Simon Collinson

Simon is Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor (DPVC) leading on Regional Engagement at the University of Birmingham, and Director of the West Midlands Regional Economic Development Institute (WMREDI) and City-REDI at Birmingham Business School, where he was Dean 2012-2016. He has held various roles, including: Chair of the Chartered Association of Business Schools, member of the ESRC Council and the GBS Chamber of Commerce Council. Simon is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences (FAcSS), the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (FRSA), the Chartered Association of Business Schools (C-ABS) and the British Academy of Management (FBAM).

In his DPVC role Simon leads on regional and civic engagement at the University, including its contribution in a ‘place-based’ industrial strategy.

In the past 5 years, he has been awarded over £15 mill in research funding, including internal university funding, a RED award from Research England and two major ESRC project awards. WMREDI was established in 2019 with a £5 million award from Research England (UKRI) together with funding from regional partners and matched funding from the university; a total package of over £11.5 mill. It builds on the work of City-REDI.

Simon’s research and consulting focuses on multinational firms, productivity, innovation, competitiveness and regional economic growth. As well as publishing in leading journals, including the Journal of International Business Studies, Research Policy, Organisation Studies and Business History his research has featured in the Financial Times, Sunday Times, Wall Street Journal, BBC Radio 4, and the New Statesman.