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About Us
Motorsport Development UK is a private/public sector partnership responsible for spearheading and implementing a five year investment programme in UK motorsport.
It was established in 2003, as a direct result of the recommendations made by the Motorsport Competitiveness Panel report. This report was commissioned by a Government keen to sustain and further develop the motorsport cluster and to ensure that other sectors benefit from its skills and expertise.
The UK motorsport cluster has for decades maintained its leading global position. The Competitiveness Panel believed, however, that a series of urgent co-ordinated actions were required in order to ensure that this position was maintained and subsequently grown, in the face of increasing overseas competition and global economic pressures. The recommendations of the Panel were built around four distinct areas, each of which was represented by a working group made up of individuals, with specific skills and expertise in that sphere of activity. The areas of work are shown below, together with the relevant Panel recommendations under each board heading. 1. Finance, Investment and Economic Impact:
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Address existing tax issues, in order to ensure fair treatment of the industry and sport |
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Coordinate available government resources (including RDA and BERR funding) nationally to encourage UK & international business development and investment in the UK motorsport cluster |
2. Skills Education and Training:
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Creation of a Motorsport Academy to improve skills development and coordinate learning provision |
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Support for a Motorsport Learning Grid of educational activities in schools, Further and Higher Education |
3. Sporting:
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Encourage more volunteer officials to enter and stay involved in the sport |
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Widen participation and improve social inclusion in the sport |
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Ensure that the UK continues to host key world class motorsport events (e.g. Formula One World Championship, World Rally) |
4. Technology and Innovation:
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Development of energy efficient motorsport in the UK |
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Development of cross-sector motorsport technology transfer |
One of the key recommendations of the Panel report was the creation of Motorsport Development UK “to lead, coordinate and prioritise development activities, and drive growth and improvement of both the sport and the industry”.
Motorsport Development UK was set up as a partnership between the sport, the industry and the funding partners. Its key role is to oversee the implementation of the Panel's recommendations and in time develop other initiatives. Motorsport Development UK has a board drawn from industry and sport that meets bi-monthly to review policy and agree investment. It also has an executive team based at Silverstone responsible for ensuring the investments are carried through and evaluated.
Funding for the programme comes directly from the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) and the four regional development agencies (AWM, EEDA, EMDA and SEEDA) where the UK motorsport cluster is concentrated. Motorsport Development UK's mission is to ensure all parts of UK motorsport are developing their full potential, winning business globally and making a valued contribution to other sectors of the UK economy and to society as a whole.
It does this by funding programmes that
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Sustain and strengthen the existing UK motorsport industry and sport |
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Develop and grow the capability of individuals and of the whole sector to embrace change and make the most of new opportunities |
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Re-connect motorsport to other industry sectors and to society, leading to a transfer of knowledge and capability that brings mutual benefits |
Our investment agenda is focused on 5 areas seen as key to a successful motorsport cluster in the UK:
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UK & international business development and development of cross-sector motorsport technology transfer |
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Creation of a Motorsport Academy to improve skills development and co-ordinate learning provision |
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Support for a Motorsport Learning Grid of educational activities in schools, Further and Higher Education |
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Development of Energy Efficient Motorsport (EEMS) in the UK |
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Widening Participation by encouraging more participants and volunteer officials to enter and stay involved in the sport |
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