Working with Sheffield University, the Ortus team delivered an extensive review of the economic size and scale of economic clusters (i.e. specialisms) in the Doncaster economy and reviewed the opportunities for these clusters to contribute to inclusive growth targets. The project considered two specific factors:
- The ‘enablers’ that are key to maximising economic opportunity and growth across any identified platforms or sectors
- Scenarios for future growth and how specific platforms or sectors may contribute to future growth in employment and economic wealth.
Through a range of quantitative analyses, using public and business datasets, we first identified the key strengths of the Doncaster economy from an economic cluster point of view. This identified four clusters of significance – Engineering & Technology, Future Mobility, Advanced Materials and Creative & Digital.
The study then examined how the development of and growth of these specialisms might impact on the Doncaster economy in the future, based on scenario development and forecasting. It then examined, through qualitative research and a review of existing evidence, how growth in these specialisms could underpin and drive inclusive growth.
Our work was very well received by the Council and partners and features very significantly in their published Inclusive Growth Strategy, where building on economic specialisms features as one of the key themes.