UNIVERSITY NEWS LAST UPDATED : 01 JULY 2015
Birmingham City University Vice-Chancellor Professor Cliff Allan will use his appointment to the Greater Birmingham & Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP) to back moves towards a combined authority able to drive economic growth across the West Midlands.
Speaking as he takes up the higher education representative seat from outgoing member Professor Dame Julia King, Vice-Chancellor of Aston University, Professor Allan said: "I am wholly supportive of moving towards a Combined Authority and a greater form of regional integration. The Greater Birmingham & Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP) clearly has a role to play in pressing for and ultimately delivering that for our region.
"I think there's great inherent value in concentrating on areas of common interest such as transport, regional economic planning, fiscal powers, and greater autonomy for the region."
Professor Allan's new role will see him leading on GBSLEP’s sector strategy working with Sector Champions across 12 defined sectors, which include Digital and Creative, Low Carbon and Environmental Technologies, Education, and Life Sciences, all areas in which Birmingham City University has a particular focus.
"I am joining the GBSLEP at a time when it has a sense of direction, a sense of purpose and there are clear pillars of activity.
"We have to build on our clear sense of direction by making it happen in each of the 12 sectors. It is crucial that we support the GBSLEP's sector-interest groups that are driving forward some of the key priorities in these areas."
Professor Allan also becomes the regional universities' representative on the GBSLEP ESIF Sub-Committee which will be advising on the implementation of European Structural & Investment Funds to support research and innovation, SME competitiveness, low carbon, employment and skills including the Youth Employment Initiative (YEI), and other programmes subject to time limited match funding.