Association News
UKSPA is looking to appoint an early career professional board member
An UKSPA Board initiative to help improve diversity and representation. Last year UKSPA appointed two co-opted members of the UKSPA Board. Following an open application process Alice Reeve (Hethel Innovation) and Joe Caine (Keele University Science Park) were...
Creating the future by making the best use of what we’ve got. UKSPA’s Interim Chair Patrick Bonnett reflects on the Government’s Innovation Strategy.
The end of July saw the publication of the new Innovation Strategy by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. The strategy was launched by Kwasi Kwarteng, the BEIS Secretary of State at the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre near Sheffield....
Grassroots R&D is a foundation for building back better
Close-to-market innovation across the UK can drive recovery, say Patrick Bonnett and Steve Yianni in a recent article first published in Research Professional News The Chancellor’s budget in March marked a shift in plans to support economic growth through investment...
UKSPA Survey – returning to in-person events – your views are important to us
As the easing of lockdown restrictions continues as part of the government’s four step plan, final restrictions on social contact are potentially set to be lifted on 21 June. As a UKSPA member we are looking for your feedback and input regarding your views...
Build back better
UKSPA Chairman Dr Glenn Crocker MBE considers how the world and the future of science parks will be post covid. The light at the end of the coronavirus tunnel appears to be getting brighter, with the vaccination programme rolling out across Europe. So, it seems...
UKSPA Executive Director reflects on the past year and the opportunities ahead
It would be a massive understatement to describe 2020 as "challenging" - it was a year that affected all of us in so many ways. I do hope that you and your family, as well as your colleagues, start the year in good health. For UKSPA, 2020 started positively...
UKSPA Members: discounted entry to IASP World Conference
UKSPA members can now register for the International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation virtual World Conference which takes place from 1st -3rd December 2020 This allows UKSPA members to register for the same fee as IASP members. For those...
Jobs today, skills tomorrow
Presenting a call to arms, Martino Picardo and Jim Duvall ask representatives across the sector to join the ‘Schools to Science Park’ movement and convert local skills efforts into a national collaboration. Despite the current pandemic, there is still considerable...
UKSPA Chairman Dr Glenn Crocker MBE on how science and innovation is central to future economic rebuilding…
My last article was when the science and innovation sector – and the country – had just begun to enter the first lockdown. Back in the spring, UKSPA held a very well supported conference at the University of Leeds. The following week the Budget announcement was...
UKSPA collaborates on Incubators and accelerators report
Social Innovation Monitor (SIM), an international research team based at Politecnico di Torino university, in collaboration with UKSPA and Enterprise Educators UK , has published the first report on the impact of incubators/accelerators in the UK. The research team...
Innovation gives us good reason for optimism
With experts predicting a 25-30% drop in economic output and British tech firms posting their worst performance since the financial crash of 2008, it’s easy to see why the future might appear particularly gloomy. There are however reasons for optimism. Recessions...
Connect, share and support
UKSPA Chairman Dr Glenn Crocker MBE on why the innovation network has never been more important… In my first contribution to Breakthrough, following my appointment as UKSPA chairman, I wrote in the last issue about the need for UKSPA to remain relevant in the face of...
Financial Impact of Covid-19 on Science and Innovation Locations
UKSPA asked members two questions in a survey that run from Thursday 3 April to Tuesday 7 April 2020. This provide a snapshot of member activity at this time and provides useful evidence on the impact of Covid-19 that will be used in further UKSPA briefings to...
UKSPA survey results – Initial impact of Covid-19
Background UKSPA carried out an initial survey of members from Tuesday 31 March to Friday 3 April 2020 on the current impact of Covid-19. This post gives members the final analysis of this initial survey which shows the support that members are giving to their...
The UKSPA Covid-19 Survey
As part of our activity to measure the impact of Covid19 on UKSPA members we launched the survey earlier this week. The broad conclusions were as follows: Almost 70 % of members now have their management teams working remotelyAround 10% of members have some of their...