Newcastle University has launched an Institute of Devolution and appointed British Chambers of Commerce president Andy Haldane as its first professorial fellow.
The institute will provide independent research and analysis on devolution and bring together academics, policymakers, businesses and civic organisations. The university said the institute will examine how devolved powers can support economic growth, improve public services and strengthen communities.
Haldane will serve for two years, supporting events, evidence inquiries, engagement with government and opportunities for students to work on policy challenges.
Sunderland-born Haldane was chief economist at the Bank of England and later chief executive of the RSA. Newcastle University awarded him an honorary Doctor of Science in 2024.
In the university’s launch announcement, Haldane said: “The UK’s economic future will increasingly be shaped by the success of its cities, regions and communities.”
He added: “I am delighted to join the Institute of Devolution as its first Professorial Fellow and support its mission to develop new ideas, evidence and partnerships that can help places thrive.”
The appointment follows a June episode of Newcastle University Business School’s North East Edge podcast, in which Haldane and North East Mayoral Strategic Authority chief executive Dr Henry Kippin discussed the regional economy, devolution and the role of universities.
In the podcast, Haldane argued that the current devolution settlement remained incomplete.
He described it as “half a loaf, half baked”, pointing to the division of responsibilities between combined authorities and Whitehall.
Haldane said combined authorities controlled some areas of public spending while other closely related responsibilities remained with central government. He used skills as an example, with combined authorities having powers over adult skills but not schools spending or curriculum.
He said most local leaders were trying to execute their plans “with one hand tied behind their back”.
Later in the discussion, Haldane said: “The wheels are turning, but it is too slow.” He argued for faster transfer of powers to regional leaders where those powers were needed to deliver local plans.
Kippin said in the same podcast: “It’s up to the universities in the region to start to drag the public sector as well.”
He argued that universities should not simply respond to what a combined authority needs or to the latest government policy.
They should instead ask what the region needs to look like in future, what challenges it will face and how institutions should address them together.
“That is a role for the university sector,” he said, adding that universities could start to lead that work collectively.
Kippin also described universities as fundamental to the North East’s economic future because of their employment, student populations, research spending and ability to support high-value industries.
He argued that incentives for turning frontier research into new businesses and business clusters remained weaker than they needed to be.
The new institute will build on Newcastle University’s existing Insights North East programme, which was established in 2022 to connect academic research more closely with regional policymaking.
Insights North East received £5.5m, including £2.8m from Research England’s Development Fund. It was established through a partnership including Newcastle University, Northumbria University, the then North of Tyne Combined Authority, Newcastle City Council and two NHS trusts.
In the university’s announcement, Kippin said the devolution agenda was “here to stay” and that he was looking forward to working closely with Haldane and the institute as the North East develops its plans for growth and reform.