The first “Midlands engine” trade and inward investment missions will take place next year, led by a team of 11 local enterprise partnerships.
Regeneration projects seeking investment will be promoted at MIPIM 2016, it was announced in a Midlands engine “prospectus” supported by business secretary Sajid Javid.
The prospectus follows the government’s pledge of a £5m trade and investment package for the region and sets out the LEPs’ ambitions for improved transport links across the Midlands.
Building a network of regional science parks, carrying out a skills review and developing a region-wide fund supporting SMEs were also set out in the document.
The prospectus was launched by the business secretary at the University of Birmingham, where the government has invested £60m in an energy research accelerator.
He said: “The Midlands is the heartland of our thriving manufacturing sector and home to 25 universities, playing a strong role in the recovery of the UK economy.
“Over the last year, private sector employment in the Midlands grew more than three times faster than London and the South East, but there are more opportunities to capitalise on the Midlands’ natural strengths and assets and make it an engine for growth.”
