Reports and publications

Here you can download the reports from the various stages of the Regional Technology Foresight project, as well as other documents of interest.

Regional Technology Foresight
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Looking Back Moving Forward Report

The "Looking Back, Moving Forward" report analyses the economic strategy and policy debates in the Sheffield City Region over the last 5 years.

It is based on an in-depth analysis of a large number of economic strategy and policy documents produced in and for the Sheffield City Region, as well as on the "Policy Learning Lab", organised in collaboration with the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre Factory 2050. The report identifies both strengths and areas for improvement in regional economic debates and policies, particularly pointing out the need to:

  • improve the mapping of the competitive position of regional firms, especially in relation to global leaders,
  • compare the Sheffield City Region not just with other UK regions, but also with competitor regions in other countries, especially relevant for assessing regional attractiveness for global inward investment,
  • think creatively and outside the box in terms of support policies for regional firms.

Finally, the report sets out how technology foresight can fit into the regional policy apparatus.

To download this report, please fill in the form below to let us know your reasons for your interest.

Complete this form to download the Looking Back, Moving Forward report


Manufacturing Futures report

The Manufacturing Futures report is based on a total of over 60 interviews (around 30 with Sheffield City Region manufacturers and around 30 with technology and policy experts), as well as on the results of the Workshop on Emerging Technologies, held at the AMRC Factory 2050 in September 2019. Covering 14 different technology areas, the report provides an assessment of regional manufacturers' technological needs, challenges, and opportunities.

Based on the outcomes of the Workshop, it also prioritises some of these areas in terms of their importance for regional manufacturers, and sets out two future technology visions for advanced manufacturing in the Sheffield City Region.

To download this report, please fill in the form below to let us know your reasons for your interest.

Complete this form to download the Manufacturing Futures report


Capturing the Smart Manufacturing opportunity for the Sheffield City Region report

Enhancing attractiveness as a smart manufacturing hub represents an opportunity for the Sheffield City Region. But being a world leader at realising productivity gains through the application of digital manufacturing technologies, being a frontrunner at driving digital innovation and growth, and maintaining a rich ecosystem where innovative business models can flourish requires ambitious policy interventions.

Based on insights drawn from over sixty interviews with firms and industrial technologists, one focus group and one online Delphi study with national and international industrial innovation experts, the 'Capturing the Smart Manufacturing Opportunity' report puts forward a framework for thinking about policy instruments and a suggests a new agency – an industrial innovation ecosystem – that steers and manages network-based co-creation activities, supporting innovation in the Sheffield City Region today and in the future. 

To download this report, please fill in the form below to let us know your reasons for your interest.

Complete this form to download the Capturing the Smart Manufacturing opportunity for the Sheffield City Region


Copyright

The copyright of this Report rests with the authors. Unless otherwise indicated, its contents are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA).

Under this licence, you may copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format for both commercial and non-commercial purposes. You may also create and distribute modified versions of the work.

This is on the condition that you credit the authors and share any derivative works under the same licence. When reusing or sharing this work, ensure you make the licence terms clear to others by naming the licence and linking to the licence text. Where a work has been adapted, you should indicate that the work has been changed and describe those changes.

Please seek permission from the copyright holder for uses of this work that are not included in this licence or permitted under UK Copyright Law.

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