In this project we capitalised on the achievements of the West Midlands Regional Economic Development Institute (WMREDI) collaboration and the policy-focused research efforts of our university affiliates throughout the West Midlands. Our focus in Phase 1 revolved around establishing, enhancing, and diversifying partnerships between research entities/teams and regional stakeholders, with the goal of pinpointing local needs and devising a strategy to address them in our Phase 2 WM LPIP agenda. We were committed to making strides in tackling 'wicked problems', which were notoriously difficult due to their intricate and interwoven nature, alongside more straightforward issues where the prospects for communities and locales could be swiftly elevated. This record contains data from 1) mapping sub-regional administrative data in the West Midlands and 2) sub-regional workshops in the West Midlands with key stakeholders and community members.The key objective for the Phase 1 West Midlands LPIP (WM LPIP) bid is to develop a full-fledged Phase 2 LPIP proposal focused on the West Midlands ITL 1 region concerned with delivering a programme of activity that supports inclusive and sustainable local growth. In doing so we will build on the successes of the West Midlands Regional Economic Development Institute (WMREDI) partnership and the policy-engaged research activities of our university partners across the West Midlands. Our emphasis in Phase 1 is on building, strengthening and diversifying partnerships between research organisations/ teams and local stakeholders in order to identify local priorities and formulate a plan for addressing them in our Phase 2 WM LPIP work programme. Our ambition is to make inroads towards tackling 'wicked problems' that are challenging to address because of their complex and interconnected nature, as well as more straightforward challenges where the prospects for people and places can be improved more quickly.

1) Mapping of local administrative and survey data in the West Midlands region. 2) Carrying our sub-regional stakeholder/ community workshops for attendees from public, private, and voluntary sectors, civil society and communities; each with 25-40 attendees using different methods of stakeholder engagement (e.g. world cafe) - enabling new connections and cross-fertilisation of information and actor networks.