Business Academic Links (Hansard, 30 October 1990)

§ Dr. Bray
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to improve links between business and the academic community.

§ Mr. Douglas Hogg
[holding answer 29 October 1990]: My Department actively promotes links between business and academia by providing advice and financial support, and funding up to half the eligible costs of approved collaborative research projects between academic institutions and industry under schemes such as LINK, the advanced technology programmes, and general industrial collaborative projects.
We also support such links through the teaching company scheme which enables graduates to work in industry under joint supervision of a company and an academic; through the national electronics research initiative, which encourages secondment of employees to centres of research excellence at universities and Government research establishments; and through

Number of inward investment decisions: Regional breakdown

Scotland Wales Northern Ireland North East

Number of projects New jobs Safeguarded jobs Total jobs Number of projects New jobs Safeguarded jobs Total jobs Number of projects New jobs Safeguarded jobs Total jobs Number of projects New jobs Safeguarded jobs Total jobs

1979 28 2,757 ¹— 2,757 18 854 ¹— 854 18 2,794 ¹ 2,794 21 1,466 ¹— 1,466

(15.3) (19.3) ¹— (19.3) (9.8) (6.0) ¹— (6.0) (9.8) (19.5) ¹— (19.5) (11.5) (10.2) ¹— (10.2)

1980 31 4,474 ¹— 4,474 16 3,332 ¹— 3,332 20 2,760 ¹— 2,760 19 2,923 ¹— 2,923

(20.0) (24.0) ¹— (24.0) (10.3) (17.9) ¹— (47.9) (12.9) (14.8) ¹— (14.8) (12.3) (15.7) ¹— (15.7)

1981 28 5,756 ¹— 5,756 20 1,986 ¹— 1,986 15 2,429 ¹— 2,429 14 1,021 ¹— 1,021

(21.0) (35.1) ¹— (35.1) (15.0) (12.1) ¹— (12.1) (11.3) (14.8) ¹— (14.8) (10.5) (6.2) ¹— (6.2)

1982 28 2,258 ¹— 2,258 17 901 ¹— 901 6 1,893 ¹— 1,893 15 539 ¹— 539

(21.0) (21.4) ¹— (21.4) (12.8) (8.6) ¹— (8.6) (4.5) (18.0) ¹— (18.0) (11.3) (5.1) ¹— (5.1)

1983 49 5,135 3,432 8,567 31 2,116 1,913 4,029 11 548 1,192 1,740 20 1,066 720 1,786

(20.8) (33.0) (22.5) (27.8) (13.1) (13.6) (12.5) (13.1) (4.7) (3.5) (7.8) (5.6) (8.5) (6.9) (4.7) (5.8)

1984 74 8,761 1,463 10,224 42 3,958 5,015 8,973 27 2,256 2,876 5,132 29 4,589 230 4,819

(22.6) (32.3) (7.6) (22.0) (12.8) (14.6) (26.0) (19.3) (8.2) (8.3) (14.9) (11.1) (8.8) (16.9) (1.2) (10.4)

1985 57 4,971 2,922 7,893 45 2,416 1,350 3,766 22 771 1,424 2,195 26 1,987 1,572 3,559

(15.2) (19.4) (15.6) (17.8) (12.0) (9.4) (7.2) (8.5) (5.9) (3.0) (7.6) (5.0) (6.9) (7.8) (8.4) (8.0)

1986 36 1,881 607 2,488 49 2,364 2,232 4,596 18 693 1,722 2,415 30 1,581 1,158 2,739

(10.6) (11.6) (5.6) (9.2) (14.5) (14.5) (20.7) (17.0) (5.3) (4.3) (16.0) (8.9) (8.8) (9.7) (10.8) (10.1)

1987 31 3,704 2,061 5,765 58 4,054 877 4,931 17 1,135 1,341 2,486 31 3,491 852 4,343

(9.5) (17.1) (10.2) (13.7) (17.8) (18.7) (4.3) (11.8) (5.2) (5.2) (6.6) (5.9) (9.5) (16.1) (4.2) (10.4)

1988 58 5,429 1,978 7,407 56 6,006 2,085 8,091 22 2,610 916 3,526 22 2,041 31 2,072

(16.5) (19.6) (10.4) (15.3) (15.9) (21.7) (11.0) (17.4) (6.3) (9.4) (5.0) (7.7) (6.3) (7.4) (0.2) (4.4)

1989 34 4,551 645 5,196 42 3,564 2,050 5,614 17 1,187 8,558 9,745 46 4,495 1,438 5,933

(10.4) (14.8) (2.4) (9.0) (12.7) (11.6) (7.2) (7.0) (5.2) (3.9) (32.0) (17.0) (14.1) (14.6) (5.4) (10.3)

¹ Not available.

436W
support for a network of regional technology centres (RTCs) which give firms access to technical expertise in universities and polytechnics. The Secretary of State plans to introduce a programme to strengthen RTCs acting as intermediaries between the science base and small and medium-sized firms. Government also provide support for science parks at universities and polytechnics and for interdisciplinary research centres staffed by teams of scientists and people seconded from industry.

§ Mr. Maxton
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will give a breakdown of inward investment in the United Kingdom by standard English region and for Scotland and Wales for each year since 1974, showing the amount received in each region as a proportion of the total in each year.

§ Mr. Douglas Hogg
These figures are available only from 1979. However, the tables sets out the number of investment decisions known to the Invest in Britain Bureau for the calendar years 1979 to 1989 and the associated jobs for the United Kingdom by region. Comparable information on the total level of financial investment by inward investors is not available.
The decisions recorded include the establishment of new business, expansion or acquisition of an existing business and involvement in joint venture. The figures are based on information provided by the companies themselves at the time of the investment and take no account of subsequent developments.
437W

North West Yorkshire/Humberside West Midlands East Midlands

Number of projects New jobs Safeguarded jobs Total jobs Number of projects New jobs Safeguarded jobs Total jobs Number of projects New jobs Safeguarded jobs Total jobs Number of projects New jobs Safeguarded jobs Total jobs

1979 9 379 ¹— 379 27 1,176 ¹— 1,176 11 864 ¹— 864 15 1,174 ¹— 1,174

(4.9) (2.6) ¹— (2.6) (14.8) (8.2) ¹— (8.2) (6.0) (6.0) ¹— (6.0) (8.2) (8.2) ¹— (8.2)

1980 15 913 ¹— 913 17 890 ¹— 890 3 1,040 ¹— 1,040 5 276 ¹— 276

(9.7) (4.9) ¹— (4.9) (11.0) (4.8) ¹— (4.8) (1.9) (5.6) ¹— (5.6) (3.2) (1.5) ¹— (1.5)

1981 12 1,177 ¹— 1,177 6 167 ¹— 167 7 425 ¹— 425 8 290 ¹— 290

(9.0) (7.2) ¹— (7.2) (4.5) (1.0) ¹— (1.0) (5.3) (2.6) ¹— (2.6) (6.0) (1.8) ¹— (1.8)

1982 14 1,291 ¹— 1,291 7 104 ¹— 104 1 100 ¹— 100 13 848 ¹— 848

(10.5) (12.3) ¹— (12.3) (5.3) (0.9) ¹— (1.0) (0.7) (0.9) ¹— (0.9) (9.8) (8.1) ¹— (8.1)

1983 22 709 1,114 1,823 10 345 502 847 13 1,201 3,179 4,380 12 939 80 1,019

(9.3) (4.6) (7.3) (5.9) (4.2) (2.2) (3.3) (2.7) (5.5) (7.7) (20.8) (14.2) (5.1) (6.0) (0.5) (3.3)

1984 40 1,135 1,911 3,046 7 119 860 979 14 1,531 5,240 6,771 11 658 303 961

(12.2) (4.2) (9.9) (6.6) (2.1) (0.4) (4.5) (2.1) (4.3) (5.6) (27.2) (14.6) (3.4) (2.4) (1.6) (2.1)

1985 28 2,271 1,378 3,649 16 2,263 2,969 5,232 63 5,197 1,375 6,572 19 778 0 778

(7.5) (8.9) (7.4) (8.2) (4.3) (8.8) (15.9) (11.8) (16.8) (20.3) (7.4) (14.8) (5.1) (3.0) — (1.8)

1986 34 1,400 1,389 2,789 11 158 57 215 74 4,393 1,899 6,292 15 557 20 577

(10.0) (8.6) (12.9) (10.3) (3.2) (0.9) (0.5) (0.7) (21.8) (27.0) (17.7) (23.3) (4.4) (3.4) (0.1) (2.1)

1987 28 1,323 4,896 6,219 23 1,147 961 2,108 59 3,079 2,271 5,350 11 456 398 854

(8.6) (6.1) (24.1) (14.1) (7.1) (5.3) (4.7) (5.0) (18.2) (14.2) (11.2) (12.8) (3.4) (2.1) (2.0) (2.0)

1988 30 1,763 3,844 5,607 23 1,790 380 2,170 69 3,671 7,840 11,511 18 1,139 880 2,019

(8.5) (6.4) (17.7) (10.9) (5.7) (6.4) (2.1) (4.7) (19.6) (13.3) (42.8) (25.0) (5.2) (4.1) (4.8) (4.4)

1989 52 2,646 4,538 7,184 11 600 1,100 1,700 87 5,629 7,035 12,664 11 4,073 2,420 6,783

(15.9) (8.6) (17.0) (12.5) (3.4) (1.9) (4.1) (3.0) (26.6) (18.3) (26.2) (22.0) (3.3) (13.2) (9.0) (11.6)

¹ Not available.

South East South West United Kingdom not Specified Total United Kingdom

Number of projects New jobs Safeguarded jobs Total jobs Number of projects New jobs Safeguarded jobs Total jobs Number of projects New jobs Safeguarded jobs Total jobs Number of projects New jobs Safeguarded jobs Total jobs

1979 23 908 ¹— 908 13 1,938 ¹— 1,938 — — — — 183 14,310 ¹— 14,310

(12.6) (6.3) ¹— (6.3) (7.1) (13.5) ¹— (13.5) — — — — — — ¹— —

1980 23 1,046 ¹— 1,046 6 1,008 ¹— 1,008 — — — — 155 18,662 ¹— 18,662

(14.8) (5.6) ¹— (5.6) (3.9) (5.4) ¹— (5.4) — — — — — — ¹— —

1981 15 967 ¹— 967 8 2,199 ¹— 2,199 — — — — 133 16,417 ¹— 16,417

(11.3) (5.9) ¹— (5.9) (60) (13.4) ¹— (13.4) — — — — — — ¹— —

1982 25 1,300 ¹—_ 1,300 7 1,295 ¹— 1,295 — — — — 133 10,529 ¹— 10,529

(18.8) (12.4) ¹— (12.4) (5.3) (12.3) ¹— (12.3) — — — — — — — —

1983 59 3,036 2,667 5,703 9 451 458 909 — — — — 236 15,546 15,257 30,803

(25.0) (19.5) (17.5) (18.5) (3.8) (2.9) (3.0) (2.9) — — — — — — — —

1984 70 2,731 810 3,541 14 1,364 586 1,950 — — — — 328 27,102 19,294 46,396

(21.3) (10.1) (4.2) (7.6) (4.3) (5.0) (3.0) (4.2) — — — — — — — —

1985 84 3,649 5,712 9,361 15 1,281 19 1,300 — — — — 375 25,584 18,721 44,305

(22.4) (14.3) (30.5) (21.1) (4.0) (5.0) (0.1) (2.9) — — — — — — — —

1986 60 2,118 1,148 3,266 12 1,129 528 1,657 — — — — 339 16,274 10,760 27,034

(17.7) (13.0) (10.7) (12.1) (3.5) (6.9) (4.9) (6.1) — — — — — — — —

1987 55 2,698 599 3,297 11 564 328 892 1 — 5,700 5,700 325 21,651 20,284 41,935

(16.9) (12.5) (3.0) (7.9) (3.4) (2.6) (1.6) (2.1) (0.3) — (28.1) (13.6) — — — —

1988 46 2,400 983 3,383 5 479 0 479 3 325 0 325 352 27,653 18,937 46,590

(13.1) (8.7) (5.4) (7.1) (1.4) d.7) (0) (1.0) (0.9) (1.2) (0) (0.7) — — — —

1989 21 2,163 610 2,483 8 1,848 40 1,888 1 0 0 0 330 30,756 28,434 59,190

(6.4) (7.0) (2.3) (4.3) (2.4) (6.0) (0.15) (3.3) (0.3) (0) (0) (0) — — — —

¹ Not available.

Notes:
Figures in brackets apply to percentage of total for each region.
These figures refer to decisions known to the IBB, and are provided by the companies themselves.
The jobs are those associated with the projects over the long term.
438W

Number of inward investment decisions: Regional breakdown
	Scotland	Wales	Northern Ireland	North East
	Number of projects	New jobs	Safeguarded jobs	Total jobs	Number of projects	New jobs	Safeguarded jobs	Total jobs	Number of projects	New jobs	Safeguarded jobs	Total jobs	Number of projects	New jobs	Safeguarded jobs	Total jobs
1979	28	2,757	¹—	2,757	18	854	¹—	854	18	2,794	¹	2,794	21	1,466	¹—	1,466
	(15.3)	(19.3)	¹—	(19.3)	(9.8)	(6.0)	¹—	(6.0)	(9.8)	(19.5)	¹—	(19.5)	(11.5)	(10.2)	¹—	(10.2)
1980	31	4,474	¹—	4,474	16	3,332	¹—	3,332	20	2,760	¹—	2,760	19	2,923	¹—	2,923
	(20.0)	(24.0)	¹—	(24.0)	(10.3)	(17.9)	¹—	(47.9)	(12.9)	(14.8)	¹—	(14.8)	(12.3)	(15.7)	¹—	(15.7)
1981	28	5,756	¹—	5,756	20	1,986	¹—	1,986	15	2,429	¹—	2,429	14	1,021	¹—	1,021
	(21.0)	(35.1)	¹—	(35.1)	(15.0)	(12.1)	¹—	(12.1)	(11.3)	(14.8)	¹—	(14.8)	(10.5)	(6.2)	¹—	(6.2)
1982	28	2,258	¹—	2,258	17	901	¹—	901	6	1,893	¹—	1,893	15	539	¹—	539
	(21.0)	(21.4)	¹—	(21.4)	(12.8)	(8.6)	¹—	(8.6)	(4.5)	(18.0)	¹—	(18.0)	(11.3)	(5.1)	¹—	(5.1)
1983	49	5,135	3,432	8,567	31	2,116	1,913	4,029	11	548	1,192	1,740	20	1,066	720	1,786
	(20.8)	(33.0)	(22.5)	(27.8)	(13.1)	(13.6)	(12.5)	(13.1)	(4.7)	(3.5)	(7.8)	(5.6)	(8.5)	(6.9)	(4.7)	(5.8)
1984	74	8,761	1,463	10,224	42	3,958	5,015	8,973	27	2,256	2,876	5,132	29	4,589	230	4,819
	(22.6)	(32.3)	(7.6)	(22.0)	(12.8)	(14.6)	(26.0)	(19.3)	(8.2)	(8.3)	(14.9)	(11.1)	(8.8)	(16.9)	(1.2)	(10.4)
1985	57	4,971	2,922	7,893	45	2,416	1,350	3,766	22	771	1,424	2,195	26	1,987	1,572	3,559
	(15.2)	(19.4)	(15.6)	(17.8)	(12.0)	(9.4)	(7.2)	(8.5)	(5.9)	(3.0)	(7.6)	(5.0)	(6.9)	(7.8)	(8.4)	(8.0)
1986	36	1,881	607	2,488	49	2,364	2,232	4,596	18	693	1,722	2,415	30	1,581	1,158	2,739
	(10.6)	(11.6)	(5.6)	(9.2)	(14.5)	(14.5)	(20.7)	(17.0)	(5.3)	(4.3)	(16.0)	(8.9)	(8.8)	(9.7)	(10.8)	(10.1)
1987	31	3,704	2,061	5,765	58	4,054	877	4,931	17	1,135	1,341	2,486	31	3,491	852	4,343
	(9.5)	(17.1)	(10.2)	(13.7)	(17.8)	(18.7)	(4.3)	(11.8)	(5.2)	(5.2)	(6.6)	(5.9)	(9.5)	(16.1)	(4.2)	(10.4)
1988	58	5,429	1,978	7,407	56	6,006	2,085	8,091	22	2,610	916	3,526	22	2,041	31	2,072
	(16.5)	(19.6)	(10.4)	(15.3)	(15.9)	(21.7)	(11.0)	(17.4)	(6.3)	(9.4)	(5.0)	(7.7)	(6.3)	(7.4)	(0.2)	(4.4)
1989	34	4,551	645	5,196	42	3,564	2,050	5,614	17	1,187	8,558	9,745	46	4,495	1,438	5,933
	(10.4)	(14.8)	(2.4)	(9.0)	(12.7)	(11.6)	(7.2)	(7.0)	(5.2)	(3.9)	(32.0)	(17.0)	(14.1)	(14.6)	(5.4)	(10.3)
¹ Not available.

	North West	Yorkshire/Humberside	West Midlands	East Midlands
	Number of projects	New jobs	Safeguarded jobs	Total jobs	Number of projects	New jobs	Safeguarded jobs	Total jobs	Number of projects	New jobs	Safeguarded jobs	Total jobs	Number of projects	New jobs	Safeguarded jobs	Total jobs
1979	9	379	¹—	379	27	1,176	¹—	1,176	11	864	¹—	864	15	1,174	¹—	1,174
	(4.9)	(2.6)	¹—	(2.6)	(14.8)	(8.2)	¹—	(8.2)	(6.0)	(6.0)	¹—	(6.0)	(8.2)	(8.2)	¹—	(8.2)
1980	15	913	¹—	913	17	890	¹—	890	3	1,040	¹—	1,040	5	276	¹—	276
	(9.7)	(4.9)	¹—	(4.9)	(11.0)	(4.8)	¹—	(4.8)	(1.9)	(5.6)	¹—	(5.6)	(3.2)	(1.5)	¹—	(1.5)
1981	12	1,177	¹—	1,177	6	167	¹—	167	7	425	¹—	425	8	290	¹—	290
	(9.0)	(7.2)	¹—	(7.2)	(4.5)	(1.0)	¹—	(1.0)	(5.3)	(2.6)	¹—	(2.6)	(6.0)	(1.8)	¹—	(1.8)
1982	14	1,291	¹—	1,291	7	104	¹—	104	1	100	¹—	100	13	848	¹—	848
	(10.5)	(12.3)	¹—	(12.3)	(5.3)	(0.9)	¹—	(1.0)	(0.7)	(0.9)	¹—	(0.9)	(9.8)	(8.1)	¹—	(8.1)
1983	22	709	1,114	1,823	10	345	502	847	13	1,201	3,179	4,380	12	939	80	1,019
	(9.3)	(4.6)	(7.3)	(5.9)	(4.2)	(2.2)	(3.3)	(2.7)	(5.5)	(7.7)	(20.8)	(14.2)	(5.1)	(6.0)	(0.5)	(3.3)
1984	40	1,135	1,911	3,046	7	119	860	979	14	1,531	5,240	6,771	11	658	303	961
	(12.2)	(4.2)	(9.9)	(6.6)	(2.1)	(0.4)	(4.5)	(2.1)	(4.3)	(5.6)	(27.2)	(14.6)	(3.4)	(2.4)	(1.6)	(2.1)
1985	28	2,271	1,378	3,649	16	2,263	2,969	5,232	63	5,197	1,375	6,572	19	778	0	778
	(7.5)	(8.9)	(7.4)	(8.2)	(4.3)	(8.8)	(15.9)	(11.8)	(16.8)	(20.3)	(7.4)	(14.8)	(5.1)	(3.0)	—	(1.8)
1986	34	1,400	1,389	2,789	11	158	57	215	74	4,393	1,899	6,292	15	557	20	577
	(10.0)	(8.6)	(12.9)	(10.3)	(3.2)	(0.9)	(0.5)	(0.7)	(21.8)	(27.0)	(17.7)	(23.3)	(4.4)	(3.4)	(0.1)	(2.1)
1987	28	1,323	4,896	6,219	23	1,147	961	2,108	59	3,079	2,271	5,350	11	456	398	854
	(8.6)	(6.1)	(24.1)	(14.1)	(7.1)	(5.3)	(4.7)	(5.0)	(18.2)	(14.2)	(11.2)	(12.8)	(3.4)	(2.1)	(2.0)	(2.0)
1988	30	1,763	3,844	5,607	23	1,790	380	2,170	69	3,671	7,840	11,511	18	1,139	880	2,019
	(8.5)	(6.4)	(17.7)	(10.9)	(5.7)	(6.4)	(2.1)	(4.7)	(19.6)	(13.3)	(42.8)	(25.0)	(5.2)	(4.1)	(4.8)	(4.4)
1989	52	2,646	4,538	7,184	11	600	1,100	1,700	87	5,629	7,035	12,664	11	4,073	2,420	6,783
	(15.9)	(8.6)	(17.0)	(12.5)	(3.4)	(1.9)	(4.1)	(3.0)	(26.6)	(18.3)	(26.2)	(22.0)	(3.3)	(13.2)	(9.0)	(11.6)
¹ Not available.

	South East	South West	United Kingdom not Specified	Total United Kingdom
	Number of projects	New jobs	Safeguarded jobs	Total jobs	Number of projects	New jobs	Safeguarded jobs	Total jobs	Number of projects	New jobs	Safeguarded jobs	Total jobs	Number of projects	New jobs	Safeguarded jobs	Total jobs
1979	23	908	¹—	908	13	1,938	¹—	1,938	—	—	—	—	183	14,310	¹—	14,310
	(12.6)	(6.3)	¹—	(6.3)	(7.1)	(13.5)	¹—	(13.5)	—	—	—	—	—	—	¹—	—
1980	23	1,046	¹—	1,046	6	1,008	¹—	1,008	—	—	—	—	155	18,662	¹—	18,662
	(14.8)	(5.6)	¹—	(5.6)	(3.9)	(5.4)	¹—	(5.4)	—	—	—	—	—	—	¹—	—
1981	15	967	¹—	967	8	2,199	¹—	2,199	—	—	—	—	133	16,417	¹—	16,417
	(11.3)	(5.9)	¹—	(5.9)	(60)	(13.4)	¹—	(13.4)	—	—	—	—	—	—	¹—	—
1982	25	1,300	¹—_	1,300	7	1,295	¹—	1,295	—	—	—	—	133	10,529	¹—	10,529
	(18.8)	(12.4)	¹—	(12.4)	(5.3)	(12.3)	¹—	(12.3)	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1983	59	3,036	2,667	5,703	9	451	458	909	—	—	—	—	236	15,546	15,257	30,803
	(25.0)	(19.5)	(17.5)	(18.5)	(3.8)	(2.9)	(3.0)	(2.9)	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1984	70	2,731	810	3,541	14	1,364	586	1,950	—	—	—	—	328	27,102	19,294	46,396
	(21.3)	(10.1)	(4.2)	(7.6)	(4.3)	(5.0)	(3.0)	(4.2)	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1985	84	3,649	5,712	9,361	15	1,281	19	1,300	—	—	—	—	375	25,584	18,721	44,305
	(22.4)	(14.3)	(30.5)	(21.1)	(4.0)	(5.0)	(0.1)	(2.9)	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1986	60	2,118	1,148	3,266	12	1,129	528	1,657	—	—	—	—	339	16,274	10,760	27,034
	(17.7)	(13.0)	(10.7)	(12.1)	(3.5)	(6.9)	(4.9)	(6.1)	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1987	55	2,698	599	3,297	11	564	328	892	1	—	5,700	5,700	325	21,651	20,284	41,935
	(16.9)	(12.5)	(3.0)	(7.9)	(3.4)	(2.6)	(1.6)	(2.1)	(0.3)	—	(28.1)	(13.6)	—	—	—	—
1988	46	2,400	983	3,383	5	479	0	479	3	325	0	325	352	27,653	18,937	46,590
	(13.1)	(8.7)	(5.4)	(7.1)	(1.4)	d.7)	(0)	(1.0)	(0.9)	(1.2)	(0)	(0.7)	—	—	—	—
1989	21	2,163	610	2,483	8	1,848	40	1,888	1	0	0	0	330	30,756	28,434	59,190
	(6.4)	(7.0)	(2.3)	(4.3)	(2.4)	(6.0)	(0.15)	(3.3)	(0.3)	(0)	(0)	(0)	—	—	—	—
¹ Not available.