Research outlines actionable policies aimed at fostering social, industrial or territorial inclusion and equitable growth in innovation ecosystems throughout the UK.
The Bennett Institute for Public Policy has published a new report exploring how to make innovation more inclusive throughout the UK. It aims to create a shared understanding of what constitutes an inclusive innovation ecosystem that would benefit all communities and addresses regional disparities.
The research emphasises the need for coordination among key actors and data-driven approaches to ensure that marginalised groups benefit from technological advances (focusing on affordability, social inclusion, and capability building), and to help tackle regional disparities.
The authors, Prof Diane Coyle and Burcu Sevde Selvi show that while the UK has a strong R&D base, it faces significant spatial economic inequalities. Innovation is often concentrated in regions like London and Manchester, with other areas left behind. This concentration exacerbates regional disparities, and points to the imperative to develop more inclusive innovation strategies.
The research, supported by The Productivity Institute, emphasises the importance of developing data-driven, coordinated approaches, enhancing local innovation ecosystems, and ensuring diversity in innovation practices.
Achieving an inclusive innovation ecosystem requires clear objectives, diverse funding streams, and policies that support participation from a broad range of stakeholders. Ensuring that the benefits of innovation are widely shared involves collaboration across sectors, in tandem with policies that address ‘upstream’ challenges — such as governance, R&D investment, and diversity in innovation — and ‘downstream’ ones like supply chain development, product diffusion, and financial returns.
To support these efforts, coordinated actions are also needed at all levels of government. By implementing these measures, innovation can become a driving force for more equitable growth, ensuring that all regions and communities can participate in, and benefit from, the opportunities it creates.
The report’s release coincides with the third annual Innovate Cambridge Summit – which brings together up to 500 entrepreneurs, decision-makers and key opinion leaders in the region and beyond – to discuss their progress on three key initiatives: establishing an innovation hub to enhance the Cambridge ecosystem; launching the first pan-UK innovation partnership with Manchester to foster place-to-place collaboration; and utilising innovation for social impact, including the announcement of The Cambridge Pledge.
Lead author, Professor Diane Coyle, Co-Director at the Bennett Institute for Public Policy, said: “Cambridge has an opportunity to lead the way when it comes to inclusive innovation, building on its long tradition of foundational scientific and technical discoveries. The Bennett Institute’s new Inclusive Innovation report demonstrates how data-driven, coordinated approaches can help shape discovery and development in ways that have broad benefits. Increasing the level of funds being invested back into the local deployment of innovation will help Cambridge address the city’s deep inequalities.”
The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the Bennett Institute for Public Policy.
