Annual Report | One Year of Impact

In October 2024, seventeen Midlands universities came together with a shared ambition: to scale their global R&D investment offer, attract inward investment, and position the Midlands as a globally competitive innovation region.

The Campaign launched its first mission in October 2024. One year on, the annual report summarises the Campaign’s key activities, reach, insight and some early examples of emergent impact (where this is not commercially restricted).

One year on, the Invest in UK University R&D – Midlands Campaign has delivered 11 overseas missions, 15 UK activations, engaged over 4,500 international stakeholders, and built a live pipeline of 564 R&D investment opportunities.

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A National Proof of Concept

The Invest in UK University R&D – Midlands Campaign was established by a coalition of the region’s universities, supported by its Mayors, Freeports and other local economic growth partners. It is co-funded by UK Government (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, UKRI and the Department for Business and Trade).

It was established to:

• Showcase £13.5bn GVA in investible propositions across five priority sectors

• More intentionally leverage their global connections to international alumni, industry and research

• Attract inward R&D investment and drive growth and jobs in the Midlands

The pilot runs until March 2026, with activity formally closing in December 2026. It serves as a national proof-of-concept for how universities can collaborate at scale to compete internationally.

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Year One in Numbers

The Campaign has visited five of six priority global markets, including the United States, Germany, Singapore, South Korea and Japan, alongside major UK platforms such as UKREiiF, London Tech Week and Birmingham Tech Week. An overview of some of these key stats can be found below this section.

A Unified Regional Offer

Through coordinated missions and activations, the Campaign has brought together:

• More than 15 Midlands universities

• Vice-Chancellors, senior academics and commercial teams

• Mayoral Combined Authorities

• UK Government departments and the Office for Investment

• British Embassies, Consulates and High Commissions across target markets

• Innovation clusters, industry partners and global investors

This coalition has created a clear and distinctive competitive advantage: a unified regional proposition with global reach.