Welsh Economy Research Unit

We aim to be the primary source of high quality, academically relevant research on the Welsh Economy for Welsh businesses, public and third sectors.

Our aim and mission

Regional economic intelligence on Wales and seeking to improve knowledge of the opportunities and challenges facing the contemporary economy.

What we do

Provide economic analysis on all aspects of the Welsh economy.
Provide economic research and evaluation expertise for a wide range of Welsh firms, organisations and third sector.
Undertake regional economic modelling of the Welsh economy.
Publish the Welsh Economic Review which provides a forum for analysis of the regional economy.
Engage with collaborators in our research including public, private and third sectors.

How we do it

Varied economic research methods, including quantitative and qualitative research methods.
Engagement with economic statistics on the Welsh economy, and production of statistics for our collaborators.
Partnership links with industry and government established over 30 years of regional working.
Grant funding from UKRI, regional government, industry and the third sector.

Superfast Broadband Project

We are undertaking research on the economic benefits associated with the take-up of superfast, broadband-enabled technologies by businesses in Wales. Our research will help maximise take-up and exploitation of superfast broadband-enabled services as well as assess the economic impact of these services.

Find out more about our Superfast Broadband Project.

Welsh Economic Review

The Unit produces, administers and publishes the Welsh Economic Review, which is now in its 30th year. The Welsh Economic Review provides commentary and analysis of the Welsh economy in a manner that promotes understanding and informs decision-making and is a vehicle to engage with the Welsh business and academic community.

Current material in the Welsh Economic Review for Volume 27 2020 is available open access at Welsh Economic Review (cardiffuniversitypress.org)

Access back copies of the Welsh Economic Review.

Collaborative research

WERU is part of the world’s first Social Science Research Park at Cardiff University.

Economic Intelligence Wales

The Welsh Economy Research Unit works in partnership with the Development Bank of Wales and the Office for National Statistics. Economic Intelligence Wales collates and analyses data to create independent, robust and reliable insight to help better understand and improve the Welsh economy. Recent analysis and reports are available at:

Economic Intelligence Wales | Development Bank of Wales

CSconnected Research and Evaluation

The UK Government has announced the first wave of funding through UK Research and Innovation’s flagship Strength in Places Fund in which a major £43.74M project with South Wales’ compound semiconductor cluster has been approved and will be supported by £25.44M funding from Strength in Places.

The project “CSConnected”, is based around integrating research excellence with the unique regional supply chains in advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing. WERU is leading on developing economic data to support the project outcomes and to assist in the evaluation of project outcomes. Further details of the CSconnected activity is available at CSconnected – Driving tomorrow's technologies