In-Conversation
with Fumi Kitagawa
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Fumi Kitagawa is a Professor in Regional Economic Development at the University of Birmingham. She works at the City-Region Economic Development Institute (City-REDI) based in Birmingham Business School, and leads the IPEC Research team at the University of Birmingham. Here, she tells us about her career to date, her work on the international stage and her belief in the power of public procurement.
You’ve worked around the world. Can you tell us a little about that?
I studied at University of Birmingham as a PhD student in Urban and Regional Studies, focusing on the roles of universities in regional innovation strategies. Since then, I’ve worked on innovation policies, entrepreneurship and different aspects of regional development. I have worked in Japan, Italy, Sweden and the UK as a post-doctorate, government policy researcher and then as an academic. I have had some opportunities to be part of international policy-interface works with the OECD and European Commission.
What drew you to join IPEC Research?
When I joined University of Birmingham, I was introduced to the Consortium for Research in Innovative and Strategic Public Procurement (CRISPP) – a research consortium preceding the IPEC Research. By working closely with Malcolm Harbour, the Associate Director of CPC, I got involved in the development of the IPEC Research with the colleagues at IPEC and University of Manchester team, led by Professor Elvira Uyarra.
How do you think your expertise aligns with the IPECs mission and goals?
The strategy of public procurement aligns strongly with local and regional development agenda. Public procurement of innovation can be a powerful mechanism for regional economies, and you could link innovation to economic and social values in a strategic way. The role of the university is a great example of this. The Public Services (Social Value) Act of 2013 requires public bodies to consider the creation of social and environmental value through their procurement process. As one of the anchor institutions embedded in the place, universities are important actors to achieve strategic procurement goals and practices by working with local communities.
What are you currently working on, and what do you think is the most exciting aspect of the IPEC research programme?
The focus of IPEC Research at University of Birmingham is place-based innovation policies. At City-REDI, we are looking at how public procurement can be deployed to facilitate innovation strategies for local and regional development. How can we facilitate innovative procurement practices in the public sector as part of the local and regional contexts? These are works in progress right now – our research team is looking at housing retrofit as a context of public procurement of innovation, for instance. We’re examining the challenges and barriers of public procurement in the context of social housing retrofit in the West Midlands region.
We are also looking at the role of anchor institutions and how they could deploy public procurement as a strategic tool to help local economies and communities. In this context, we collaborate closely with Centre for Local Economic Strategies (CLES), and their work on Birmingham Anchor Network. These examples provide insight on barriers and challenges as well as creative and innovative ways in which procurement can create values locally, for example, through training new skills and retraining workforces.
What are you looking forward to ahead of the new procurement act coming into effect, and how do you think ongoing research can continue to drive innovation and economic growth in the public sector?
We will see what the new procurement bill entails when it comes into effect in early 2025. It will be interesting to see how the new procurement bill is received and what kind of opportunities are identified to move the agenda forward. We would like to explore this by engaging with the procurement professional communities in the public sector and anchor institutions. This would be part of the work in 2025.
What are some of the main challenges you have identified in the current procurement practices, and are there any early insights on what can be done to navigate these challenges effectively?
One of the areas which would be interesting to look at further is the measurement of “social value” – how do we know the public procurement is making a difference through innovation and how do we know the strategies are effective? Social value in procurement is defined as “additional economic, social and environmental benefits beyond just the goods or services being procured.”– this will go beyond economic impacts. How can the public sector collect data, monitor capabilities and ultimately be accountable? One of the ways forward may be to create roadmaps to share visions and strategies across organisations and accelerate social value transitions in collaboration with key stakeholders.
Your work plays a crucial role in equipping decision-makers with the tools and knowledge needed to implement innovative procurement strategies. What’s the best way for people to engage with your work?
This is something we are discussing a lot through IPEC Research as part of our strategies. We work together to build robust evidence, share insights, and communicate and collaborate with decision makers. It is a complex and rapidly changing landscape.
Continuous learning and conducting research are collective exercises in this field. It can take time, and there are no short cuts, but we can build up our work bit by bit – this is a rewarding part of doing research.
Fumi Kitagawa
Professor in Regional Economic Development, University of Birmingham