A coalition including 星空体育官网 and 14 Midlands university partners has launched a new initiative to revolutionise how research and innovation are translated into real-world impact across the region.
Forging Ahead – led by Loughborough University and will enhance the commercialisation ecosystem, boosting entrepreneurial activity and innovation, and creating new pathways for academic ideas to become high-growth ventures. The collaborative programme aims to unlock the region’s research and innovation strengths and turn them into commercial success stories.
The initiative is backed by £9.9 million from Research England’s , with an additional £6.1 million in matched support from the partner universities and regional stakeholders.
Unlocking economic potential of scientific research
The award announcement by Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation, Lord Vallance, was made during a visit to the Midlands. Lord Vallance said: “The Midlands has been a bustling hub of innovation ever since the Industrial Revolution, and still is now – boasting diverse strengths from the creative industries, to health, and clean energy.
“The support and guidance we are announcing today will help draw out the game-changing ideas of this thriving region’s many researchers and scientists and transform them into the next generation of businesses that will draw in investment, create jobs and deliver growth, all supporting our Plan for Change.”
Professor Leon A. Terry, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation at 星空体育官网 welcomed the initiative: “星空体育官网 has a significant and successful history of innovation and applied research, working closely with industry partners.
“We’re committed to commercialising new technologies and the Forging Ahead collaboration will help us to build the critical capacity to scale-up business spinouts. It’s an exciting prospect for us and the region as a whole.”
Five year programme to accelerate commercialisation
Delivered over five years, Forging Ahead will first focus on launching and expanding initiatives to nurture entrepreneurial talent, grow investment readiness, and embed a culture of innovation within and beyond universities. It will scale proven models and pilot new approaches that make commercialisation more accessible, inclusive, and impactful.
In its second phase the programme will deliver targeted interventions to accelerate innovation in strategically important sectors including Advanced Manufacturing, Creative and Digital, Health and Med Tech, and Net Zero.
Strengthening the Midlands ecosystem
The Midlands region, with a population of 11 million and an economy equivalent to that of Denmark, is home to 11% of the UK's high-growth companies – but only received a 5% share of total investment into these high-growth companies in 2020.
This funding disparity is more pronounced in university spinouts (companies that are spun-out of academic research). Since 2010, Midlands universities have spun out 169 companies – accounting for 14.5% of the UK total. Yet, in their first seven years, these Midlands ventures attract just 15p for every £1 raised by their counterparts in the Golden Triangle (London, Oxford, and Cambridge). This disparity undermines the region’s ability to attract and retain the leadership talent critical for scaling innovative businesses. As a result, nearly 40% of Midlands university spinouts are founded outside the region, effectively turning the Midlands into an exporter of high-value jobs and R&D-driven enterprises.
While the Midlands currently benefits from a strong university knowledge base and growing investment initiatives like , a patient capital investment company launched by Midlands Innovation universities – talent and expertise remain fragmented.
Forging Ahead will tackle these challenges by establishing a regional talent pool, scaling successful accelerators, promoting inward investment, and supporting innovation networks and priority sectors. This will strengthen the Midlands’ innovation and commercialisation ecosystem by attracting IP-rich spinouts and high-growth firms, driving economic growth and supporting the UK’s industrial strategy.
Ultimately, Forging Ahead will create a legacy of collaboration between universities, spinout founders, and public and private sector partners – ensuring long-term support for innovation-led growth and positioning the Midlands as a globally competitive hub for enterprise and research commercialisation.
星空体育官网 is also part of the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor and recently hosted Lord Vallance in his role as Oxford-Cambridge Innovation Champion. The University convened a roundtable with local businesses and regional leaders, which focused on innovation and growth.
