The Open University will lead in driving a new wave of innovation across the central area of the Oxford\u2013Cambridge Growth Corridor, including Milton Keynes, Bedford and neighbouring high\u2011growth districts, backed by up to \u00a320 million of UK Government funding. The investment, confirmed today (2 April) by Science and Technology Secretary Liz Kendall, comes from the government\u2019s \u00a3500 million Local Innovation Partnerships Fund and will enable the University and its partners to turn cutting\u2011edge ideas into real\u2011world impact.<\/p>\n
Working with partners across this central stretch of the Corridor, The Open University will deliver programs that strengthen capabilities in autonomous systems, high\u2011performance engineering and dual use space and defence technologies. This includes improving digital connectivity, linking testbeds across Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire and Northants, The programme will build on the thousands of high\u2011skilled jobs already supported by the motorsport, engineering and space sectors, building pipelines for further growth, and reinforcing this part of the Corridor as a key hub for applied innovation within the wider Oxford\u2013Cambridge area.<\/p>\n
Announcing the funding, Science and Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said: <\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIn the Oxford\u2013Cambridge Growth Corridor, the funding will strengthen world leading engineering and space technology, helping turn scientific excellence into jobs and economic growth. By working with local leaders, researchers, and businesses, we can unleash transformational research and products that improve lives.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n The Open University\u2019s leadership across Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire and Northants, will ensure the investment accelerates research and development while expanding opportunities for people and businesses. With world\u2011class expertise in space science, engineering and skills development, and a long history of translating research into practical solutions, the University is well placed to guide the programme from concept to delivery. All partners across the region will now work with UKRI to shape the projects that will receive support, focusing on collaborative R&D, talent development, integrated testbeds and clear routes to investment and new markets.<\/p>\n Professor David Phoenix, Vice-Chancellor of The Open University, said: <\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThe Open University is proud to lead a partnership that brings academia, industry and local government together to accelerate commercial readiness, and unlock an estimated \u00a34.5bn in annual GVA by 2035 via the central spine of the Oxford\u2013Cambridge Growth Corridor. Our geography is already rich in talent, creativity and technical excellence and is an area where research is scaled and translated into engineered reality. This Innovation Circuit positions the region as the nation\u2019s \u2018engine room\u2019 for applied innovation, where breakthroughs move rapidly from lab to street, and from street to scale, driving UK competitiveness and global market leadership.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Professor Sir Ian Chapman, Chief Executive of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), highlighted the region\u2019s long\u2011standing strengths and the importance of the new partnership.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThe Oxford\u2013Cambridge Growth Corridor has long been home to world class ingenuity and a proud tradition of delivering real impact from great ideas. UKRI is delighted to work with the Oxford\u2013Cambridge Growth Corridor Local Innovation Partnership as they accelerate bold plans to build on that legacy and drive the region\u2019s next wave of innovation led growth. By bringing together the region\u2019s researchers, entrepreneurs and civic leaders, we are strengthening the Oxford\u2013Cambridge Growth Corridor\u2019s distinctive capabilities and championing its ambition on the national stage.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Head of Economic Development, Milton Keynes City Council, Sophie Lloyd said: <\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWe welcome this announcement and the opportunities it brings for Milton Keynes and the wider region. We\u2019re pleased to be working closely with The Open University and other partners to strengthen our shared innovation capabilities. These plans will support key sectors and create practical benefits for Milton Keynes\u2019 local economy and communities.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Professor Leon A. Terry, Pro-Vice-Chancellor – Education and Research at Cranfield University said:<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s huge potential for growth and innovation across the central spine of the Oxford to Cambridge Growth Corridor. I\u2019m delighted to see that our bid to the Local Innovation Partnerships Fund is progressing \u2013 it will support our collaborative work across high performance engineering, connected and autonomous systems and dual-use technologies which promise to grow the local economy and spark investment.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n This programme builds on the success of the UK\u2019s Innovation Accelerators, which have already attracted around \u00a3240 million in private investment and created hundreds of jobs across the country. The Open University\u2019s leadership within the central area of the Corridor ensures the region is well placed to deliver the next generation of breakthroughs that will benefit the wider Corridor and the UK.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Open University will lead in driving a new wave of innovation across the central area of the Oxford\u2013Cambridge Growth Corridor, including Milton Keynes, Bedford and neighbouring high\u2011growth districts, backed by up to \u00a320 million of UK Government funding. The investment, confirmed today (2 April) by Science and Technology Secretary Liz Kendall, comes from the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":24861,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[761,1525,1640],"class_list":["post-28315","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-university-news","tag-education","tag-news-home","tag-ou-home"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28315","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28315"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28315\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28322,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28315\/revisions\/28322"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24861"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28315"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28315"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28315"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}