Author Archives: Patrick Willcocks
‘The Time Has Come for Action’
Lord Heseltine has just launched The Greater Birmingham Project: The Path to Local Growth. This is a quick review of the document. Lord Heseltine and the Greater Birmingham and Solihull LEP are really seizing the day. The launch today is intended to feed into George Osborne’s budget setting agenda for later in the week; not that […]
How to… connect sectors to kickstart innovation | CLES
How to… connect sectors to kickstart innovation | CLES.
A Review of Birmingham’s Enterprise Zone Investment Plan
As Michael Heseltine was in Birmingham recently launching the Enterprise Zone Prospectus with George Osborne it is useful to review the delivery plan of the EZ; the Enterprise Zone Investment Plan produced jointly by Birmingham City Council and the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP) which will drive much of the early investment in […]
ERDF and ESF: There is good news hidden in the EU budget for the UK
With the agreement of the EU budget deal by the Council of Ministers last month, and with the likely agreement of the European Parliament (with a few niggles) this opens the way for 7 more years of economic development funding for the UK. It is clear from figures published by EUACTIV that the budget going […]
Cross Innovation Policy Clinic in Birmingham
We are joined in Birmingham tomorrow by colleagues from Vilnius and Warsaw for our Cross Innovation project policy clinic looking at how various different brokerage services can aid the interaction of the creative sector with other sectors with a view to kick starting innovation. Details of best practice projects in Vilnius and Warsaw can be […]
Oxygen Accelerator: A fantastic opportunity for New Start Ups
The call has gone out for the next 13 week intensive bootcamp follow by 13 weeks incubation and financial support The accelerator is suited to any web based businesses that can build a prototype in 13 weeks.Below is a list of the areas they are interested. Social Media, Mobile, Data Analysis, Publishing,Developer Tools,Video,Gaming, Education and SaaS Based in the thriving digital […]
Serendipity and the Importance of Third Spaces and Third Places
Amsterdam is a known for its encounters and true to form there was a serendipitous meeting after the Cross Innovation project work was finished. We met up with Sebastian Olma who was interested in the work we had been doing during the day. He is, it turned out, an international expert in our area of study. He […]
Cross Innovation:11 Cities working together
I have just returned from Amsterdam where partners, hosted by Amsterdam Innovation Motor got together to discuss progress on the Cross Innovation Project. A fascinating two days. Cities represented include Berlin,Birmingham, Amsterdam, Rome, Lisbon and Warsaw. So what is Cross Innovation. I touched on this in my earlier blog post – so won’t repeat it here […]
Fantastic New Park in Birmingham
Just visited the new park in Eastside in Birmingham. Fantastic design, quality materials, lovely planting, quirky and fun. Very highest standards…best thing to happen in Birmingham for years More photos………
The Economic Impact of Birmingham’s New Library
As the opening of Birmingham’s massive new library approaches in September 2013 I am keen to try and assess what economic impact it will make. Undoubtedly it will have a significant cultural impact but will it match the ICC, and Millennium Point in economic returns for the £200m spent? 1)Has any impact research been done […]
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