Liverpool City Region agrees landmark regional partnership with UK innovation agency

Published on 11 November 2022

The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA) has agreed an historic partnership with Innovate UK aimed at accelerating business innovation.

Innovate UK Chief Executive Indro Mukerjee visited the University of Liverpool’s Materials Innovation Factory (MIF) alongside a number of city institutions on the day of the launch (10 November).

The partnership, one of Innovate UK’s first regional partnerships as committed to in their Strategic Delivery plan 2022 to 2025, will ensure even closer collaboration between the city region and the UK’s agency responsible for driving innovation.

Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram and Indro Mukerjee launched the partnership in front of guests representing key Liverpool City Region R&D stakeholders at The City of Liverpool College.

An important element of the partnership is a commitment to inspire future generations into science and innovation.

Mr Mukerjee later visited the University of Liverpool’s MIF, in the Knowledge Quarter Liverpool. The visit highlighted how the University through the MIF is acting as an anchor institution to bring together the local innovation ecosystem and collaborate with large and small industry players as well as spin-out new companies to create new products and support economic growth. The visit also featured a presentation from Professor Janet Hemingway, director of the Infection Innovation Consortium (iiCON,) one of the UK’s most dynamic and impactful innovation projects led by LSTM in partnership with the University of Liverpool.

Liverpool City Region is one of two places in the country to pilot Innovate UK’s £15m Launchpad programme aimed at driving innovation beyond South East England.

Hosting the MIF tour, Professor Anthony Hollander, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Impact, said: “We were delighted to welcome Innovate UK as part of this landmark occasion. This gives us the opportunity to showcase how our research discoveries catalyse innovation and how we are working with LCR partners to bring industry, academia and the public sector together to create jobs and growth.”