East Midlands Development Agency
The East Midlands Development Agency (emda) is one of nine Regional Development Agencies in England, set up in 1999 by government to bring a regional focus to economic development. Independent evaluation conducted ten years on has shown emda has:
- Had a significant impact on the region’s economy
- Generated economic benefits that substantially outweigh its overall costs
- Put back over £9 of economic output (or GVA) into the regional economy for every £1 it spends
- Produced more than £1 billion in economic benefits per year
- Had a wider impact on people, places and businesses in the East Midlands that cannot be captured by figures alone.
emda’s key role is to be the strategic driver of sustainable economic development – aiming to increase the economic growth of the region while reducing disparities between the East Midlands and other English regions. They work in partnership with public, private and voluntary organisations to deliver the goals of the Regional Economic Strategy (RES), which they produced on behalf of the region — which is why they are the catalyst for change in the East Midlands.
The RES highlights the themes of productivity, sustainability and equality and sets out key priorities until 2020 to ensure the vision for 'a flourishing region' can be achieved. emda reports into the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) but works with a whole range of other government departments and partners.
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