About the Toolkit
This is the Local Power, Global Reach: Internationalisation Toolkit, dated September 2026 and produced by the Commission on Devolution and Diplomacy. The named authors are Sam Markey, Jack Shaw and Alex Favier. The toolkit addresses how places across England pursue sub-national internationalisation. It is described as a route map and practical resource, drawing on the Commission's engagement with regions, cities and devolved nations in the UK and globally. Acknowledgements thank Professor Rebecca Riley at City-REDI and the Invest in UK University R&D Midlands Campaign.
Context and Barriers
The toolkit states that after the abolition of the Regional Development Agencies in 2010, and the impacts of Austerity, Brexit and the COVID-19 Pandemic, sub-national internationalisation in most English regions is fragmented and uneven. Regions and cities pursue international engagement for four reasons: attracting investment, promoting exports and trade, supporting the international visitor economy, and building international relations. The Commission identifies four structural barriers: weak co-ordination, limited capacity and capability, poor data and measurement, and risk and governance deficits.
Whitehall's Role
The toolkit maps national bodies, including the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, the Office for Investment, DCMS with VisitBritain, the Ministry of Defence, the British Council and Arts Council England. It notes that there is currently no public regional account management structure for England, and that the British Council's Manchester headquarters has closed.
Development: Assess, Convene and Decide
The Development phase begins with a Soft Power Audit across four Diplomatic Asset Classes: industrial, knowledge, civic and cultural diplomacy. Places then apply the Tipp-Ex test, asking whether an outsider could identify the region from its strategy document. Convene sets out governance options, from informal working groups to a Growth Company. Decide asks places to tier markets as priority, second-tier, watching brief or zombie partnership, and to build an outcomes framework from the outset.
Delivery: Activate and Curate
The Delivery phase covers sustained targeted action. The toolkit describes the elected mayor leading high-value engagement, supported by professional teams, and it sets out a model mission planning protocol with debriefs circulated within five working days. In the Curate stage, the toolkit distinguishes the Hunter role, focused on new commitments, from the Curator role, focused on sustaining existing partnerships.
Case Studies Drawn from the Toolkit
Examples include Liverpool City Region's sub-sector mapping, Invest Manchester's evolution into a GMCA-owned growth company, the Toyota City Partnership Board in Derbyshire, Flanders Investment & Trade, and Brainport Eindhoven's talent support. Each is presented as illustrating a stage of the maturity model.
Purpose for Places Developing International Strategies
The toolkit states it is designed to help places make explicit choices and not pursue everything at once. It is intended for officials in strategic and local authorities, growth companies, universities and their partners, the people with day-to-day responsibility for turning international ambition into outcomes. It is offered as a resource for places seeking to develop, refresh or assess their internationalisation strategies.