Our Innovation Strategy is now published.

Philip Hammond, Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in the November 2016 autumn statement that the Oxfordshire Transformative Technology Alliance submission was included in the second wave of proposals approved.

The SIA will help us develop a deeper understanding of Oxfordshire’s strengths in the four key areas of: Digital Health; Space-led Data Applications; Autonomous Vehicles and Technologies underpinning Quantum Computing.  

READ THE FULL SCIENCE AND INNOVATION AUDIT HERE.

The Oxfordshire Transformative Technology Alliance SIA was led by the University of Oxford and a Steering Group chaired by Professor Ian Walmsley (Chair of the Innovation Sub-Committee at the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (OxLEP) and Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation at the University of Oxford). Other partners included Oxford University Innovation, Oxford Brookes University, OxLEP, the Oxford Academic Health Sciences Network, the UK Atomic Energy Authority, the Satellite Applications Catapult and the Science and Technology Facilities Council.

The group of partners and collaborators that contributed to the audit was much larger and included representatives from industry, local government and academia - as well as partner LEPs where the areas had a particular strength in one or more of the four sectors.

A Strategic Advisory Board advised on such aspects as models of the development of the technologies, economic potential, and how the Audit can yield greatest evidence-based benefit and value.

The table below gives an outline of the Consortium Structure & Governance:

A project manager was appointed to drive the SIA work and acted as the main link for the Steering Group and other parts of the leadership structure, as well as the main point of contact for Technopolis who were appointed as contractor to carry out the audit work on behalf of BEIS.

Our submitted Expression of Interest outlined that we have the core ingredients and strengths within the region to drive the development of these areas for Oxfordshire and the UK. The SIA helped to catalyse cross-sectoral discussion across the four transformative technology areas, identifying capabilities that could complement each sector and establish how to drive new combined commercial opportunities. These are emerging sectors where the UK competes to lead the market on a global scale. 

Key points to understand and address were:

• How to accelerate the adoption of the research and innovations by business

• How to plan for and develop the skills base to enable future growth

• How to develop a connected supply chain for emerging technologies

The SIA focused on mapping and understanding our strengths and assets, combining the innovation expertise and insight of business and research innovators, working together to identify opportunities for the areas, in their own right and in combination and proposing tangible solutions and opportunities for growth.

The close involvement of OxLEP ensured that the SIA leadership integratated with existing governance structures and that the SIA work is robustly connected with regional strategies such as the Strategic Economic Plan, Innovation Strategy, and investment streams. Professor Walmsley’s presence as Chair demonstrated our strong integration between innovation, governance and industry and the recognised strength of Oxfordshire’s innovation and academic leadership.

The SIA process is a significant contributor to national priorities of the UK protecting its reputation for world-class science and continuing to raise productivity for the whole of the UK. 

If you would like more information or have any questions please contact us by email: SIA@oxfordshireLEP.com