Coventry & Warwickshire will be at the heart of the UK’s transition to clean energy and will also attract the next generation of scientists and engineers following major investment, a networking event heard.
Coventry & Warwickshire Champions held its final event of the year at the Coventry Building Society Arena in early November. The event was sponsored by FSL Projects and attracted more than 170 delegates to hear from guest speakers from the University of Warwick, National Grid and Shakespeare’s England.
Professor Mark Williams, Academic Director of STEM Connect at the University of Warwick, gave a speech around the university’s recently-launched project of the same name.
The ambitious Connect Programme will see £700m spent on revamping its STEM and Social Sciences research and teaching spaces, building more partnerships with public and private sector and delivering cutting-edge innovation.
He said: “There’s a lot of well-documented pressure on universities’ finances at the moment, but by investing in the future of STEM now, we will help attract the best global talent to the university and our region, and be at the forefront of scientific and engineering breakthroughs.
“Our work to build links between our research and how it can benefit business – which we are already doing with WMG – will dramatically increase as part of the STEM Connect programme, and we’re looking forward to working directly with even more businesses in the region as we progress.”
Zac Richardson, Chief Engineer and Director of Offshore Delivery at National Grid, then spoke about how the company – whose UK operations are based in Warwick – is delivering £60bn of investment over the next five years, including in its ‘Great Grid Upgrade’ across England and Wales to both improve the existing grid and scale it up to connect green sources of energy such as offshore wind.
“This is a huge undertaking – the government is targeting 50GW of offshore wind by 2030, and our upgraded networks will be crucial in connecting that clean power, getting it to where it’s needed and enabling the transition to a green, electric future.
“Our transmission network control centre and teams of expert engineers in Warwick will be at the heart of this work.”
In an interview with host Adam Dent, of PLMR, Tara Robinson, Chair of destination management organisation Shakespeare’s England, said the region continues to punch above its weight in attracting tourists both from the UK and abroad.
“Since COVID, we are seeing new trends in the way people book trips and overnight stays to our region, such as only booking once they are convinced the weather will be good,” she said.
“But from the latest figures we have from 2022, this area attracted around 20 million day visitors, with two million of those staying overnight. That supports around 10,000 jobs in the region.
“Part of my role is to boost those overnight trips and keep those figures healthy by continuing to promote all the wonderful attractions our region has to offer.
“While we mustn’t rest on our laurels, our historic and cultural heritage and our strength in business tourism continues to see this area performing strongly.”
Phil Sheepy, Founder and Managing Director of FSL Projects, said he was ‘delighted’ to have sponsored the event.
“As a nationwide company, we are committed to strengthening our connections in the Coventry & Warwickshire area,” he said.
“This event offered a fantastic opportunity to meet industry leaders and engage with the vibrant local business community. We look forward to building on the relationships formed and supporting the continued growth and success of this region.”
Craig Humphrey, Chief Executive at Coventry and Warwickshire Growth Hub, of which CW Champions is a part, added: “The final Champions event of the year was a great way to sign off 2024.
“It was the best-attended event of the year, and the many members who came were pleased to hear about the incredible investment coming into our region, as well as our continued success in tourism, from Mark, Zac, and Tara.
“As we often say, our events are designed to give delegates the information and updates they need so they can inform others on everything positive that is happening in Coventry and Warwickshire.”