Midlands Innovation Universities are set to reveal opportunities for investment in the region that have been identified in a report produced by Beauhurst, a platform that provides data on the UK’s high-growth and innovative companies, at an event on Wednesday 12th May.

The Midlands is the fastest growing regional economy outside of the South East, and the report analyses the Midlands’ investment landscape, concentrating on high-growth small to medium sized enterprises, University spinouts, and the substantial contribution made by the eight research-intensive Universities that deliver the cutting-edge research and skills that are required for a high-tech regional economy to flourish.

Over the last ten years companies in the Midlands have received £3.5b in equity investment, and last year saw a record £665m invested into Midlands-based companies via 286 equity deals.

The Universities are an integral part of this business ecosystem.  Much of their work is conducted in collaboration with industry, and the outputs of their work are impressive.  Between them, Midlands Innovation Universities generate more patents per unit of research income than any other major UK university grouping.

The event will explain the key findings of the report, and deliver perspectives on the contribution of science parks, how Universities and industry can work together on the levelling up agenda, and how the British Business Bank supports access to finance for commercialisation.

Speakers include:

• Professor Trevor McMillan, Vice Chancellor, Keele University and Chair of Midlands Innovation Board
• Henry Whorwood, Head of Research & Consultancy, Beauhurst
• David Hardman MBE, Managing Director, Bruntwood SciTech Birmingham
• Alice Hu Wagner, Managing Director, Strategy Economics and Business Development at the British Business Bank.

Registration is via Eventbrite:  https://bit.ly/3xVLoqK.

The Beauhurst report was commissioned by the Midlands Innovation Commercialisation of Research Accelerator (MICRA), which has provided a single gateway to the Midlands Innovation universities’ collective intellectual property and spinout portfolio.