Fumi Kitagawa

Professor Fumi Kitagawa holds the Chair in Regional Economic Development at the City Region Economic and Development Institute (City-REDI), Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham, UK. She joined the university in April 2023 and has a strong international academic and policy background in regional development, innovation, and higher education policy.

• PhD in Urban and Regional Studies, University of Birmingham
• MBA in Higher Education Management, Institute of Education, University of London
• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (2014)
• Fellow of the Regional Studies Association (FeRSA)

Her research focuses on regional innovation systems, entrepreneurship policies, the role of universities in regional development, and higher education policy. She has conducted comparative studies across the UK, Japan, and Sweden, with a particular emphasis on graduate retention, university spinoffs, entrepreneurial ecosystems, and the governance of regional development.

Her recent publications appear in top journals such as Regional Studies, Studies in Higher Education, Technovation, and Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society. These works reflect a consistent thematic focus on inclusive and sustainable regional development, the dynamics of talent anchoring, and the evaluation of innovation policies.

• Fellow of Regional Studies Association (FeRSA)
• Fellow of Higher Education Academy

She has held academic positions at the Universities of Edinburgh, Manchester, Bristol, Lund University (Sweden), and the European University Institute (Italy). She also worked as a policy researcher in a government higher education research institute in Japan. Her work bridges academic research and policy impact, particularly through her involvement with City-REDI, which informs regional economic strategies in the UK.

She is actively engaged in research on entrepreneurial ecosystems, knowledge exchange, and the 'third mission' of universities, contributing to both theoretical and practical understandings of how regions can foster innovation and inclusive growth.