SEEDA's Innovation Action Plan: Sustaining and Creating Prosperity
In today's highly competitive global economy, the top performing regions are built on the innovative use of strong and dynamic knowledge bases. To maximise the economic and societal benefits of the region's world class knowledge base, SEEDA is working collaboratively with the region's businesses and universities to promote knowledge transfer, innovation and training.
Acting on the advice of its Science and Industry Council, (the South East Science, Engineering and Technology Advisory Council, SESETAC) SEEDA has developed an Innovation Action plan and launched new initiatives which will
- speed up the development of new products, processes and services, through increased knowledge transfer
- increase the competitiveness of businesses through promoting innovation
- increase the supply of scientifically skilled people
1. Speeding up Product Development through Knowledge Transfer
- Through its Emerging Technologies programme, SEEDA is enabling consortia of companies and universities to bring new products and services to the market place. Funds have been allocated for four business-led collaborative Research and Development projects which promise to lead in new products or services within two to three years. Building on the region's capabilities in nanotechnology, major projects aimed at the development of novel antiviral agents, fire retardants and large scale manufacture of nano-tubes are underway. Projects in healthcare technologies, relating to medical informatics and imaging, are about to start. Calls have been made for proposals designed to speed up the application of sustainable energy technologies and for the development of intelligent transport systems.
- To increase collaborative opportunities between the universities and businesses in the region, seven knowledge networks, have been developed, along with technology brokering through the London Technology Network Business Fellows programme, and the Finance South East managed PocKeT (proof of concept for knowledge transfer) fund which provides loans to small companies to gain access to expertise in universities and public sector research establishments - www.pathintelligence.com/assets/pocket.doc
- SEEDA has developed the Research Excellence Data (RED) Directory. This searchable directory will help individuals to explore data on applied research in the South East and direct users to the relevant contacts within each HEI.
2. Promoting Innovation
To encourage and increase innovation, particularly in medium sized companies SEEDA has established a new Innovation Advisory Service in December 2005. SEEDA's partners in the delivery of the Innovation Advisory Service are: Oxford Innovation, National Physical Laboratory; CLIK (technology transfer company of Rutherford Appleton Laboratory); and Serco Science.
The objective is of the IAS is to help businesses kick-start the innovation process and thereby improve the competitiveness of businesses and consequently the South East economy. The key component of the IAS is a team of highly competent advisors who have worked at director level in the private sector and have specific technology experience. The IAS target customers are predominantly businesses and the IAS is currently actively involved with 350 businesses ranging from SMEs to some of the largest multinationals. The advice is not prescriptive and is wide ranging but innovation specific starting from customer needs. The IAS is also working to successfully exploit the commercialisation of knowledge and is currently focussing on PSREs and business to business knowledge exchange. The service is financially free but limited, bureaucracy free, and the response is rapid. In the first 6 months of operation it has directly increased innovation expenditure, mostly R&D, by £3.7m with a further £20-30m expected from on-going projects.
For further information please contact Mike Tricker.
3. Skills for the Future
A key regional objective is to ensure that businesses, universities and the public sector can recruit and retain the skilled STEM disciplines (scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians) they need, currently and in the future to help drive forward the regional knowledge economy. To deliver this objective SEEDA, in partnership with the regional SETNET director, and the regional Science Learning Centre at the University of Southampton, has established a Regional STEM Resource Centre, bringing together the professional development and outreach activities for supporting science education to provide more coherence and co-ordination, bringing clarity to the many disparate STEM initiatives. With the help of its Advisory Board with representation from businesses and schools, the centre aims to remove duplication, identify and communicate best practise. In particular the centre will seek to focus on a small number of agreed priorities to achieve critical mass, and will work to ensure increased and sustainable engagement between education and business.
The first edition of the STEM Support Centre South East Advisory Board newsletter - March 2007 can be found here (Microsoft Word document 824Kb).
SEEDA's role is a catalytic one - an example of a success to date include Computer Clubs for Girls which was developed with e-Skills UK to address the shortage of females in the ICT industries. Following a regional pilot it has been rolled out nationally through DfES funding. For further details see www.e-skills.com/exchange/public/about_cc4g.html.
REGIONAL RESOURCE CENTRES
The Regional Resource Centres (RRC) initiative has been developed by SEEDA and industry partners to address the skills supply issues of priority sectors that require STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) skills.
The establishment of a South East network of 5 regional resource centres responding to employers current and future STEM skills needs is addressing key regional objectives in the regional science strategy and the Regional Economic Strategy that highlight the need to improve access and supply of STEM skills to support the competitiveness of industry.
Each RRC has a public/private sector partnership with a particular sector focus and will provide a regional access point for industry to obtain information, and facilitate access to training solutions relating to their specialisms, and will be located near to relevant industry clusters and Higher Education establishments.
The centres will work with education and training providers across the South East to offer coherent programmes of industry training modules, specialist short upskilling programmes and accredited courses for employers and individuals. In particular, RRCs will focus on the provision of high level technician/technologist training programmes that provide the skills required to support adoption of new technologies and the utilisation of modern and efficient processes and equipment to drive up productivity. Training courses and skills provision will be at NVQ skills levels 3-5 or equivalent. RRC partners will achieve this collaborative offer for employers by providing access to their pooled resources, expertise and equipment.
RRCs will also be addressing a wider range of STEM skills related issues, including wider dissemination and promotion of the potential career opportunities afforded by STEM subject qualifications, co-ordination of schools and industry links, STEM skills at all levels, and continued professional development for the workforce.
Key objectives for the success of the RRCs will be:
- to provide regional access point for their sector
- to ensure clarity of existing STEM and sector skills initiatives and reduce duplication
- to provide the skills and knowledge to employers and individuals on optimising scientific and technological developments
- to provide access to demand-led training and support to employers and individuals
- to provide a regional network of the 5 RRCs sharing good practice and co-ordinating activities
For further information contact: Gilly Bartrip, Head of Sector Skills and Adult Learning, SEEDA. Tel: 01483 484251, Fax: 01483 484292 or email: Gilly Bartrip.
Further contact details for Regional Resource Centres can be found here and
Regional STEM Support Centre South East - Structures here.
SEEDA are currently funding two major projects for graduates in the region:
SEEDA has also recently organised student events in conjunction with the National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship (NCGE), an initiative sponsored by the Treasury, DTI and Dfes. Entitled 'Wake up to Enterprise' the events are designed to add value to activities currently supported by SEEDA with higher education by offering an enjoyable and inspirational event for students and informing them of the range of entrepreneurial career options to them.
For further information please contact
Christina Hartshorn
.
Strategic and Shortage Subjects
SEEDA is also working with SESETAC and Higher Education South East (HESE), the representative body for the region's 26 higher education institutions (HEIs), to explore ways in which we can better identify and map provision and current and future demand that is of strategic importance to the regions economy.
SEEDA has developed the Research Excellence Data (RED) Directory. This searchable directory will help individuals to explore data on applied research in the South East and direct users to the relevant contacts within each HEI.
For further information contact
Tiziana Boyland
.
Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF)
SEEDA has played a useful role in helping to shape bids from the region's HEI's for HEFCE's Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF). SEEDA's influence meant that HEI's in the South East were able to secure £34 million from the initiative, from a national total of £186 million.
Computer Clubs for Girls (CC4G)
SEEDA has also been in the forefront of innovative approaches to enhancing skills within the ICT industry. It has provided £2.8 million for work with e-skills UK through the 'Computer Clubs for Girls - www.cc4g.net' initiative to promote careers in IT amongst school girls. This responds to the IT industry's concerns that the number of women in its workforce has declined from 30% to 22% within the last eight years. In 2003-4, over 3,500 girls in 124 schools across the South East participated in the clubs.
Following the successful SEEDA funded pilot DfES have agreed to fund the national rollout (in England) of CC4G to 31.3.08, in which period e-skills UK aims to reach 3,600 schools.
For further information please contact
Pauline Rousoss
.
Working with Schools on Science & Technology
We have developed a programme to encourage children to develop an interest in science and technology from an early age. In November 2004, Johnny Ball visited Park Community School at Leigh Park in Hampshire and gave a masterclass designed to 'simplify science', demonstrating how things they learn in the classroom can be applied to real life situations. We are planning a similar approach which will be expanded into other parts of the region.
Additionally, we are providing bursaries to enable teachers to gain day-release to participate in the activities of Regional Science Learning Centres and to benefit from continuous professional development.
For further information please contact
Alex Leach
.
Industry designed IT degree
SEEDA have collaborated with e-skills UK, the IT industry and several universities both within and outside the region to deliver an industry designed BSc Information Technology Management course. This addresses weaknesses perceived in current graduates by the IT industry. Leading professionals from industry and the best academics from institutions across the region will deliver this innovative degree. The degree is being run through the University Centre at Hastings and is validated by the University of Greenwich.
Research has indicated that there is scope within the South East to enhance knowledge transfer and sharing of good practice between higher education and the business community. In response, SEEDA has established the Higher Education Entrepreneurship Group (HEEG) to build capacity within HEI's to promote entrepreneurship. The group is aimed at entrepreneurial professionals and practitioners, including academics and business development managers.
Over 20 of the region's HEI's have so far been actively involved in the groups work, which engages with other partner global regions and shares best practice through a visiting fellows programme and masterclasses.
SEEDA has also organised student events in conjunction with the National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship (NCGE), an initiative sponsored by the Treasury, DTI and Dfes. Entitled 'Wake up to Enterprise' the events are designed to add value to activities currently supported by SEEDA with higher education by offering an enjoyable and inspirational event for students and informing them of the range of entrepreneurial career options to them.
 HEEG Annual Review 2007/08
For further information please contact
Christina Hartshorn
.
Great Ideas in Science and Technology (GRIST)
SEEDA has also explored ways in which we can foster entrepreneurship within science and technology. The Great Ideas in Science and Technology (GRIST) pilot is developing a 'revolving loan fund' to transform entrepreneurial ideas from graduates into business opportunities and resulting employment. The pilot is based at the Universities of Brighton, Surrey and Kent. It aims to enhance entrepreneurial and business planning skills amongst graduates, create employment opportunities and enhance technology transfer between higher education and business.
So far six companies have been created and six are in the pipeline.
For further information contact
Christina Hartshorn
.
Management & Leadership
SEEDA has been working with the six South East Business Links, the Learning & Skills Councils and a wide range of intermediary bodies and delivery partners to establish a management and leadership strategy for the region. The strategy has been developed over a two-year period and has four key priorities:
- Increase demand for management and leadership development
- Ensure an effective supply of managers (with a focus on middle management)
- Ensure the availability of appropriate learning solutions and facilitate access
- Clarify the regional understanding of leadership
The SEEDA management development post programme review executive summary is available to download here (Adobe Acrobat PDF 177Kb, PDF Help).
For further information contact
Christina Hartshorn
.
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