Innovation strategy

Yorkshire Forward funds Yorkshire Innovation, the regional science and innovation council for Yorkshire & Humber. Its vision is:

“To drive Yorkshire & Humber towards sustainable economic growth through knowledge-intensive businesses, with innovation as its primary engine".

Yorkshire Innovation champions the use of innovation in all aspects of business to increase the competitiveness of the Yorkshire & Humber region. They developed the Regional Innovation Strategy (read the document) to highlight specific areas which businesses need to address in order to become more successful.

Read our page about the Regional Innovation Strategy.

4 main themes

  • Business innovation—promoting the region's innovation culture through a network of high-profile innovation champions, who encourage innovative ways of working to help businesses maintain a competitive edge
  • Innovation hubs—identifying hubs where support will be available to businesses to encourage and develop innovation, in areas such as creativity, design, leadership, financial management and regulation
  • Working with Europe—encouraging organisations across Yorkshire & Humber to participate fully in the EU Framework programmes, gain funding for innovation, and form strategic alliances with other European regions
  • Northern collaboration—promoting collaboration between the science councils of the three Northern regions (North West, North East and Yorkshire & Humber) in order to increase our ability to innovate and prosper.

Yorkshire Innovation’s objectives

  • To set the strategy for innovation and research in the region, decide on priorities for the future, and advise Yorkshire Forward accordingly
  • To suggest how to attract talent and investment into the region
  • To champion the region at national and international levels
  • To encourage collaboration between the region’s business community and universities, using scientific knowledge to increase competitiveness
  • To develop and lead a communication process which will raise the profile of the region’s science base regionally, nationally and internationally.

Yorkshire Innovation’s members

  • The vice-chancellors of the Universities of Hull and York
  • Directors of successful and innovative regional companies
  • The chief executive of The Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA) and deputy chief executive of the Science and Technology Facilities Councils
  • The director of government office for Yorkshire and the Humber
  • The executive director of business development for Yorkshire Forward.

Yorkshire Innovation’s Council

The council members—gathered from universities, business and the public sector—provide a united voice in representing the region’s business, innovation and research base.

Yorkshire Innovation Council Members now being sought

Yorkshire Innovation is the Science and Industry Council for the Yorkshire and Humber Region. Advising the Yorkshire Forward board, the role of the Council is to promote a culture of innovation in the region and advise on ways to improve the economic performance of the region by increasing levels of innovation in our companies.

As a Council member, you will be part of a team of twenty senior academic, business and public sector leaders. You will be champions of the Regional Innovation Strategy and will understand both the opportunities open to the region and the barriers we face.

Council members are ambassadors for the region, promoting the region’s major assets and world-leading technology nationally and internationally. They act as key influencers, helping shape government policy and decision making.

Yorkshire Innovation is seeking to recruit new Council members who are business leaders engaged in innovation challenges at the front line. It is looking for representatives from large and small companies across the region, particularly, though not exclusively, those involved with energy production and the low carbon economy, advanced manufacturing, healthcare and the digital/new media sectors.

The Council meets six times per year. Appointments will be for three years. Positions are unremunerated, though reasonable travel and subsistence expenses will be met.

Yorkshire Innovation welcomes applications from all sections of the community.

To apply, please send a letter of interest and CV to:
Jane Metcalfe, Yorkshire Forward, Victoria House, 2 Victoria Place, Leeds LS11 5AE.
Email: jane.metcalfe@yorkshire-forward.com
Closing date 26th March 2010.

Visit the Yorkshire Innovation website.

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