SIAs map the specific innovation and scientific strengths of local areas, and aim to catalyse a new approach to sub-national economic development, enabling local consortia (including businesses, universities, local authorities, LEPs and wider stakeholders) to focus on analysing their strengths, and identify mechanisms to realise their full economic potential and boost productivity.
In 2016, SQW worked with three of the five first-wave consortia: The Midlands Engine; Sheffield and Lancashire; and Greater Manchester and East Cheshire. The first wave was published in November 2016. All five of the Wave One SIA reports were published in November 2016, including the three that SQW supported, all five are available to download here.
Throughout spring 2017, SQW supported five of the eight second wave consortia in developing their SIAs: Bioeconomy of the North of England; East of England; Innovation South; Leeds City Region; and Oxfordshire Transformative Technologies Alliance. On 21st September 2017, BEIS published the second wave of SIA reports. The summary reports are available here.
SQW is currently supporting three of the twelve third wave consortia: Precision Medicine Innovation in Scotland (University of Glasgow), The South Wales Crucible (Swansea University) and The Knowledge Quarter, London. We have worked closely with 11 of the 25 BEIS-sponsored SIAs (plus several other locally-initiated ones).