Research lab The Brunel Centre opens to power sustainable and inclusive growth for the West of England

A new data and research centre designed to support sustainable and inclusive growth and industrial strategy in the West of England, officially launched on Thursday 3 July.

The Brunel Centre is a new university-business partnership led by the University of Bath and UWE Bristol, along with Futures West. A launch event, featuring a keynote speech by new West of England Mayor Helen Godwin, took place at the Roman Baths in Bath.

Futures West Chair Sir Iain Gray, University of Bath Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Phil Taylor, University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) Vice Chancellor Professor Sir Steve West, and The Brunel Centre’s Director, Dr Lucy Martin, also spoke at the event.

Created through a partnership between the University of Bath, UWE Bristol and Futures West, the Brunel Centre will pioneer new approaches to economic research and data analysis, making its findings publicly available to inform businesses and policymakers in the region and enable new collaborations to help power the region’s industrial strategy.

Professor Sir Steve West, UWE Bristol Vice-Chancellor said: "The Brunel Centre will bring together regional universities, businesses and policymakers to deliver real-world data that drives local economic growth, equips people with critical skills, and ensures that research is directly beneficial to our communities.

“With recent investment from government and a new Metro Mayor, the Centre will be vital in identifying new opportunities and delivering insight that directly responds to the needs of the West of England. This is an exciting opportunity to build a collaborative research ecosystem in the region that is relevant and impactful.”

Dr Lucy Martin, Director of the Brunel Centre, said: “We have an ambitious brief to deliver real economic insights, tools and information to help the West of England grow, train people, attract investment, tackle inequalities, improve sustainability and become an even greater place to live and do business.

“Success for us will be seeing our research used when political or business decisions that affect the West of England are being made, whether in the region or at a national level.”

The Centre will receive Research England Development funding of £4.5 million over the next five years, to March 2030, but the partners behind the Centre aim to ensure it becomes a long-term, permanent capability for the region.

Mayor of the West of England, Helen Godwin, said: "This £4.5 million investment in research for our universities is a fantastic boost for the West of England—and a real game-changer for our region’s future. The Brunel Centre’s work will help drive the kind of growth that creates new opportunities, supports local jobs, and brings real benefits to people and businesses across the region. I’m excited to see how the Centre’s insights will make a lasting difference in our communities.”

Its main aim will be to tackle long-term economic challenges for the region. This includes raising productivity, enabling sustainable and inclusive growth, driving innovation, and supporting key regional sectors and firms.

Futures West will build on the strengths of its relationships across the private sector to ensure the Centre’s research programmes are relevant and impactful. This includes working closely with the West of England Combined Authority, local authorities, regional businesses, and global corporations located in the region.

The Brunel Centre will deliver four new capabilities to the West of England:

- A publicly accessible, online and real-time data hub and observatory on the economic performance of the region. This will cover the labour market, skills, productivity, business creation, innovation, R&D, trade and investment.

- Newly available data and research with regional businesses and civic actors creating new insights in areas including education, skills, training, innovation and productivity.

- Carrying out an initial strategic audit of the region’s economy that will be published in early 2026 and plans to produce quarterly reports on the economic picture in the region following this.

- Consultancy and stakeholder-funded projects to support key decision makers in the region with the insight and evidence needed to inform action.

- Events and workshops for public, private and third-sector stakeholders in the region to enable collaborations that facilitate inclusive and sustainable economic growth.

Futures West Chair Sir Iain Gray said: “This launch comes at a crucial period for the West of England, following the election of a new Metro Mayor and several funding announcements that will benefit our region. Now is the time to make a compelling evidence-led case for investment that will benefit our businesses and economy. Futures West will promote the Centre’s insights to businesses and policymakers and will leverage our private sector relationships to ensure the Centre’s research programmes are relevant and impactful.”