Today (3 February 2026) UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) publishes its independent review by Tony Hickson on Deepening University-Investor Links.
Providing an initial response, Dr Helen Turner, Director of Midlands Innovation, said:
“We welcome the review which underlines that universities are engines of future growth — with strong spin-out pipelines that will be central to the Industrial Strategy.
“The report highlights Midlands Mindforge and Forging Ahead – two initiatives established by Midlands Innovation partners to scale the commercialisation of research and attract greater investment into the Midlands.
“Containing 20 system-wide recommendations, the report highlights that UK’s universities are true drivers of innovation and economic impact. We welcome many of the report’s findings, and strongly agree that the report stresses that government should leverage the incoming place-based mandate for the local government pension scheme by encouraging pension fund trustees to support regional spin-out funding. This will produce an economic win: win – helping crowd-in additional private sector investors and providing a return for the pension schemes.
“We welcome the report underlining the need for universities, investors and funders to work together to strengthen regional innovation ecosystems; this is exactly what we are doing through initiatives such as Forging Ahead.”
Read further thoughts here on the review highlighting Forging Ahead from Professor Dan Parsons, Pro-Vice Chancellor of Research and Innovation at Loughborough University, and Project Lead for Forging Ahead.
Read the full UKRI report from Tony Hickson on Deepening University-Investor Links here
