Imperial has contributed to a new report on how the UK can recover from the impacts of Covid-19.
The report, Ambition 2030: A Partnership for Growth, sets out how a new National Prosperity Plan, bringing together government, business and civil society, can stimulate growth and lead to better economic, social and environmental outcomes for people right across the UK.
This follows the work of the Covid Recovery Commission, an independent group of experts from various fields, to look at how the government can meet its objective to 'level up' all regions and nations of the UK. This group was chaired by John Allan CBE, Chair of the Council at Imperial and Chair of Tesco, and included executives from firms such as AstraZeneca and Vodafone.
The report echoes many of the recommendations put forward in Imperial's submission to the Commission. These include ensuring universities and science are central to the economic recovery, establishing a clear roadmap for how the government plans to reach goals around increasing public R&D investment, and the importance of funding green technology and infrastructure in achieving net zero carbon emissions.
It also references the report commissioned by Imperial last year and produced by WPI Economics, White City and Imperial College London: a vision for growth, innovation and community. This set out what can be learned from Imperial's White City campus and surrounding innovation district about some key ingredients for creating a successful innovation ecosystem, bringing together university, industry, civic and community partners.
As well as those mentioned above, the report makes recommendations around improving financial incentives and access to capital to support regional growth, addressing skills gaps through lifelong learning, and increasing investment in digital and transport infrastructure. It underscores how Covid has made the need for action more pressing due to the economic and social impacts of the pandemic.
In order to ensure accountability, the report also calls for the progress of the National Prosperity Plan to be tracked both nationally and locally. This would consider a range of metrics to hold government to account, while recognising that the nature of opportunities and challenges differs across the UK.
Universities with strong links to industry like Imperial have a vital role to play in recovery in the coming years. Through our networks of collaboration, we are helping to support innovation and economic growth in all regions and nations of the UK, including through pioneering science in fields such as artificial technology, data, health and green technologies.
