Place and innovation

Our main campus sits at the heart of Liverpool’s Knowledge Quarter, a 450-acre world-leading urban innovation district located near Liverpool’s city centre, port and major cultural assets. Complemented by our rural Wirral campus at Leahurst and Ness Gardens, our presence at the Sci-Tech Daresbury campus in Halton and at local NHS trusts, we’re determined that our influential role in science, innovation, education, public policy and culture, and as a major employer, supports the wellbeing and prosperity of communities across the region.

We are committed to creating ambitious plans that will deliver growth in investment, jobs and innovation. And we strive to support our communities in addressing inequalities and improving life chances, including through widening access to education, participating in arts and culture initiatives that promote wellbeing and sense of community, and working with employers to identify and address skills gaps in the region’s workforce.

Create ambitious, long-term plans to deliver investment, jobs and innovation  

We will:

• Identify and support academic and professional services leaders, assign resources and create robust business cases for each of the following priorities:
  • Creating a Materials Innovation Supercluster, building on our longstanding partnerships with Unilever and NSG
  • Fostering enterprise and entrepreneurship among staff and students and the establishment of significantly more new companies in the region
  • Creating a health and life sciences innovation campus to advance our world-leading research and support the ambitions of the Liverpool City Region’s Investment Zone for life sciences
  • Supporting the development of the city region’s Investment Zone through actions that unlock private sector investment and attract businesses into the region, working in partnership with the combined authority, our NHS Trusts and Liverpool Health Partners, and others to achieve shared goals
  • Fostering digital innovation and support including in the cultural and heritage sectors.
• Secure significant external funding for flagship developments in our key innovation areas
• Undertake economic analysis to track jobs created and Gross Value Added in our key innovation areas.

Deploy our research and education strengths to support our city region in reaching its Net Zero targets

We will:

• Help businesses to innovate and become more sustainable, including through the use of digital technologies to support them in becoming cleaner and healthier
• Work with Liverpool City Region Combined Authority to support its Net Zero ambitions for the benefit of local communities, workers and visitors
• Maximise our own contribution to addressing the Net Zero challenge, as set out In the Sustainability theme of this framework.

Mobilise our people, skills and know-how to address inequalities and improve life chances

We will:

• Work with local employers to identify and address skills gaps, helping to shape a future workforce and drive prosperity
• Increasingly support and influence the development of sustainable, inclusive cities and regions, led by our Heseltine Institute for Public Policy, Practice and Place  
• Renew our commitment to widening participation and outreach to raise educational attainment and aspiration, so that students from all backgrounds are able and supported to achieve their full potential
• Increase our partnerships and participation in arts and culture activities to promote wellbeing, including through assets such as the Tung Auditorium, the Victoria Gallery and Museum, and our unique collections and archives.