Developing an innovation ecosystem: Policy, skills and operations

This report builds on previous work aligned with the North East Economic Review (Adonis, 2013), and more specifically the North East Local Enterprise Partnership Economic Strategy (2017)1 that acts as the most recent benchmark of the earlier Economic Review, as well as reports aimed at stimulating North East2 economic growth through initiatives such as promoting the region as an economic corridor3. Using an analysis of wide-scale secondary data, North East firms show proficiency in innovation in some respects, mostly depending upon specific sector and organisational contexts. These innovation indicators are presented in more detail later in the report. Mainly, it is expected that these indicators do not function solely in isolation, but rather in combination will lead to a better predictor of innovation success. An integration of the 2017 Gartner hype cycle of emerging technologies with the competencies and industries of the North East is also presented, to look ahead to opportunities and threats to the region’s companies from a rapidly developing, increasingly tech-focused dynamic world marketplace. Findings show that some sectors within the North East are much more affected by this development than others. Where some will be quick to adopt to change, others may need increased support in taking up new technologies in order to survive.