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WEST MIDLANDS
GEOGRAPHY AND DEMOGRAPHY
The West Midlands region is situated at the heart of England, bordering on the west by Wales. The region covers an area of 13,000 square kilometres, with a population of 5.3 million inhabitants and a density of 410 people per km˛ (slightly higher than national average).

The area is comprised of four Shire Counties (Worcestershire, Shropshire, Staffordshire and Warwickshire), seven Metropolitan Districts (Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton) and three Unitary Authorities (Herefordshire, Telford and The Wrekin and Stoke-on- Trent).
INFRASTRUCTURE
West Midlands has extensive canal network and transport links (roads, highways, railroads) to rest of England and abroad with the Birmingham international airport. The region is also a key area, connecting England to Wales.
ECONOMY
West Midlands contributes 8.2% of the UK's total GDP and, in per head terms, it is positioned seventh out of the UK's twelve regions. The economic structure of the West Midlands is diverse. There are around 46,000 people employed in the agricultural sector (1.9%), 530,000 in the industrial sector (21.,6%), and 1,700,000 in the service one (72.7%). The manufacturing industry is the most prolific employment sector (23% work in this sector).

The city of Birmingham is an important centre not only for the region but also for all the country, with its banking, finance and business service. Tourism is a growing resource in many part of the region, in particular in the Stratford area.
LABOUR MARKET
 The number of employees is about 2,5 million, which corresponds to an employement rate of 74.9% (female 67.8% and male 77.9%). On the other side the current uneployement rate is around 5% (3,7% Claiming Benefits).
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
On these issues the region spends 1.5% of its GDP, divided into public sector (0,7%), government (0,184%), university (0,183%) and private sector (0,549%).
DATA RELATED TO REGIONAL STRUCTURAL FUNDS MECHANISMS
Only some parts of the region, included in objective two 2000-2006, can take advantage of UE structural funds, giving the area high development level. ERDF objective applicable for the Region (1, 2): Euro 577,632,000. Total amount of ERDF funding for the current programme period (2000- 2006): Euro 709,812,000.
REGIONAL PROGRAMME OF INNOVATIVE ACTIONS (RPIA)
The Region's RPIA included the three strategic themes: regional economies based on knowledge and technological innovation; e-EuropeRegio: the information society at the service of regional development; regional identify and sustainable development and included Accompanying Measures and Technical Assistance. The RPIA sub-themes were:
  • Make innovation relevant and “real” and find ways of measuring our success;
  • Create new ways of finding, understanding and exploiting regional assets;
  • Develop new methods of identifying exploitable knowledge for the region and making sure it impacts in economic and social development;
  • Create new private/public/voluntary and community sector innovation partnerships;
  • Produce new ways of embedding innovation through practical actions in the private, public and voluntary and community sectors;
  • Develop new methods of achieving inclusion via knowledge;
  • Find innovative applications if IST/ICT to improve partnerships performance;
  • Develop more effective links between RTDIs, business, the public and the voluntary and community sector;
  • Apply good ideas piloted elsewhere into sectors to which they are new and link sectors that have not traditionally worked together to share experiences and knowledge;
  • Create new mechanisms to demonstrate the value of new ideas in relation to the region's identity;
  • Develop an integrated approach to innovation that spans geographical and functional boundaries and challenges the urban/rural divide;
  • Positively influence the delivery of structural and other regional funding programmes.
    Region RPIA action lines:
  • Harnessing and exploiting our Knowledge;
  • Measuring Testing and Learning;
  • The Innovation School;
  • Developing an Innovative e-region;
  • Using the region's identity to improve sustainability;
  • Networks;
  • Secretariat.
    The RPIA had a total budget of 5,990,000 divided into the seven action lines:
  • Harnessing and exploiting our Knowledge: Euro1,300,000;
  • Measuring Testing and Learning: Euro1,100,000;
  • The Innovation School: Euro 400,000;
  • Developing an Innovative e-region: Euro1,580,750:
  • Using the region's identity to improve sustainability: Euro1,267,300;
  • Networks: Euro 170,700;
  • Secretariat: Euro 141,250.