Strengthening Greater Manchester's economic base through science, innovation and research and development: Report of panel

This report offers the findings and conclusions of the Developmental Panel, which visited Greater Manchester at the invitation of the Commission for the New Economy and the Northern Way. The Panel’s goal was to inform thinking about how Greater Manchester can strengthen its economic base through science, innovation, and research and development in a context of economic and structural change. The Panel visited Manchester on February 23rd and 24th, 2011, meeting with representatives of public, private, university, community and other organisations engaged in innovation, business, and economic development in Greater Manchester. The Panel is grateful for the time and co-operation of the many people who took part in its programme of meetings and activities and the support of the two organisations in facilitating its work.In response to the key lines of inquiry set out in the original brief, the Panel highlights a set of strategic principles that Greater Manchester should pursue and identifies a series of detailed recommendations.The report was prepared by the Manchester Developmental Panel (Chair: Professor Philip Shapira) with support from Richard Baker (Northern Way), Jim Keane (North West Development Agency/Northern Way) and Martin Wain (Commission for the New Economy). The report draws upon the observations and judgments of members of the panel. It is a summary rather than a consensus report, and the overall views and recommendations expressed in the report should not be attributed to any individual panel member.