Case Study: Midlands Engine Research & Policy Programme

Under its remit and on top of producing its own in-house research the Midlands Engine Observatory – delivered by The EIU – maintained a research budget to provide up-to-date evidence in response to emerging economic priorities.

This budget was used to create a comprehensive research and policy programme which was pivotal to achieve the partnerships’ objectives, aiming to identify, shape and deliver policy changes and drive investments which will foster economic growth in the Midlands. Work to support this programme was co-produced with partners across academia, industry and the public sector and as of March 2025 was almost worth £1 million in match-funded research.

A full list of research funded research (in order of publishing) is available below:

Supply Chain Analysis Research Project

Short Description: An extensive project looking to define the midlands supply chains and their values covering sectors such as net zero, health and advanced manufacturing. These reports aimed to provide a review of the current state of regional supply chains.

Partner: Various

Date of Publication: March 2021

Mapping the Architecture of Economic Development Policy and Strategy across the Midlands Engine pan-region

Short Description: The research investigated the rationale of a pan-regional approach to economic policy development and growth strategy at the scale of the Midlands pan-region. An audit of extant local and sub-regional economic development strategies and plans was conducted alongside identification of any overlap, synergy, gaps and conflicts.

Partner: City Redi / West Midlands Redi / UKRI Research England / Nottingham Trent University

Date of Publication: May 2021

Enabling Digital Competitiveness (DIME)

Short Description: Discontinuous Innovation in the Midlands Engine is a scanning exercise which sourced primary evidence on digital competitiveness covering superstar firms, Web 3.0 (FinTech), trailblazers and ‘wildcards’ to cultivate an internationally leading digital identity for the region now and into the future based on new opportunities.

Partner: Loughborough University / West Midlands Combined Universities / Birmingham City University / Coventry University / University of Wolverhampton

Date of Publication: September 2021

Midlands Engine State of Social Enterprise

Short Description: This report highlights how social enterprises are delivering both economic and social impact and it explores how social enterprises are growing financially and providing leadership and solutions to social and environmental needs.

Partner: Social Enterprise UK / Midlands Engine Observatory

Date of Publication: November 2021

Midlands Engine Hydrogen Technologies Strategy

Short Description: The Midlands Engine Hydrogen Technologies Strategy reveals the potential for the region to pioneer, commercialise and deliver hydrogen technologies at scale.

Partner: WSP / Midlands Engine

Date of Publication: February 2022

Women in Business Leadership in the Midlands

Short Description: This report builds on earlier work by the West Midlands Leadership Commission in 2018 to provide an up-to-date and comprehensive picture of women in leadership in the Midlands region, considering intra-regional variations, the national context, and firm-specific characteristics.

Partner: University of Wolverhampton

Date of Publication: March 2022

The Health and Life Sciences sector in the Midland Engine: Developing and Supporting Manufacturing Capacity

Short Description: This study identified key company capabilities allowing businesses to transform and repurpose their operations and pivot their capabilities to successfully enter the healthcare sector and deliver innovative products and services. The call to actions by the NHS catalysed successful local manufacture of healthcare consumables and service provision.

Partner: Manufacturing Technology Centre / University of Birmingham / Demand Hub / ABHI / Medilink Midlands / University of Warwick

Date of Publication: April 2022

From Pandemic to Endemic: COVID-19 in retrospect and prospect in the Midlands Engine

Short Description: This report, based on interviews with senior decision makers in leading institutions within both the for-profit and non-profit sectors across the Midlands Engine, reveals how organisations navigated the pandemic stage of the crisis and preparations for operating in an environment where COVID-19 is an endemic disease.

Partner: Independent Consultant

Date of Publication: October 2022

Smart Energy – An Energy System for the 21st Century

Short Description: This report provides a comprehensive working definition of smart energy and provides a forward-looking vision and potential impact of energy systems for the Midlands region now and into the future.

Partner: University of Birmingham / Siemens / Energy Research Accelerator

Date of Publication: November 2022

All cylinders: the role of the Midlands Engine in the British economy

Short Description: A report which attempts to understand the role of towns and cities in the Midlands alongside their performance and interventions to drive economic growth.

Partner: Centre for Cities

Date of Publication: May 2023

Midlands International Trade: State and Challenges

Short Description: A deep dive into performance of the Midlands Engine economy on trade, in particular understanding what particular sectors, size of businesses, places are being impacted and why. Partner: Aston University

Date of Publication: June 2023

Green & Hydrogen Jobs in the Midlands

Short Description: An end-to-end deep dive of the skills, qualifications and training required by hydrogen technologies to enable the transition to net zero across the Midlands Engine.

Partner: University of Warwick

Date of Publication: September 2023

Megatrends in the Midlands

Short Description: This report identifies four key megatrends: Rising Geopolitical Tensions, Technology and Digitization, Climate Change and Net Zero and Demographic Trends and seeks to understand what these megatrends are, and how they might unfold to come together to define ‘a new age’.

Partner: City-Redi

Date of Publication: November 2023

Aerospace in the Midlands

Short Description: Written in partnership with the Midlands Aerospace Alliance, the report maps out the true size and extent of the Midlands aerospace sector and levels of innovation funding.

Partner: Midlands Aerospace Alliance

Date of Publication: March 2024

Physical Inactivity and Productivity in the Midlands

Short Description: A report and research study looking into evidencing links between physical activity and productivity in the Midlands.

Partner: Coventry University Date of Publication: April 2024

Innovation Funding in the Midlands

Short Description: The report investigates the loss of innovation funding in the Midlands Engine pan-region with the loss of European Funding, exploring associated impacts and risks, alongside showcasing beneficiaries of the fund across the region via case studies.

Partner: Midlands Innovation; Midlands Engine Observatory

Date of Publication: August 2024

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the Midlands

Short Description: The report investigates the span of AI activity in the Midlands alongside exploring the drivers and barriers to adopting AI capabilities.

Partner: Keele University

Date of Publication: October 2024