The Knowledge Exchange Seminar Series (KESS) is the first of its kind in the United Kingdom, formally partnering a legislative arm of government – the Northern Ireland Assembly – with academia. KESS aims to encourage debate and improve understanding by providing a forum to present and disseminate research findings in a straightforward format, making those findings easily accessible to decision-makers.

Seminars are free and are held on Wednesday afternoons. Each seminar starts at 1.30pm in the Long Gallery, Parliament Buildings, located on Stormont Estate. Further information on KESS, as well as the seminar programme for 2015-2016 programmes can be found here.

Please email raise@niassembly.gov.uk to reserve your place.

24 February 2016

IMPROVING NORTHERN IRELAND’S COMPETITIVENESS:  INNOVATION, SKILLS AND MARKETING

1.30pm – RaISe – Welcome
1.35pm – Assembly Committee Chair – Opening Remarks

1.45pm – Prof Rob Gilles (QUB) – How can the NI economy become more competitive in the 21st century global economy?
The Northern Ireland (NI) economy competes in an increasingly complex global setting. Since 2007 the global economy seems to be in a perpetual state of volatility. This presentation addresses how recent developments in economics can help understand how businesses and economies compete in this global setting and how these insights can inform policy decisions to promote competitiveness of the NI economy.

Recent research has shown that the global economy can best be understood as a complex of networks. Businesses and governments interact through relationships that make up supply-chains, social networks and interactive platforms. Competitiveness thus aims to control, regulate and enhance the networks one participates in. Business practices consequently focus on strategic mergers and institutional innovation, which are observed widely in our contemporary global economy. From this perspective, the presentation assesses issues related to attracting businesses to NI and the question whether lowering corporation tax would be beneficial.

2.05pm – Prof Rodney McAdam (Ulster) – Developing new products using Innovation Clusters: Overcoming NI’s peripheral location limitations
This presentation outlines research findings demonstrating the need to examine how Northern Ireland (NI) and its constituent SME (small to medium-sized enterprises) base can overcome peripherality problems in effectively developing new innovative products to drive business growth. Based on innovation cluster research at the Ulster University over the past 5 years, findings suggest that effective clustering policy and practice can help to make up for peripheral problems such as lack of indigenous resources. Based on this work, with international comparisons, findings show how clusters are an effective way of leveraging scarce resources leading to successful joint product development. This presentation explains that cluster policy and practice need to be aligned with the NI Regional Innovation Strategy (RIS) and European Union Smart Specialisation strategies, both to ensure that clusters are formed in technology areas that are best suited to NI’s strengths and to avoid dilution of effort. The presentation delivers findings that highlight innovation clusters in key technologies, which have been systematically developed over the past 5 years, including aligning cluster policy with the RIS and cluster policy and practice development, leading to new product development.

2.25pm – Discussion
2.45pm – Comfort Break

3.00pm – Mr Mark Magill (Ulster) – NI Skills barometer: Developing skills for tomorrow’s economy
This presentation addresses the widespread consensus on the value of skills both to the individual as well as the wider economy. It highlights how qualitative evidence from employers identifies skills shortages in a number of key sectors and occupations across the Northern Ireland (NI) economy.  However, it notes the gap in long-term quantitative forecasts to assist policy making. The presentation explains how this gap may be addressed, setting out the development of a comprehensive NI skills model, which is integrated within the Ulster University Economic Policy Centre (UUEPC) NI macroeconomic model. The model forecasts the number of jobs which will be created over the coming decade, and identifies the level of qualifications required for each type of job created, which helps to guide key questions relating to skills planning, such as ‘are we producing enough graduates to meet expected demand?’.  The research also highlights which subjects are in greatest demand at NQF level 4 and above and identifies the demand-supply imbalances across all subject areas.  This research identifies a number of policy issues for consideration, with choices required to ensure that NI’s skills provision meets economic needs. This presentation explains how the project aims to provide detailed labour market information that can be accessed by all relevant stakeholders, which takes the form of a Skills Barometer designed to assist young people in making well informed career decisions, employers to raise awareness about their skills needs, Government to prioritise limited funding and education institutions to tailor their courses and curricula.

3.20pm – Miss Rachel Malcolmson (Ulster) – Exploring Consumers’ Quality Perceptions of Local NI Food & Drink Produce
The Northern Ireland (NI) agri-food industry faces significant challenges in re-building consumer confidence in the quality and authenticity of food/drink products. However, increasing demand for authentic, high quality produce, paired with a renewed sense of food patriotism, presents new growth opportunities for local and artisan food/drink products to be promoted for their unique quality and provenance credentials. This presentation focuses on how to effectively raise the profile of local NI food/drink produce. Specifically it provides evidence-based recommendations for policy makers arising from research regarding the use of quality to market local produce. The recommendations for policy arise from a robust three stage, mixed methods, Department of Employment and Learning (DEL) funded PhD study. Preliminary findings indicate that packaging has a significant effect on consumer food quality perceptions and purchase decisions while shopping. The presentation therefore discusses how this evidence can be implemented by local producers as marketing strategy to engage the consumer. This research could importantly contribute to understanding about consumer perceptions regarding the marketing cues used to promote product quality, and to assist the NI agri-food industry in its promotion of local food/drink products. This presentation also has particular relevance to the implementation of the Executive’s ‘Going for Growth Strategy’ and the development of the Agri-food Strategy Board’s emerging marketing body for the creation of a single NI brand.

3.40pm – Discussion
4.00pm – RaISe – Closing Remarks
4.05pm – Networking and Refreshments