United Kingdom
Steve Rotheram
1,530,000 (2018)
John Whaling
Improve resident outcomes
Maximise competitive strengths and lever associated investment
Deliver approaches/ solutions to industry
Dedicated funding
Focus on measurement
Dedicated innovation team
Support from outside city administration
Engagement with partners
Leadership from Metro Mayor
Liverpool City Region is delivering one of Europe's leading health and social care 5G programs in one of the country's most deprived communities via a UK government testbed initiative. By deploying a wide range of high value technologies including low-cost open source 5G network, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things, the project has helped bridge the digital divide, improve the quality of life, and address social isolation among elderly residents. Despite the trial concluding in November 2019, the existing network has been maintained by project partners while further funding is being secured to improve and extend the network across the region.
Along with 50% of cities surveyed, Liverpool City Region has an explicit innovation strategy. Similar to 24% of cities surveyed, Liverpool City Region approaches innovation capacity in specific policy areas/domains.
Economic development: The Hartree Centre (part of the national Science & Technology Facilities Council, a sub-branch of UK government Research & Innovation) operates the most powerful supercomputer in the UK dedicated to industrial R&D. In addition, it is co-located with an IBM Research Global Research Lab, and the primary UK deployment of IBM's Watson AI platform. This collaboration is already revolutionizing patient experience at Alder Hey Children's Hospital via the Alder play app __powered by AI, that is improving clinical outcomes as well as saving time and money.
Health: Liverpool is delivering one of Europe's leading health and social care 5G programs in one of the UK's most deprived communities, on the back of a UK government (DCMS) testbed initiative. The ambition is to scale this out across the whole City region, plus establish a manufacturing and R&D capability.
Situated in the Policy and Strategic Commissioning Directorate, the City Region’s Innovation and Commercialisation Lead Officer works across the Commercial Investment and Development Directorate and is ultimately accountable to the Metro Mayor.
Taking risks or testing new ideas
Data-driven analytics/public data management
Engaging residents in new ways
Developing new solutions based on digital technologies
Organizational change within the municipality
Human-centered design
Rethinking your city’s approach to financing partnerships
Like 81% of cities surveyed, Liverpool City Region has dedicated funding to support innovation capacity.
*"Training staff and building capacity" is not an option in the 2018 survey, while "Launching or sustaining a project" is not an option in the 2020 survey.
Liverpool City Region has developed partnerships to promote innovation capacity with other public agencies, private firms, and not-for-profit organizations.
To improve data use, the city has also developed data partnerships with the private sector, academia and think tanks, to collect and analyze data, as well as with other cities.