East of England Science and Innovation Audit

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Jane Lambert

Science and innovation audits map the research and innovation strengths and infrastructure of specific districts. They were announced by Jo Johnson MP when he was Minister of State for Universities and Science in a speech to the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre of the University of Sheffield entitled One Nation Science on 16 July 2015. They are intended to "provide an evidence base for decision making on local innovation priorities, help strengthen future bids for local investment, and foster collaboration between universities, local businesses and other regional organisations."

One of the areas in which such an audit has been carried out is the East of England. A consortium consisting of representatives of the advanced manufacturing and materials, agri-tech, information and communications and life science industries and several of the region's local enterprise partnerships published the East of England Science and Innovation Audit on 25 Sept 2017. The audit was conducted between January and May of this year and engaged well over 200 stakeholders. It relied on both primary and secondary evidence and data and adhered to central government guidance.

The audit revealed great strengths in the region in each of the above-mentioned industries but it also exposed gaps in investment, skills, co-location and connectivity. The audit made a number of recommendations to address them:

• Building innovative capacity, particularly among SMEs throughout the East of England;  
• encouraging technology transfer, particularly for SMEs outside the main clusters in the East; 
• Smart enabling technologies testbed: an infrastructure project to achieve high speed and high capacity connectivity throughout the region; 
• Centre for AgriFood automation at Holbeach; 
• A project to accelerate the development of emerging med-tech hubs and to build synergies;
• Precision medicine cancer ecosystem; and
• A cell and gene therapy R&D centre at Stevenage.

Each of those initiatives will need specialist legal advice. They will require contracts and other legal instruments. Any new products or processes that may be developed will require legal protection. I can help with all of that. I can assist in contract negotiations and drafting, advise on the optimum protection for the new technologies, review and draw up licences and, if necessary, help resolve any disputes or other difficulties that may arise. I can be consulted by business leaders, investors, academics or others directly or through patent and trade mark attorneys or law firms. 

Should anybody wish to discuss this article or innovation generally, he or she may call me on 020 7404 5252 during office hours or send me a message through my contact page.