The IfM's Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation Policy (CSTI) and its knowledge exchange unit, Policy Links, held a 'smart specialisation' workshop this week bringing together the agri-tech community in the East of England. The workshop was designed to identify the distinctive strengths of the region as one of Europe's leading agri-tech clusters.

The workshop offered participants an opportunity to gain insights from the broader innovation community in the East of England, and a chance to learn about innovation opportunities for the agri-tech industry. The East of England is home to much of the UK’s most productive and profitable agricultural land as well as the research powerhouses of Cambridge and Norwich.

The workshop was held as part of a pilot project commissioned by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills intended to inform their thinking on 'smart specialisation'. The team from the IfM worked in partnership with cluster management organisation Agri-tech East who were instrumental in bringing together key participants from the regional community.

The outputs from the workshop will inform the development of strategies and important activities of local and national government agencies.

If you would like to learn more about the project or other 'smart specialisation' work carried out by the Policy Links unit and CSTI please contact Carlos Lopez.

* Policy Links is the knowledge exchange unit of the Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation Policy (CSTI), University of Cambridge. Policy Link's mission is to provide professional advice and education services grounded in the latest academic research to address the needs of policy officials and civil servants working in the areas of technology, manufacturing and innovation policy.