Innovation Advisory Council for Wales
The Innovation Advisory Council for Wales (IACW) was set up in October 2014.
The Council is co-chaired by Kellie Beirne and David Notley and consists of representatives from Government, Higher Education and Business to reflect the public and private sector perspectives.
The role of the IACW is to advise us on a broad range of innovation matters to help grow and sustain Wales' economy and improve the wealth and wellbeing of the people of Wales. The council will monitor progress against the delivery of the Welsh Government's Economic Action Plan: Prosperity for All. It will advise and update us on emerging trends and developments, including identifying areas of existing strength and future opportunity using the ‘smart specialisation’ approach identified by the European Commission.
Council Members
- Ms Kellie Beirne - Director, Cardiff Capital Region City Deal
- Mr David Notley - Impact Innovation
- Professor Sue Bale - R&D Director, Aneurin Bevan University Health Board
- Mr Andy Middleton - Founder Director, The Tyf Group
- Mr Steve Smith - ex Director, Technology Venture Investments, Finance Wales
- Dr Helen Swygart - Capability Improvement Manager, Qioptiq
- Dr Ian Brotherston - Head of Public Sector Innovation Strategy, Innovate UK
- Mr Rob Ashelford - Head of Y Lab, Nesta
- Mr Rhys Thomas - Head of Innovation System and Engagement, Cardiff University
- Professor Kevin Morgan - Professor of Governance and Development, School of Geography and Planning, Cardiff University
- Ms Claire Durkin - ex Head, Global Science, Innovation and Knowledge Economy, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
- Ms Carol Bell - Non-Executive Director, Development Bank of Wales
Innovation Challenge Areas
The Council has recently reviewed its programme and is focusing on four themes that could enhance innovation in Wales:
- Public service-led innovation – to increase innovation in public service delivery, and give greater scope for business to generate innovative solutions for the public sector.
- Collaboration – to improve Wales’ share of UK and European grant funding; to promote Wales as a connected and valued partner for collaborative innovation projects; and to promote collaboration across sectors within Wales.
- Wellbeing of future generations – to look at the trends and patterns that will influence how we live, work and learn in a future Wales;
- National Innovation Body (NIB) – to build upon the potential identified for a new NIB and provide a detailed analysis of the scope and potential that exists to establish an entity capable of driving innovation and creativity across public and private sectors;
Previous work streams included Innovation Centres and Innovation Metrics.
Useful Documentation
Options for Developing a National Innovation Body for Wales
