Bristol a Science City? What does that mean? And who said it?
It is a title the Chancellor of the Exchequer awarded to Bristol, along with Birmingham and Nottingham, in his budget speech on March 16.
It means Bristol is recognised as possessing a powerful concentration of academic and commercial science and technology interests. It also means the city is seen as having the leadership and the links between public authorities, universities and businesses that are vital if science and enterprise are to flourish.
This is a huge accolade and one of which all of us in Bristol can justly be proud.
The city’s great tradition was built around its port and its mercantile history, together with the development of heavy industry in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. More recently, major economic shifts prompted radical changes and could have meant decline for Bristol. Instead, it set about transforming itself, as all great cities do.
Our universities with their science base, our cluster of high-tech companies, our strengths in the media and cultural industries, our long tradition of being a major legal centre, our international airport, our proximity to the huge South-East economy and the relocation of some important financial services headquarters here have combined to create a major modern city that is poised for new success.
It is all around to see. The regeneration of the city centre and Harbourside is breathtaking. The Bristol Partnership, led by the leader of the City Council, is addressing a range of very important social, economic and environmental concerns. The recently formed West of England Partnership has brought the four relevant councils and many other partners together to work for the success of the city and the sub-region.
There is a growing sense of excitement and pride in Bristol. The City of Culture bid has had enormous knock-on benefits and we will all embrace the Brunel 200 celebrations. The Arena is a real possibility as an extension to the Temple Quay development. The NHS will be making massive investments in new facilities over the next five years, and the city’s two universities could easily invest over £400 million in developments by 2010.
I have only been Vice-Chancellor of Bristol University for four years and take credit for none of this. I also acknowledge that some of the city’s difficult social and other problems have yet to be resolved. However, I feel that Bristol is in the middle of one of those profound change cycles that come very rarely. It is successfully addressing many of its toughest challenges and has launched itself on a trajectory that should secure its position among Europe’s best cities.
Bristol has an unusual span – from the mercantile to the scientific; it is thoroughly modern but recognises its past; it is a place where people want to work and live not only because of its superb environment but because it is creative and at the cutting edge. Such characteristics make Bristol just the right city for an ambitious university to be, as beneficiary, partner and contributor.