Comment | Innovation District will offer local opportunities
Anyone who thinks innovation doesn’t happen in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire simply hasn’t been paying attention. Some of the most innovative businesses in the country are already operating here, developing products, technologies and services that reach markets across the UK and around the world.
We have world-class strengths in advanced materials, health and life sciences, energy and digital technologies. Increasingly, businesses, public services and universities are working together to build on those strengths and create new opportunities for the future.
And yet the word “innovation” can conjure up something distant from everyday life - laboratories. Scientists, new technologies, businesses and academics doing things we may not fully understand, but can appreciate lead to valuable outcomes.
We also know that many communities still do not feel the benefits of economic growth as strongly as they should. Average wages in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire remain below the national average. Too many talented young people still feel they need to leave the area to fulfil their ambitions, and too many adults cannot access the opportunities that do exist.
For Keele, innovation also matters because of what it can make possible for our communities; good quality jobs, better wages, new opportunities for young people, and stronger local businesses, and more reasons for talented graduates to build their future here rather than somewhere else.
That is why Keele University is continuing to develop its plans for the Keele Innovation District. Last month we launched the initial masterplan, a major step forward, and received welcome news that the proposals were supported by the Government’s Planning Inspectorate following the examination of the Borough’s draft Local Plan.
Many readers will already know the Science and Innovation Park on the University campus. What began more than forty years ago as a small science park is today home to more than 60 businesses employing around 1,000 people across sectors including healthcare, life sciences, digital technologies and environmental sustainability. Over the years, businesses based at Keele have developed new medicines, medical technologies, digital products and environmental solutions used around the world.
The Innovation District builds on those strengths. It is not simply about creating more buildings, although additional offices, laboratories and business space will be needed. It is about creating the conditions for more innovation-led businesses to start, grow and invest in the area, generating opportunities that benefit local communities.
Success cannot simply be measured by the number of buildings we construct or businesses we attract. The real test is whether local people can see a future for themselves and their families in the opportunities that are created. No child growing up in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire, Newcastle-under-Lyme or Staffordshire should feel that careers in science, technology, healthcare or innovation are for somebody else’s children. The opportunities created through innovation must be visible, accessible and achievable for local people from every background.
That's why Keele’s ambition extends beyond the physical development. Alongside new business space, we want to strengthen the pathways that help people access new careers through education, skills, apprenticeships, work placements and partnerships with employers. Innovation should create opportunities not just for those already working in high-technology sectors, but for communities across the area.
One of the most distinctive aspects of the Innovation District vision is the commitment to preserve and enhance the natural environment that surrounds it. We have worked hard to strike the right balance between growth and stewardship, creating space for new jobs and investment, while safeguarding the beautiful landscape, woodland and habitats that make the campus such a remarkable place.
There’s more work to do over the next year to prepare for delivery, but with strong support from the area’s Local Authorities, we are now moving at a pace.
The Innovation District is not a project that will be completed in a few years. It is a long-term undertaking that will evolve over decades. If we get it right, future generations will look back and see not simply an expanded business park, but a place that helped more people share in the opportunities created by innovation, investment and growth.
The Innovation District is ultimately about much more than innovation. It is about creating opportunities that allow more people to build successful lives here.
