Making the most of links between universities and businesses continue to be a ‘holy grail' for policymakers wishing to support jobs and growth.
From the Catapult Centres to the recommendations in the Witty and Wilson reviews, national policy has been busy. But there is also growing interest in the role that cities – the location of most UK universities and knowledge-intensive firms - can play in fostering effective relationships.
The Centre for Cities' latest report, Delivering Change: supporting links between universities and high-growth firms in cities, supported by Santander, explores the different ways in which cities are developing these links. It highlights three approaches: firstly enabling relationships, secondly building scale and finally concentrating on local strengths.
Successful collaborations are usually built on individual relationships, so cities can play an important role in providing opportunities for these relationships to form and for existing ones to prosper. Germany's Fraunhofer model and Cambridge's science parks are well known examples in this mould. They owe their success to a long term commitment to funding and continued attempts to build relationships at scale between research centres and with businesses over time.
But not all cities have established innovation ecosystems. Instead, some are building relationships at scale through networks. Working with other cities to bring universities and businesses together allows them to build a sufficient scale of partners and research to help partners match business challenges with research expertise or to access infrastructure funding.
Cities can also capitalise on local strengths, while avoiding gambling too much on one sector by supporting growth in other industries too. For example, Teesside University develops links with digital companies - a growing sector locally and a strength of the University – but it also offers digital training and support to other businesses.
In other cities responding to local circumstances may mean more direct support - in Bristol, the city council loan-funded a networking space that capitalises on local high tech collaborations. Engine Shed builds on the success of the SETSquared partnership, but since investing the city has adopted an arm's length approach which allows relationships to develop naturally.
Our case studies also demonstrate the importance of cities being clear what their role is and knowing when to stand back. Cities have the advantage of local knowledge and relationships and can identify where there are opportunities, but they should also stand back when those networks are built independently.
With partnerships between universities and high growth firms continuing to offer benefits for jobs and growth, cities will have a critical role in ensuring this happens effectively.
Ed Clarke is an analyst for the Centre for Cities
