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The Industrial Strategy

The Industrial Strategy

The Industrial Strategy is organised around five foundations: Ideas; People; Business Environment; Infrastructure; and Place.

Grand Challenges

Within the strategy are four grand challenges to the UK identified by government:

To respond to these grand challenges, business, academia, civil society and the government must work together, bringing their expertise and entrepreneurial spirit, to drive us all towards success.

For each grand challenge, the government will ask leading figures from industry and academia to act as expert advisors, led by a ‘Business Champion’. Working alongside ministers, these figures will be responsible for engaging a diverse range of industry voices and raising the profile of the challenge.

Local Enterprise Partnerships

The Prime Minister will chair a biannual ‘Council of Local Enterprise Partnership Chairs’. This will provide an opportunity for Local Enterprise Partnership leaders to inform national policy decisions. The first meeting was held on Tuesday 19th June. 

Council of LEP Chairs

Local Industrial Strategies

Local industrial strategies will be long-term, based on clear evidence, and aligned to the national Industrial Strategy. They will identify local strengths and challenges, future opportunities and the action needed to boost productivity, earning power and competitiveness.

Mayors will lead on local industrial strategies in combined authorities and will be supported by LEPs. LEPs outside CAs will lead on the development of local industrial strategies

Skills Advisory Panels

The government will work with Mayoral Combined Authorities and Local Enterprise Partnerships across all areas of England to establish Skills Advisory Panels. These will enable mayors and Local Enterprise Partnerships to support employers, education providers and local government in identifying current and future local skills needs shaping the provision and funding of post-16 education and training and careers guidance

Growth Hubs

The government will ensure all businesses have access to a local Growth Hub. Over the last three years, the government has established and tested Growth Hubs in every Local Enterprise Partnership area in England. The government will build on this programme, providing continued funding to enable Growth Hubs to bring public and private sector partners together, such as UK Research and Innovation, the British Business Bank, Tech Nation, investors and universities.

The government wants Growth Hubs to carry on building their reach, developing peer-to-peer networks, connecting businesses to the best support available from the private and public sectors. The government will work with Local Enterprise Partnerships, Growth Hubs, universities and the private sector to support high potential businesses to scale up.

All businesses choosing to set up a Primary Authority partnership will have access to assured advice, with support from Growth Hubs. The government will support Local Enterprise Partnerships in translating and co-ordinating regulatory frameworks that focus on local business needs, simplifying the way regulation is delivered.

Sector Deals                                                                                              

Sector deals have been agreed in life sciences, construction, artificial intelligence, the automotive sector and the creative industries. More information can be found here .

Institutes of Technology                                                                                                         

The first call for Institutes of Technology was launched in December 2017. The institutes will sit alongside the four flagship employer-led National Colleges, which are delivering high-quality skills training for the digital, creative, nuclear and high speed rail sectors

Infrastructure                                                                                                               

The Transforming Cities Fund will provide £1.7bn for projects that improve connectivity, reduce congestion and utilise new mobility services and technology. It will transform local productivity in city regions, for example, by linking the towns around our cities to city centres, and to each other. Half of this funding will be allocated through a competition for transport projects in cities, with the remainder allocated to the six combined authorities with elected metro mayors.

The establishment of Sub-National Transport Bodies, the development of Combined Authorities, enhancement of Local Enterprise Partnerships and the introduction of local industrial strategies will further strengthen the capabilities of communities to identify their infrastructure needs and to work with central government to deliver them.

Higher Education Innovation Funding  

Higher Education Innovation Funding (HEIF) in England enables universities to engage with   businesses and improve the commercial skills of their staff. The government expects universities to continue to use HEIF to help address the needs of local innovative businesses and contribute to regional development, including collaboration with their Local Enterprise Partnership.

Competitive Strength in Places Fund                                     

The government is launching a new competitive £115m Strength in Places Fund to support areas to build on their science and innovation strengths and develop stronger local networks. The fund will support collaborative programmes based on research and innovation excellence in places right across the UK which can demonstrate a strong impact on local productivity and enhance collaboration between universities, research organisations, businesses, local government and Local Enterprise Partnerships in England.

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