Aston University hosts government minister to discuss plans for innovation district in Birmingham

• George Freeman, minister of state for research, science and innovation discussed plans to create an innovation district in the city
• The University’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Aleks Subic, the mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street, and senior colleagues from Bruntwood and Birmingham City Council also attended
• The meeting took place in the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Institute of Technology Hub.

Aston University has welcomed George Freeman, minister of state for research, science and innovation to a visit to Birmingham’s Innovation Quarter to discuss plans to create an innovation district in the city.

The University’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Aleks Subic, the mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street, and senior colleagues from Bruntwood and Birmingham City Council met on 30 March to brief the minister on plans that are underway to transform part of the city.

The Birmingham Innovation Quarter is a fast-growing part of the city centre housing small, medium, and large technology businesses, universities, colleges, hotels, and two conference centres. It is also home to the main HS2 Birmingham terminal.

The meeting took place in the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Institute of Technology Hub (GBSIoT), which houses the largest Cyber Physical Manufacturing facility – a scaled down factory of the future – in Europe.

The visit from the minister follows the recent announcement that Aston University and Bruntwood SciTech will establish a joint venture to advance Birmingham’s Innovation Quarter through joint strategic developments. These will focus on creating a world-class innovation district within the city, centred on science, technology and enterprise.

Professor Subic said:

“I am putting science, technology, and enterprise at the heart of Aston University’s ambitious 2030 strategy and our campus development plans. By working with key partners across the city, we will play our part in bringing to Birmingham an innovation precinct of international significance enabled by world leading digital innovation capability. Our purpose is to drive innovation and socio-economic transformations in the city and beyond.

“Momentum and support are building for our shared ambitions for the Birmingham Innovation Quarter, and I was delighted to have the opportunity to discuss how we can realise opportunities for the city with the Minister for Research, Science and Innovation and our partners. In particular, our plans for a major health tech innovation cluster enabled by world-leading digital capability based on genomics data, bioinformatics and artificial intelligence has resonated strongly with the minister and our stakeholders.”

George Freeman MP, minister of state in the newly formed Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), said:

“Science and innovation are key drivers of economic growth and prosperity, and the R&D initiatives our universities take are vital to the UK’s ambition to become a science and technology superpower by 2030.

“The key to building a genuine Innovation Nation is to grow the regional R+D clusters all around the UK which is one of the key missions the new Department is leading on.

“Birmingham’s Innovation Quarter, put together by Aston University, Birmingham City Council, Mayor Andy Street and Bruntwood will create a stunning Digital Innovation District adjacent to the HS2 terminal, linking the city’s medtech, cleantech and creative clusters to drive innovation and attract investment with benefits for the whole city and region.”

Andy Street, mayor of the West Midlands, said:

“The meeting at the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Institute of Technology Hub has shown that Birmingham’s Innovation Quarter is a dynamic and fast-growing hub of technological innovation and enterprise.

“The plans to create a world-class innovation district in the city, led by Aston University and Bruntwood SciTech, have my full support as Mayor of the West Midlands.

“This project has the potential to drive significant economic growth and transform the region’s tech sector, creating new opportunities and jobs for our local communities.”

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