User:Wave 2 Growth Hub Programme/sandbox

Overview:
The Wave 2 Growth Hub Programme is a Lancaster University led initiative to promote regional economic growth. The programme is funded by £32m from the Regional Growth Fund awarded to Lancaster University and subsequently allocated to 15 city regions. The programme runs initially until 31st March 2015, with evaluation in the regions continuing into 2017.

The ultimate aim of the Wave Two Growth Hubs (W2GH) Programme is to enable companies in the participating city areas to create jobs and increase regional productivity. The Growth Hubs play a strategic role in signposting and co-ordinating national and local business support. More importantly, they have targeted support tailored to the needs of entrepreneurs in the context of their local economy. The unique structure of the W2GH programme enables the Growth Hubs to use 80% of their funding to develop bespoke programmes for their areas. They can provide both the local front door to business support and ensure that support is focused on business need in their locality.

It is part of the response to Lord Heseltine’s No Stone Unturned in Pursuit of Growth report recommending devolving power to regions and improving the economies of English cities. Uniquely, for a programme of this scale, Lancaster University - a Gold Small Business Charter Award winning university - was selected to deliver the programme based on its expertise in supporting SMEs, and its strong reputation for delivering complex funding programmes.

The Growth Hub Network:
The 15 Growth Hubs created this year are located at: The Black Country, Dorset, Brighton and Hove, Coventry and Warwickshire, Hull and the Humber, New Anglia, Milton Keynes, Oxford and Central Oxfordshire, Thames Valley Berkshire, Plymouth, Southampton and Portsmouth, Southend, Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire, Swindon and Wiltshire and Tees Valley.

The W2GH community includes 17 Local Enterprise Partnerships, 42 Higher Education Institutions, Chambers of Commerce, Local Authorities, Manufacturing Advice Service, UK Trade and Investment and GrowthAccelerator and over 200 local and national business representatives and support and innovation organisations, alongside the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the Cabinet Office and DCLG.  Programme Structure: The Programme is governed by a Board with representation from Lancaster University (Chair), Cabinet Office Cities and Local Growth Unit, Chambers of Commerce, BIS and BIS Local. Within Lancaster, there are two teams that manage the on-going support and governance of the W2GH programme. The Programme Secretariat based in Research and Enterprise Services at Lancaster University provide support and guidance to cities regarding Regional Growth Fund eligibility and the processes and procedures for claims and reporting. The Knowledge Exchange and Research (KE&R) group at Lancaster University Management School are responsible for leading the strategic direction of the programme and for exploring opportunities for research collaborations between the faculty and the Growth Hubs.

A series of support mechanisms, including workshops and webinars, in addition to daily operational guidance have been created by Lancaster University. In addition, Wave 2 Growth Hub programme representatives regularly visit the hubs to monitor their progress, attend launch events and steering groups. They meet frequently with key stakeholders to support them in developing their activity. Through Lancaster University the Growth Hub Network has been given a platform to have a collective ‘voice’. The University is well placed to act as a neutral intermediary between different interests to achieve a balance of views. This has resulted in a good working knowledge of the different sectors that are being targeted for growth. This knowledge has fed into Lancaster-led growth hub network events, generating a range of operational and thematic workshops on stakeholder analysis, evaluation, manufacturing and trade.