National Productivity Week
National Productivity Week will take place 27 April - 1 May 2026 and marks 76 years of productivity discussions in Britain.
UK productivity is lagging behind other countries, and there is no single organisation in the UK tasked with the objective of raising the awareness and raising productivity across the country.
The Productivity Institute (TPI) aims to bridge that gap, connecting different groups to work towards a more productive nation. Funded by UKRI Economic and Social Research Council, the Institute is a broad-based national research institute tasked with engaging business and policy makers.
The Productivity Agenda
The government sees productivity as a key focus of its economic policy, and the industrial strategy as the main instrument for delivering this. Building on previous years discussions around devolution, knowledge adoption and increased emphasis on growth this event seeks to bring together business, policy and academia to explore how we can both better understand the barriers to productivity growth in our region, and ways that we can collaborate to address them.
How we're working with TPI
The University of Warwick is proud to be an academic partner, supporting TPI’s objectives. This work is spearheaded by Professor Nigel Driffield, Professor of International Business at Warwick Business School and Deputy Pro Vice Chancellor for Regional Engagement for the University of Warwick.
Professor Driffield has worked with a range of international organisations such as the World Bank, OECD and European Commission. Closer to home, he has worked on regional economic strategy with the West Midlands Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) and is now engaged with the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). He is the Midlands Forum Lead for The Productivity Institute.
Current projects
- Exploring the relationship between supply chain productivity, resilience and spilloversLink opens in a new window
- Good work and Productivity Data DevelopmentLink opens in a new window
- The impact of the COVID-19 crisis on UK firmsLink opens in a new window
- Innovation, Internationalisation & ProductivityLink opens in a new window
- Inward investment and productivity in a post-Covid, Post Brexit settingLink opens in a new window
Get Involved: Re-imagining Productivity
Join us on Monday 27 April 2026 for a morning of insightful talks and collaborations on productivity. This joint event between the University of Warwick and The Productivity Institute to celebrate National Productivity Week will bring together business, academia and policymakers to explore the importance of productivity. It takes place at Scarman Conference Centre and is free to attend.
Reflections on Productivity
Can power naps boost productivity?
Mattie Toma discovers that naps raise productivity by 2.3 per cent, while poor sleep can cost two weeks productivity each year.
Mental health issues cut firm productivity by a quarter
Companies that don’t do enough to support their workers’ mental health risk seeing their overall productivity drop by a quarter, research by Stephen Roper.
Midlands is losing £20bn in lost productivity every year
The Midlands has one of the lowest levels of productivity in the UK, leading to a potential loss of up to £20 billion to the region each year, says a report from Nigel Driffield.
Productivity research at Warwick
