will be supported by a Secretariat overseen by the Deputy Director for Place, Impact and Research in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
Membership
The membership of this Group should demonstrably cover a wide range of different geographies, perspectives and backgrounds while remaining small enough to work effectively as a group. It is expected that members put aside interests from their paid or voluntary roles to represent wider communities from across the UK (and overseas) more effectively.
| Name | Position, Organisation |
|---|---|
| Amanda Solloway MP, Chair | Minister for Science, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) |
| Robert D. Atkinson | President, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, USA |
| David Dunn | CEO, Sunderland Software City; Chair of UK Tech Cluster Group |
| Professor Meric Gertler | President, University of Toronto |
| Julia Goldsworthy | Director of Strategy, West Midlands Combined Authority |
| Professor Peter Halligan | Chief Scientific Advisor, Welsh Government |
| Linda Hanna | Managing Director of Scottish economic development, Scottish Enterprise |
| Adrian Johnston | Director, Digital Catapult Northern Ireland |
| Alex Jones | Director, Science, Research and Innovation, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy |
| Professor Richard Jones | Chair in Materials Physics and Innovation Policy, University of Manchester |
| Jeremy Long | Chair, Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership; national LEP Network Board member |
| Professor Philip McCann | Chair in Urban and Regional Economics, Sheffield University Management School |
| Dr Kathryn Mitchell | Chair, Midlands Enterprise Universities Group; Vice-Chancellor, University of Derby |
| Professor Guy Orpen | Emeritus Professor, University of Bristol |
| Hayaatun Sillem CBE | Chief Executive, Royal Academy of Engineering |
| David Sweeney | Executive Chair, Research England |
| Paul Swinney | Director of Policy and Research, Centre for Cities |
| Professor Phil Taylor | Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Research and Enterprise, University of Bristol |
| Dr Anna Valero | ESRC Innovation Fellow, LSE Centre for Economic Performance |
| to be identified | Early career researchers |
Meeting arrangements and frequency
The Chair will convene the Group regularly, on an approximately monthly basis, during the development of the new R&D Places strategy.
The Place Advisory Group is expected to dissolve after the publication of the Places strategy in summer 2021. Ministers reserve the right to ask members to continue over a longer period.