Innovation
To increase business innovation across West Yorkshire
Aim
For Leeds City Region to be ‘A place that is globally recognised for developing an open, inclusive, thriving and coherent innovation ecosystem, where SMEs, budding entrepreneurs and individuals are inspired to innovate, and can easily navigate the support landscape and connect and collaborate with others to create new and better solutions for business growth and societal good’.
What success will look like
- More innovation led businesses doing more ‘high end’ R&D and innovation
- More businesses reaping the benefits of existing innovations, whether those are new management practices or adoption of new technology to stimulate further innovative activity and behaviours
- More diversity in innovation
Strengths
- Health tech
- Large number of firms self-identifying as innovation active
- Above average R&D spend by HEI sector
- Large HEI base and innovation support network
Challenges
- Low R&D investment by businesses
- Low levels of interaction between academia and business
- No OEMs to drive innovation through supply chains
- Low take up of innovation support
- Reactive rather than strategic innovation