Felicia Fai

My research interrests focus on the development and leveraging of technological capabilities at different units of analysis.

Historically my interest in innovation, capabilities and competences, originated in the development of corporate technological competence and the importance of having both a set of core competences and a diverse technological base for corporate longevity in a range of manufacturing industries. The diversity of their technological competences enables firms to recognise the potential of other firms as future partners for innovative purposes and to work with them; the subset of core competences, enable a firm to develop specialist expertise in an area which make them attractive as partners to others. I am now applying similar underlying principles to the consideration of regional level innovation capability development and the growth of intra- and inter-regional networks.

My current research considers 'place-based' perspectives combined with industrial and innovation policy. I am interested in how the enhancement of regional capabilities can potentially overthrow the constraints of regions being identified on the basis of standard industrial classifications and how this can then lead to new innovation and market opportunities. Within this, I also consider the role of universities as anchor institutions with respect to the development of innovative capabilities.

I have worked on regional development issues in the South West of England (including the University's successful bid for the Institute for Advanced Automotive Propulsion Systems (IAAPs), and currently hold a Regional Studies Association Policy Expo grant examining how industrial policy can assist firms in peripheral EU regions to participate fully in smart specialisation frameworks. I have also served as an academic adviser to the Cabinet Office about the role of universities in regional growth through the Cabinet Office's Launchpad initiative, designed to bring civil servants together with outside experts to share ideas and develop new policies.

I would welcome approaches from potential PhD students and researchers with interests in these areas.

I am interested in supervising PhD students with an interest in adopting a competence-based perspective on technological innovation, R&D and networks.