Join Richard Jones, Professor of Materials Physics and Innovation Policy at the University of Manchester, to hear how research and development links with productivity at a regional level in this Vital Topics event titled: The UK’s regional productivity disparities and the “levelling up” agenda – what’s the role of research and development?

The event, taking place at Alliance Manchester Business School from 17:30 – 19.00 on Thursday 7 October 2021 will be facilitated by Elvira Uyarra, Professor of Innovation Studies at Alliance Manchester Business School. Everyone is welcome to attend either online or in person where there will be a drinks reception starting from 17:00. Book your place here.

The UK has a profound problem of regional disparities in productivity performance, with second tier cities that underperform compared to expectations based on their size, and deindustrialised towns and urban areas that have failed to find productive new economic roles. The distribution of research and development (R&D) investment in the UK – especially in the public sector – is also highly skewed to the prosperous Greater South East.

Professor Jones will discuss the evidence – and the uncertainties – relating to the link between R&D and productivity at a subnational level, and outline the institutional landscape that has led to the UK’s current, highly unbalanced, regional distribution of R&D. He will consider some of the uses and pitfalls of using innovation policy as an instrument of regional economic development.

He will go on to reflect on recent policy development in the UK, as the current Government’s “levelling up” slogan is turned into concrete policy. The event closely aligns with our strategic priority of ‘engaging our communities’ with the University being committed to engaging the public in our research and improving the lives of people across our region.

Book your place now.