Rescuing #BREXIT with Robots?

“Migration causes wage pressure in low skilled jobs 'Taking back control' of immigration [so the logic goes] will reduce supply of labour and increase local wages.” - a (disputed) claim of the Brexiteers in the UK referendum.

My recent projects looking at the disruptive impact of of automation and AI in various client markets show different trends. It is automation such as: robot clothing manufacturing and autonomous farming and picking that are the long term drivers impacting these low-skill industries.

As migration curbs bite, is the solution for the UK’s innovative businesses to use large-scale automation to fill any shortage of workers. Is #Brexit actually an opportunity to lead the world in advances in automation or will the UK’s new industrial policy prioritise employment over GVA?

Whatever the outcome, one thing is for sure: any global or pan-european companies looking at cross-border R&D and innovation are going to need to quickly plan for a variety of #Brexit scenarios. The Centre for Business Innovation is holding a facilitated symposium to map out the most likely scenarios and potential responses to keep corporate innovation flowing.

A few places are still available - contact adam.swash@cfbi.com or ceo@cfbi.com for more details.

MF7 Microfluidics Consortium visits Dublin Oct 7 & 8

The Microfluidics Consortium is now in its 7th year and will be visiting Dublin just ahead of the uTAS conference.

Dr Peter Hewkin who leads the microfluidics consortium says "Each year we have an Open Day in Europe when non-members can get to know the members of the Microfluidics consortium and share in their vision. This year we have placed the Open Day on Oct 8th ..just ahead of the global uTAS conference"

Delegates who wish to participate can also join our recruitment event the evening before on Oct 7th. For full agenda and early bird delegate list please click here http://www.cfbi.com/mf75landingpage.htm

The Microfluidics consortium is a global venture with the mission to grow the market for microfluidics enabled products and services. It meets across the USA and Europe .. and visits the Far East each year.

Microfluidics Consortium to visit Boston with Open Day on June 24

The MF7 Microfluidics Consortium will be in Boston on June 23 and 24. Hosted by Northeastern University the mission of the consortium is to grow the market for microfluidics enabled products and services.

The consortium delivers this mission by engaging with regulators, funders, business partners of all sizes as well as the venture capital community - all over the world.

While most of the consortium's work takes places in closed (members only) meetings, on June 24 we are holding our annual 'Open Day' where non-members can engage with us and learn about our vision , our values and processes.

To participate in the Open Day please follow this link: http://www.cfbi.com/mf74landingpage.htm

New Year Briefing from Centre for Business InnovationPublished

We are pleased to release the latest briefing from the Centre for Business Innovation in Cambridge UK. It describes our international consortia for:

- corporate venturing
- social media for business
- microfluidics
- nano-carbon enhanced materials
- open innovation meets big data
- medical adherence
- inclusive design

which are helping some of the world's best companies leverage each others position and insight to do more with less.

Read about it here

Social Media for Business Consortium collaborates with Cambridge Psychometrics Centre

Corporate Members of the Social Media for Business Consortium SMfB-2 are testing tools developed by the Psychometrics Centre of the Judge Business School in Cambridge. This provides access to the groundbreaking research of the Centre in the area of 'Social Listening'.

Applications which are of interest to consortium members include: targeting of marketing campaigns, profiling of customers and recruits, improving creativity of teams and identifying possible threats.

Dr Peter Hewkin for CfBI tells us 'corporate members of SMfB-2 are identifying new ways to impact their KPIs by matching psychological profiles to marketing, recruitment and other corporate needs. Working in private we are able to compare notes on what works and what does not enabling members to do more with less'.

Ultrawire Project Features on BBC 'Click' Programme'

One of the major public domain deliverables from the Nano-Carbon Enhanced Materials Consortium NCEM has been the FP7 project which the consortium on in 2014.

Named 'Ultrawire' the project aimed to manufacture wire based on carbon naotubed in a copper matrix. The project is now almost complete and findings are in the public domain.

We were pleased to be featured in the BBCs 'Click' programme on April 9th. The programme can be replayed here  http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b076zsd7/click-09042016

Contact Bojan.Boscovic@cfbi.com for more information

CfBI Summer Summit - Cambridge July 12

Thought leaders from some of the world's best companies who are members of CfBI consortia will meet at Trinity Hall in Cambridge to celebrate our Collaborate Advantage formula and sow the seeds for future consortia which meet their strategic needs.

Dr Peter Hewkin, CEO of the Centre for Business Innovation says 'We are delighted that leading companies like GSK, Philips, Smith and Nephew, Airbus and BUPA have joined several of our consortia and are starting to reap the benefits of synergies between them. We look forward to taking this process to the next level'.

Participation in by invitation only.