News and events

14 October, 2021

Tracy Brabin visits Produmax

Bringing together the very best in innovation support and expertise from across the region, the West Yorkshire Innovation Network has been officially launched by the Mayor of West Yorkshire.

As part of her pledge to support local businesses and demonstrate a commitment to boost innovation activity, productivity and collaboration across the region, Tracy Brabin showed her support with a visit to aerospace engineers, Produmax.

The visit came as Mandy Ridyard, Produmax’s Finance Director, was announced the new Chair of the West Yorkshire Innovation Network (WYIN). Through her current roles as LEP Board member, Business Economy and Innovation Committee member, co-chair of Local Digital Skills Partnership and Chair of Space Hub Yorkshire, Mandy already champions innovation, business growth and skills across the region.

The West Yorkshire Combined Authority established the WYIN in June 2020 as a direct result of the West Yorkshire Devolution Deal and has since been gaining momentum to encourage a greater propensity for businesses to engage in innovation activity.

The WYIN’s aim, which is coordinated by the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership in partnership with the Combined Authority, is to create a collective place to help businesses access support, encourage and nurture innovative ideas and position the region as a hub for innovation.

Through improved partnerships working across local, regional and national innovation players, the WYIN can deliver the national and regional ambitions for innovation and economic growth by ensuring the right support is available and driving up demand for it.

There is already a significant innovation support offer across the region to help businesses to do more, and go further and faster.

The Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership’s (the LEP) current innovation programme, Connecting Innovation, provides an access point for businesses into all this support available. The WYIN strengthens this even further to give businesses a more joined up platform to access the support they need, should this be for academic research, product prototyping, specialist expertise or funding.

Through its first collaboration, the WYIN launched the first ever West Yorkshire Innovation Festival in 2021 to shine a spotlight on the extensive support available and raise the profile of Innovation West Yorkshire. In 2022 the festival will be back, bigger and better, focusing on how to drive diversity in innovation.

The WYIN brings together organisations, partners, stakeholders and private sector businesses which will underpin regional innovation activity.

It will link with sector initiatives, such as the Healthtech Catalyst and Advanced Machinery and Productivity Institute (AMPI), while also responding as a collective lobbying voice on national Government’s policy; all of which sets out the pivotal role that the region can play in helping to deliver the ambitions of the national innovation strategy and wider programme to level up the regions.

West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin

Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said: “Innovation is a key driver of economic growth and our recovery. The West Yorkshire Innovation Network is our way of driving that spirit for invention and creativity forward across our region.

“It cements our partnership with organisations and how we can work together to deliver on our regional priorities, all while developing the most inclusive and diverse ecosystem where innovation truly is for everyone.

“The Network has made a bright start in launching the first West Yorkshire Innovation Festival and delivering a collaborative response to the Government’s national innovation strategy. There is so much potential in our region and as part of my pledges to support local businesses and to prioritise skills and training, the Network has my full support.”

Liz Mear, Managing Director, Leeds Academic Health Partnership, said: “This Network signals an important step forward for our region and will be a hugely important resource for our newly launched Healthtech Catalyst.

“Business will have increased offers of support, people will experience improved quality of life and the regional economy will accelerate because of the combined experience, expertise and capability within the West Yorkshire Innovation Network.”

To watch Tracy Brabin’s brief introduction to the Network, click here.

For more information about the Network and its members visit the LEP website.

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Feature image caption: Mandy Ridyard (Produmax Finance Director), Tracy Brabin (West Yorkshire Mayor), Sir Roger Marsh OBE (Chair, Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership and NP11), Jeremy Ridyard (Produmax).

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