Reflections and Lessons

Programme Monitoring CommitteeMonday 15 December 2008

Alan RoffRAP Board Chair &

Deputy Vice-ChancellorUniversity of Central Lancashire

The Regional Action Plan

1. What it was

2. How it operated

3. What it achieved

4. What we learnt

The Regional Action Plan – What was it?

CONTEXT: 2000-06 Objective 2 programme

– Created following Mid Term Review 2003

– Key strategic partnership: NWDA and NWUA

– New Challenges:

• Achieving the RES

• Greater Collaboration

• Commissioning of Projects

• Legacy

The Regional Action Plan – What was it?

How was it managed?

– NWDA is the accountable body supported by two administrative teams:

– NW Universities Association» M1.4 and M3.1

– Manchester Enterprises» Measures 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 & 3.2

The Regional Action Plan – the targets:OVERALL MONEY

ALLOCATION OVERALL KEY TARGETS TO ACHIEVE

BY DECEMBER 2008Total Cost ERDF allocation

M 1.1 £2,271,588 £1,000,000 220 new companies assisted

110 jobs created

£0.64m increased sales

M 1.2 £6,272,685 £2,706,017 1,200 SMEs assisted 460 jobs created

£34m increased sales

M 1.3 £22,800,000 £5,700,000 76 SMEs Assisted

17 Investments

16 jobs created

£10.2m increased sales

M 1.4 £51,947,791 £21,772,722 3,702 SMEs Assisted 2,838 jobs created

£175m increased sales

M 3.1 £18,422,247 £7,486,575 13,066m2 premises provided

199 jobs created

£15.78m increased sales

M 3.2 £ 17,115,774 £ 6,814,882 70 visitor/cultural attractions or facilities

15 Environ. Schemes

184 jobs created

£9m increased sales

£118,830,085 £45,480,196 3,807 jobs £244.62m

The Regional Action Plan

Measure 1.1 Enterprise Development:

– Activities undertaken:• Stimulate new entrepreneurial business start-ups and Spin-outs,

including mentoring

• Entrepreneurship development (including Graduate)

• Innovation and product development for new start ups

• Mentoring, management and human resource development

– Projects: x2• Graduate Entrepreneurship (UCLan)

• New Enterprise Scholarship (University of Cumbria)

The Regional Action Plan

Measure 1.2 – Business Support:

– Activities undertaken:• business counselling, advice, and consultancy• supply chain initiatives • technology transfer

– Projects / Themes:

• Advanced Manufacturing Design • Tourism (Business Beacon Scheme)

• Virtual Environment Technology • International Trade support

• Regional Creative Industries

The Regional Action Plan

Measure 1.3 - Access to Finance:

– Activities undertaken:

• Venture capital Investment Fund• Access to Finance

– Projects / Themes:

• The Business Investment Scheme (BIS)

– Stimulate a higher rate of business formation, survival and growth in the region by providing access to investment finance for entrepreneurial start-ups and SMEs

– Create a regional market for private sector investment

The Regional Action Plan

Measure 1.4Knowledge Transfer &Innovation:

– Activities undertaken:• Knowledge Transfer• Innovation awareness• and support• Entrepreneurship • Competitiveness & Growth

– Projects & Themes: 32 Projects

• Cluster & Sector Support

• Construction

• Graduate Retention • Tourism

• Innovation • Environmental Technologies

• Applied R&D • Food & Drink

• Chemicals • Digital & Creative

• Adv. Engineering & Materials

• Creative Industries

• Finance & Professional Services

• Biotechnology/ Healthcare

The Regional Action Plan

Measure 3.1 – Strategic Infrastructure

(Knowledge Transfer)

– Activities undertaken

• Premises for knowledge transfer activities, linked to centres for innovation, and projects enabling SMEs/start-ups

– Projects x 4:

• ‘Media Factory’ (UCLan) – Creative Industries/ Incubator

• Salford Innovation Factory (Salford CC) - Incubator

• ‘Innospace’ (MMU) – Incubation facilities

• ‘Innovation Factory’ (Uni. Bolton) – Innovation/ Prototype Development

The Regional Action Plan

Measure 3.2 - Maximising the NW’s Natural, Cultural and Heritage Assets

– Activities undertaken:• Support for the Natural Economy - improvements to the quality of the

region’s natural environment;• Tourism – support to the ‘Regional Gems’ and visitor experience

– Projects / Themes: 11 projects e.g.

ENVIRONMENTAL TOURISM/ HERITAGE

• Cleveleys Coastal Regeneration • Accommodation provision (Cumbria)

• Geltsdale – RSPB • Museums – Fusiliers & Harris

• Wigan Greenheart • Destination Mary Port

• Grizedale – Forestry Commission • Sense of Place (Mcr)

• Regeneration by Light (Blackpool)

Results generated to-date: £43.578m ERDF Grant (95.8%)

Outputs/ Results Achieved as at 31/10/2008

% of overall target

New Start-ups 245 111%

SMEs Assisted 5,565 108%

New Products & Processes Developed

2,480 183%

Premises Provided (m2) 13,084 100%

New/Improved Visitor Facilities & Attractions

49 70%

Environmental Schemes 13 86%

New Jobs Created 3,866 99.84%

Increased Sales Generated £349.343m 140%

Illustration of the sectorial diversity of SMEs Assisted within the NW Objective 2

Fully Eligible Area as at 31st October 2008 (NW Regional Action Plan - M1.4)

Manufacturing, Advanced Engineering 19.49%

Creative Industries/ Digital Media, 8.58%

Environmental Technologies, 4.31%

Bio-Technology / Healthcare, 2.22%

Construction, 4.27%

Chemicals, 1.32%

Food & Drink, 5.54%

Tourism, 13.18%

Other Sectors, 15.23%

Financial & Professional Services, 13.30%

Textiles , 3.18%

Computer Softw are & Services (ICT), 8.22%

Manufacturing /Adv.Enginereering Creative Industries/ Digital Media Environmental Technologies Bio-Technology / Healthcare

Computer Softw are & Services (ICT) Textiles Financial & Professional Services Other Sectors

Construction Tourism Food & Drink Chemicals

Examples of ERDF Infrastructure Investment

Media Factory: UCLan The state-of-the-art Media Factory project provides a specialist centre for the Digital & Creative Industries, including incubation facilities.

Examples of ERDF Investment:

The ‘Innospace’ Project

Attached to MMU’s Business School, ‘Innospace’ provides incubation facilities for graduate start-up businesses.

Examples of ERDF Infrastructure Investment

Salford Innovation Forum

The Salford Innovation Forum is a partnership project led by Salford City Council in conjunction with the University of Salford.

Examples of ERDF Investment – supporting the Natural Economy

Cleveleys PromenadeIn conjunction with wider DEFRA sea defence re-construction the project supported the re-design of the promenade.

Regional Action Plan – What we Learnt:1. Commission to achieve RES

2. Keep focus

3. Enforce partnership early

4. Enforce compliance early

5. Leave legacy