Leading figures from the region's top universities have joined a new scheme to secure Government grants and cash for research and innovation in the region.
This includes the proposals to which will boost investment and testing of cutting edge technology designed to cut fuel bills and help the environment - such as battery charging, wind farms and solar power.
The new board has been set up by the West Midlands Combined Authority and includes experts from both industry and the region's six universities.
It's role is to identify technology which could benefit from investment, drive future economic growth and generate the jobs of tomorrow.
The West Midlands has already secured Government funds, including the at the University of Warwick, the brownfield reclamation centre in Wolverhampton, the Life Sciences Park at the University of Birmingham and in partnership with Jaguar Land Rover.
But with projects like the four Energy Innovation Zones – designed to provide the energy necessary for the future development in the Black Country, Birmingham, Solihull and south Coventry – likely to cost in excess of £500m, a more co-ordinated approach is required.
The region is hoping to secure funding from an energy company levy to set up the zones.
West Midlands Mayor Andy Street said: “Innovation projects developed by universities, very often in partnership with the private sector, have a huge impact on the regional economy and help drive key sectors, such as next generation technologies and life sciences.
Most Read
“Genuinely world-class research and development is taking place on university campuses and in our businesses, fitting for a region that gave the world and the industrial revolution.
“However, very often, these projects are expensive. Although our universities are successful in securing much of this funding, I believe we can significantly increase the amount of innovation cash coming into the region by being better co-ordinated and prioritising our targets against those of the Government.
“I asked each of the universities to come forward with their ‘wish list’ of priority projects so that we can agree a way forward of tapping into the various funds and programmes made available by the Government.
“These projects across industries as diverse as rail technologies, construction and transport, to a facilities to study mental health to a centre for cyber security.
BirminghamLive's 30 Under 30
“We also looked at how we might pursue the four Energy Innovation Zones which have been proposed by the University of Birmingham.
“We can achieve so much more by working together.”