The Productivity Institute's Regional Forums will work to better understand and address the region's issues of productivity and improve the UK's overall performance
As part of the £32 million ESRC-funded Productivity Institute, eight Regional Productivity Forums have been launched across the UK. Each will inform and shape the development and implementation of the Institute's research agenda and practical business interventions.
The majority of the Institute's research activities and outputs will be developed in collaboration, and in some instances through co-production, with business and policy users.
Good research requires going beyond the national aggregates, to understand the issues faced by the regions and devolved nations, and the challenges and opportunities that they face. This is particularly so as our research seeks to provide policy relevant and practical proposals for raising productivity and economic performance in firms, regions, and for society as a whole. The Regional Productivity Forums are essential in enabling this two way flow of knowledge and ideas, and I'm delighted that they have made such a strong start in their work– The Productivity Institute Research Director Professor Tony Venables
King's Business School is leading one of the research hubs and overseeing the set up and running of the Regional Forum for the London and South region. It includes representatives from the area's key sectors including digital and finance as well as from the public sector and academia.
Chaired by Philip Keller, Executive Fellow of King's Business School and non-executive director of John Laing Plc, members of the Forum met virtually for the first time in Q1 2021 to start shaping its work and consider the highly evident productivity issues across London and South.
One of the Forum's first outputs will be a 'Regional Productivity Insights Paper' to provide a framework for its work. Members were also keen to use the Forum to understand the longer timescales over which changes in productivity would emerge.
The first Forum meeting was a fantastic opportunity to bring together leading industry and policy experts to revitalise productivity growth in London and the South with a focus on sustainability and quality of life. I'm looking forward to participating in establishing a framework to explore opportunities of innovation across all sectors and regions providing ideas for cooperation, investments and policy actions– Philip Keller, Chair of the Productivity Institute London and South Regional Forum
The Forum brings together innovative thinkers from businesses across London, the South East and the South West, as well as experts in local industrial policy, worker rights and the green economy, to share ideas and experiences that can foster productivity growth for a more sustainable regional economy. Over the following months, the best ideas will underpin new impactful research designed to deliver real change in business strategy and activities with economic, social and environmental benefits– Professor Damian Grimshaw, , Professor of Employment Studies at King's Business School and co-lead of the Productivity Institute London and South Regional Forum
Working alongside Professor Grimshaw as co-leads for the London and South Forum are Professor Marcella Miozzo, and Mario Gruber.
