Innovation boosts productivity by two-thirds

Innovation is an essential driver for regional economic growth and a new national report has revealed how significant it can be in closing the productivity gap.

Two thirds of private sector productivity growth between 2000 and 2007 was driven by innovation, claims a new report by NESTA.

The findings are revealed in The Innovation Index: Measuring the UK’s investment in innovation and its effects (PDF, 1.59mb), the most ambitious attempt yet to measure the contribution of innovation to the UK’s economic growth.

Research suggests mounting problems for gaming firms

NESTA’s recent report It’s Time to Play suggests the UK video games sector faces ‘serious and mounting problems’ as a result of a variety of factors including the emerging trend for experienced staff to leave the UK in favour of competitor countries where government support is strong.

The report, based on a survey of 30 leading British video games developers, suggests widespread support among respondents for introduction of tax credit for cultural games.

Research in this field carries a particular relevance to the West Midlands which is host to 19% of the UK’s gaming workforce (Burns Owens Partnership, 2007) and a cluster of high profile game developers including Codemasters, Blitz, Freestyle Games and the Serious Games Institute.

West Midlands residents’ engagement in the arts remained stable since 2005

A new briefing (pdf, 241kb) published by Arts Council England uses Taking Part survey data to examine the trends in arts engagement across the three year period from 2005/06 to 2007/08.

In the West Midlands, the proportion of population to have attended at least one arts event over a 12 month period has remained stable, with no statistically significant difference in the level of attendees in 2007/08 (64.7%) to that of previous years.

There was, however, a statistically significant decrease in the proportion of West Midlands residents to have participated in arts activities in 2007/08 (42.4%) compared to the 2006/07 rate (46.9%).

Nationally, the rate of arts attendance and arts participation remained stable at around 67% and 47% respectively.

Volunteers in West Midlands museums and galleries outnumber paid employees by more than 2:1

Forthcoming research from the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council will highlight the abundance of volunteers working within local museums and galleries.

Given the increasing interest in the role of volunteering can play in keeping people ‘job ready’ during the recession, this finding may well attract interest from beyond the heritage sector.

Along with a detailed look at the profile of the workforce, Fast Forward 2008 will provide an update on a range of variables, including levels of visiting and average service standards (disability access, audience development, and so on) within West Midlands museums.

Adults who live in areas with higher concentrations of historic environment are likely to have a stronger sense of place

Research launched by English Heritage has found a significant link between an adult’s ‘sense of place’ and the concentration of historic environment assets within their area.

Sense of Place and Social Capital and the Historic Built Environment (pdf, 884kb), launched simultaneously with Heritage Counts 2009, involved surveys with 500 adults and 700 teenagers from across England.

Respondents were asked to score how strongly they agreed with a series of statements such as ‘I could be equally happy living elsewhere’ and ‘I am proud of where I live.’

Large variation in West Midlanders’ satisfaction with local theatres and concert halls

According to the first ever Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) Place Survey results, the proportion of West Midlands residents satisfied with theatres and concert halls is the most variable indicator across the region, ranging from 76% in Malvern Hills to a low of 18% in North Warwickshire.

However, overall satisfaction with theatres and concert halls in the region (45%) exceeded the national average (43%).

In addition, compared to all other regions, West Midlands residents were the least satisfied with local sport and leisure facilities.

These two results, which carry implications for some of the region’s local cultural service providers, were highlighted as headline findings by colleagues at the West Midlands Regional Observatory as part of their detailed Place Survey 2008 analysis.

BIG research quantifies the benefits of investment in sports facilities

Research into the impact of the Big Lottery-funded New Opportunities for PE and Sport programme (NOPES) has captured valuable information about some of the benefits of investment in sport.

The research (PDF, 452kb), which included a survey with nearly 2,000 young people, sought to quantify the impact of NOPES, which involved a £751 million investment in PE and sport facilities and activities across the UK (2002-2009).

Free swim initiative a hit with West Midlands residents

Data recently released by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport highlights the popularity of the government’s Free Swim programme in the region.

Over 410,000 ‘free swims’ were taken by local residents during April– September 2009, a total exceeded only by the North West region.

New dance sector research comes at a key time for West Midlands dance

New research from Arts Council England (ACE) offers a detailed insight into the nature of the dance sector nationally and regionally.

The report Dance mapping: A window on dance 2004-2008 (PDF, 4.16mb) contains a wealth of information ranging from data on levels of investment and audience figures, through to review of the social impact of dance, including a review of research which has investigated the health benefits dance participation.

As noted by ACE in their press release, the research ‘is the most significant compilation of evidenced-based dance research ever undertaken in this country.’

A change of direction for regional Cultural Observatories?

An options study (PDF, 815kb) launched last month by the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) culture and sport evidence programme has shed new light on the future of regional level culture and sport research.

You may remember that there’s been uncertainty over the future of regional research since the release of the DCMS review of regional infrastructure in July 2008 and the subsequent closure of Regional Cultural Consortia  (see previous CRAIN newsletters: August 2008–March 2009).

The vision cast by the new CASE report (PDF, 815kb) is one whereby the regional tier research function would provide a link between national and local tiers, working closely with local government in order to pull together local data and case studies, while disseminating national data across regional and local networks.

Securing a healthy natural environment for today and the future

The most recent meeting of the Observatory’s Environment topic group reviewed evidence to “Identify Regional Natural Environmental Priorities for the West Midlands”. Evidence highlighted by the group will inform work by the region’s Defra Agenda Group (DAG) to identify regional environmental priorities. The DAG comprises Government Office for the West Midlands, the Environment Agency, Natural England, Forestry Commission, Advantage West Midlands and Animal Health.

Roundup of Geographical Information Day 2009

This is a roundup of the presentations given at last week’s event in Birmingham focused on the importance of geographical information and systems. The event was targeted mainly at primary school teachers, though many delegates from the public sector attended.

The event which was chaired by Shona Frost from Staffordshire County Council.

Interactive maps help monitor recession geospatially

We’ve produced a set of interactive maps to monitor the impact of the recession at different geographical levels in the West Midlands:

• By West Midlands Local Authority
• By West Midlands Census ward
• Neighbourhoods in the Rural Regeneration Zone

The maps show Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) claimant rates (the proportion of the working age population claiming JSA), which gives an indication of unemployment.  The maps help us to see how the recession is affecting different areas.

Institution of Civil Engineers launches State of the Nation report

The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) today launched its latest State of the Nation report and this year’s theme is ‘Low Carbon Infrastructure’. This report provides an interesting take on the low carbon debate coming from within the engineering industry.

As Paul Jowitt, ICE’s President says in his foreword:

“Many of the largest sources of carbon emissions are currently associated with the construction, operation, maintenance and use of infrastructure in particular in the energy, transport, water and waste sectors. Our inquiry suggests that many of the technologies and practices we need to create significant change in these sectors already exist, but their delivery is constrained by unfavourable investment and delivery conditions.”

Government ensures free access to some Ordnance Survey maps

Gordon Brown, Liam Byrne and Sir Tim Berners-Lee at the Smarter Government seminar at Downing Street, 17th November 2009

Photo of Smarter Government seminar by Downing Street

Some Ordnance Survey maps are to be made available to businesses and the public, as part of the Government’s drive to open up data to improve transparency.

Speaking at a seminar yesterday on Smarter Government in Downing Street, attended by Sir Tim Berners-Lee and Professor Nigel Shadbolt, the Prime Minister and Communities Secretary John Denham set out how the Government and Ordnance Survey, Great Britain’s national mapping agency, will open up its data relating to electoral and local authority boundaries, postcode areas and mid scale mapping information.

This data would be released for free re-use, including commercially.