Edition 20

Welcome to the 20th edition of NESTA Innovation Digest (ID). NESTA ID is intended to provide fortnightly information and links on the latest news from the world of innovation policy and research and news of international issues and events.

We're sifting news and updates from dozens of websites and bulletins for each edition of ID. We're keen to know how we could improve this service, or perhaps you have suggestions for inclusion - please email digest@enews.nesta.org.uk

Regards,
Richard Halkett - Executive Director, NESTA Policy and Research Unit

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This issue

DIUS have published a report on the opportunities to build 20 new higher education institutions. BERR have released their annual Small Business Survey, covering 2006/07. The Innovation, Universities and Skills Select Committee have launched an inquiry into implementation of recommendations from the Leitch review of skills. For the first time in its history, the Royal Society will seek to support the application and commercialisation of science, through an Enterprise Fund. Finally, NESTA and Experian have published a research report exploring the wider innovation impact of the creative industries across the economy and society.

 

Policy

DIUS – Creation of the Commission for Employment and Skills 01-04-08
The Commission will supersede the Sector Skills Development Agency and the National Employment Panel, which closed on 31 March. Will provide advice to policymakers and fund the 25 employer-led Sector Skills Councils.

DIUS – Launch of the Voluntarily Giving scheme for universities 03-04-08
Aims to boost universities’ fundraising efforts through promoting match-funding. The Government will provide up to £200m over three years based on private sector contributions of £400m to universities. Will operate on a three tier basis.

MoD – Launch of a new pilot Centre for Defence Enterprise 20-03-08
Aims to bring together inventors, investors, entrepreneurs, and academics to incubate new businesses and technologies with defence applications. Will be modelled on science parks and incubators, and located in Oxfordshire.

Conservatives – David Cameron speech on innovation 03-04-08
In his speech at NESTA, argued that innovation should not be limited to science and the economy and should be at the heart of policymaking. Policy proposals included opening up Government data and encouraging supply-side reforms.

BERR and DCLG consultation – Prosperous Places: Taking Forward the Review of Sub-National Economic Development and Regeneration 31-03-08
Seeks views on reforms that aim to streamline the regional tier of government, strengthen the local authority role in economic development, and support collaboration by local authorities. Closing date is 20-06-08.

DCLG review – Review of Economic Assessment and Strategy Activity at the Local and Sub-Regional Level 31-03-08
As recommended in the Review of Sub National Economic Development and Regeneration, reviews the range of economic assessments produced at sub-regional level and identifies tensions that need to be addressed in future economic strategies.

DCLG report – Planning and Optimal Geographical Levels for Economic Decision-Making, the Sub-regional Role 31-03-08
Argues for a strong sub-regional approach to reflect the nature of functional spatial dynamics in relation to the economy, housing and transport. Calls for greater provision of incentives to encourage sub-regional cooperation on planning issues.

DCSF consultation – Promoting achievement, valuing success: a strategy for 14-19 qualifications 31-03-08
Plans to incorporate existing qualifications into four national qualification structures: diplomas; GCSEs and A-levels; apprenticeships; and a foundation learning tier of courses that act as a route into higher level qualifications. Closing date 23-06-08.

DCSF consultation – Review of Mathematics Teaching in Early Years Settings and Primary Schools: interim report 19-03-08
Seeks views on the Review’s main proposals. Recommendations include enhanced training for maths teachers; a mathematics specialist in post in each primary school within five years; and greater parents involvement. Closing date is 30-04-08.

DCSF – More schools and colleges to offer diplomas 19-03-08
72% of secondary schools and 88% of colleges will offer Diplomas in September 2009. 317 groups of schools and colleges will introduce new Diplomas in subjects such as Environmental and Land-based Studies, and Business, Administration and Finance.

Office of the Third Sector report – Review of social enterprise networks 28-03-08
Identifies a total of 79 social enterprise networks. Analyses what constitutes a good network and gaps in networks provision. Reveals a demand for peer-to-peer learning and the importance of cluster networks in developing social enterprises.

Office of the Third Sector – £215m Futurebuilders Fund opens to all areas of public service delivery 01-04-08
The Futurebuilders Fund aims to assist voluntary and community organisations to build their capacity to increase the scale of their public service delivery. Futurebuilders will now invest in organisations operating in any public service sector.

BERR – overhaul of the Low Carbon Building Programme 31-03-08
Changes include: extension of LCBP Household stream to June 2010; increase in grant caps to 50% for the schools, charities and public sector phase of LCBP; and no need to get planning permission to install microgeneration equipment.

IUSS Select Committee rescheduled evidence session – The Leitch Review of Skills 03-04-08
The Committee will take evidence from Lord Leitch, on his review published 5 December 2006, on Monday 28 April at 4.15pm in Portcullis House.

IUSS Select Committee report – Third Special Report of Session 2007-08, UK Centre for Medical Research and Innovation: Government Response to the First Report from the Committee 31-03-08
The Government responds to the Innovation, Universities & Skills Committee’s First Report of Session 2007–08, ‘UK Centre for Medical Research and Innovation’, published in January 2008.

Lords Select Committee on Economic Affairs report – The economic impact of immigration 01-04-08
Rejects the idea that a high level of net immigration is of economic benefit to the UK. Calls for an explicit target range for net immigration to the UK; new migration statistics; and publication of periodic Immigration Reports.

The Wellcome Trust and EPSRC – £45m for medical engineering 26-03-08
Aims to develop innovative solutions for healthcare. Will fund multidisciplinary projects, bringing together experts in the physical and engineering sciences with experts in the clinical and life sciences. Deadline for applications is 30-05-08.

Universities of Leeds, Sheffield and York – Launch of GRADTERM 19-03-08
A new Graduate Academy for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine will be launched in September 2008 to train up to 50 multidisciplinary PhD students. Total funding is £10m over a five years period.

Ernst & Young – Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index 20-03-08
Tracks the top 25 national renewable energy markets. The US is the most attractive destination for investment in renewable energy. Six of the top 10 countries in the index are EU member states. The UK ranks 4th.

University of Manchester and MTI – Launch of the UMIP Premier Fund 03-04-08
Aims to commercialise university technology spin-outs. Fund has initial backing of £32m. Will make most of its initial investments in the £250,000 – £750,000 range.

UK-IPO – Enhanced patent electronic filing services 31-03-08
Customers will no longer be required to file the statutory forms at the time of making their patent application. Include the ability to file a patent application via the UK-IPO website.

HEFCE – New employer engagement programme 01-04-08
£8.3m will be made available to support students work placements. The Universities of Teesside, Staffordshire and Cumbria, and Worcester College of Technology will benefit from the new funding.

Scottish Government – Creation of Skills Development Scotland 01-04-08
Created by merging Careers Scotland, learndirect Scotland and most of the skills and training functions of the Enterprise Networks. Will have 1,500 staff and will be located in Glasgow.

Scottish Enterprise – Change of remit 01-04-08
Main changes include the transfer of Scottish Enterprise’s Skills activity to Skills Development Scotland; the transfer of responsibility for the Business Gateway to local authorities; and the establishment of a specialist team focused on innovation.

BERR – Enterprising Britain 2008 competition closing soon 27-03-08
Nationwide competition to find the city, town, place or area in the country that is best improving economic prospects and encouraging enterprise. Deadlines for entries range from 18-04-08 in Scotland to the 31-05-08 in the English regions.

Research

Skills Commission report – Inspiration and Aspiration: Realising our Potential in the 21st Century 02-04-08
Argues that Government-backed career advice is not adapted to UK workers’ needs and 1 in 5 workers are not in a job that best uses their skills. Calls for a modernisation of delivery models.

Northern Ireland Skills Expert Group report – An Assessment of International Trends in Occupational Forecasting and Skills Research: How does Northern Ireland compare? 28-03-08
Seeks to provide a contextual background to skills forecasting research. Reviews current international best practice in the area of skills planning and forecasting.

Northern Ireland Skills Expert Group – Towards a Skills Assessment Framework for Northern Ireland: A Sectoral Performance Approach 28-03-08
Aims to develop a framework for identifying priority skill areas in Northern Ireland. Profiles 38 sectors of the NI economy using a number of key performance indicators related to both economic significance and skills.

Universities UK report – The future size and shape of the HE sector in the UK 20-03-08
Projections include a decline equating to 70,000 undergraduate places over the next 10 years and a 4% increase in the number of non-EU students. Recommends that policymakers to take greater account of these demographic projections.

British Chambers of Commerce report – The British Regulatory System 31-03-08
Analyses 30 EU Directives and argues that the UK Government's impact assessments are too late to be effective. Calls for greater synchronisation of the UK’s Impact Assessment process with the EU.

Microsoft report – Being Human: Human-Computer Interaction in the year 2020
Looks at the development of technologies over the next decade. There is a need to anticipate the impact of technology rather than simply reacts to it. Drawn from the discussions of 45 academics from the fields of computing, sociology and psychology.

Innovation Exchange – Call for ideas to support excluded young people and independent living 25-03-08
The teams that come up with the best projects will be invited to two events that will take place in London on independent living (30-04-08) and excluded young people (07-05-08).

Events

Design Management Institute – Design + the linking force, Paris 16 to 18-04-08
Aims to explore how design can foster organisational success. Speakers include Anne Stenros (KONE Corporation), Surya Vanka (Microsoft Corporation) and Patrick Le Quément (Renault).

NESTA – The Innovation Edge, Royal Festival Hall 20-05-08
Will bring together experts from industry, culture, politics and academia. Speakers include Bob Geldof, Lord Puttnam, Helen Alexander, Michael Birch and urban artist 'Inkie'. There will be eight expert seminars in the afternoon to chose from.

HEFCE Annual Conference 2008, Coventry 07 to 08-04-08
For principals of higher education institutions in England and representatives of stakeholder organisations.

Creative & Cultural Skills, DCMS and Universities UK - Supporting Creative Industries: 3rd National Conference, Liverpool 22-04-08
Will explore how to carry forward the proposals to support creative industries to compete in a global economy, from the recent DCMS strategy paper. Speakers include Tom Berwick CEO CCS; Professor Julian Crampton and Feargal Sharkey.

NESTA and the Young Foundation – Social Innovation Camp 04 to 06-04-08
Aims to bring together web developers and designers with people at the sharp end of social problems to find ways in which easy-to-build web 2.0 tools can be used to develop solutions to social challenges.

International

American for the Arts report – Creative Industries 2008: The 50 City Report 01-04-08
Provides an analysis of arts-related businesses, institutions, and organizations in the USA’s 50 most-populated cities. Reveals arts-centric businesses represent 4.3% of all businesses and 2.2% of all jobs in the US.

2008 Innovation Summit, Rothman Institute of Entrepreneurial Studies, Fairleigh Dickinson University, USA 30-04-08
Aims to help the executive management teams to implement innovation. speakers include experts from the healthcare industry, including Ed Ludwig, Chairman (BD); Mervyn Turner (Merck) and Robert Hugin (Celgene).