UK SBS OJEU-CR150073BIS Analytical Support for Science and Innovation Audits (SIAs)

The Government announced in the Summer Budget 2015 its intention to invite consortia of universities, cities, Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) and businesses to map strengths and identify potential areas of strategic focus for different regions through a series of Science and Innovation Audits (SIAs). The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) wishes to issue a contract for analytical expertise to support consortia in the development of these SIAs.

BIS has regularly assessed the overall impact of its science and research investments and the performance of the UK research base, publishing reports on the international competitiveness of the UK research base. The latest of these was published in 2013 .

The Government will soon invite consortia to undertake analysis at a local level in the form of Science and Innovation Audits (SIAs) . Through these SIAs, consortia will map local research and innovation strengths and infrastructure, providing new innovative ways to identify and build on areas of greatest potential across the UK. Elsevier (2015) carried out a study looking at the comparative advantage of Amsterdam compared to other key European cities in terms of research and innovation , which bidders may find useful to consider when developing their approach to SIAs.

This specification is for rigorous analytical support to the consortia as they develop their SIAs. Drawing on the expertise and analytical support of the contractor, the consortia will use local level data or local subsets of national data to identify strengths and potential areas of strategic focus for their areas. As well as mapping future growth potential, the SIAs will examine the current mechanisms through which investment in science and innovation in their area leads to local productivity, international trade and investment, and growth, and any barriers to this growth being realised. This will be done by linking the following:

• Excellence in science and research highlighting areas of world leading strengths
• Strengths in innovation activity
• Science and innovation assets including institutes and facilities
• Local industrial strengths and capacity especially in nascent industries and emerging disruptive technologies
• Local strengths in international trade and attracting international investment
• The ability to work collaboratively across the science and innovation landscape
• Level of engagement with and by the business community
• Coherence with other existing or planned local or national activity to support research and innovation including the development of local infrastructure
• The comparative strengths on which to build future innovation, growth and prosperity