Yorkshire Science

Horizon Scanning

The first workshop on horizon scanning carried out by representatives from the three Northern regions took place on the 20th October, 2006. The aim of the workshop was to create a vision of the Northern regions in the year 2031 which will be used to drive future strategy and action.

The issues for the Northern regions were identified as:

• Insecurity - conflict, terrorism
• Climate change - rising sea levels affecting the coast
• Economic growth and competition
• Transport congestion
• Globalisation
• Distance from Whitehall, distance from London
• Mismatch of civic and sub-regional governance
• Demographics - declining working age population, immigration

The strategic vision developed at the workshop has six elements:

• Leadership - by 2031, the Northern regions will have a well respected, influential and dynamic cadre of leaders working with business, government and the public sector. These leaders will imbue the workforce with a drive for enterprise and innovation, creating an energetic and ambitious culture which aspires to great things and employees who are inspired to create new products, processes and services for a growing customer base.
• Wealth creation - by 2031, the Northern regions will have closed the wealth gap with the south; there will be many world class businesses and entrepreneurs based in the North. The traditional manufacturing industries will have reinvented themselves to create new industries with innovative business structures based upon highly skilled employees. Brown field sites will be regenerated to provide attractive places to work, live and play.
• Knowledge creation - by 2031, the Northern Regions will have created six world class and world-renowned knowledge centres. Each knowledge centre will focus on a specific scientific, technological or medical topic and will create a critical mass of expertise and knowledge by bringing together internationally acclaimed researchers from university departments in the region and beyond.
• Transport and communications - by 2031, the transport network in the Northern regions will be unrecognisable from today. It will provide fast, clean, affordable and reliable transport connections for business and communities across the region. Travel times between major cities in the North will drastically decrease - Liverpool to Leeds in 1 hour, Newcastle to Manchester in 1.5 hours, etc.
• A carbon neutral economy - by 2031, the Northern regions will have developed a carbon neutral economy which is acclaimed throughout the world. This will have been developed from coordinated initiatives to reduce consumption whilst simultaneously increasing the use of alternative, carbon neutral sources of energy. New energy technologies will be developed and piloted to create a portfolio of commercially viable energy sources which will include nuclear, wind, wave and clean coal and provide the North with a strong indigenous supply of energy.
• Raising aspirations and promoting a 'can do' attitude - by 2031, the people in the Northern regions will have a strong sense of self-worth, pride in their communities, and a proactive 'can do' attitude which is built upon a legacy of success. Organisations will have released their employees from over-bureaucratic processes and created organisational structures which promote inventiveness, enterprise and resourcefulness. Real successes will be recognised and publicised across the regions to further strengthen the Northern culture of aspiration.

If you want to read more about the horizon scanning event, please click on the link.

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