Institute of Economic Development

What Institute of Economic Development does

The Institute of Economic Development (iED) is the UK's leading independent professional body for economic development and regeneration practitioners, structured as a Company Limited by Guarantee (No. 01748926) and headquartered in Warrington, England. Operating for approximately 40 years, iED runs a community-led model that delivers recurring revenue through individual and organisational membership subscriptions, a tiered CPD portfolio (Certificate and Advanced Certificate in Economic Development plus standalone modules on topics such as Clean Growth, Subsidy Control, Inclusive Growth, and Stakeholder Consultation), and an annual conference and awards dinner supplemented by sponsorship and ticketing. Its service surface also includes the Early Career Network, Consultants Directory, dedicated jobs board, Good Growth Focus Groups, and a monthly bulletin, all delivered through ied.co.uk and third-party platforms (Zoom, MS Teams, Eventbrite, EventsAir).

iED's core technology is essentially off-the-shelf webinar, ticketing, and event-management infrastructure rather than proprietary systems; the differentiated value lies in curated content, partnerships with universities and consultancies (Lightcast, Urban Foresight, Keele University, Rose Regeneration, Lambert Smith Hampton, Copper Consultancy, YTKO, AtkinsRéalis, Edge Hill University), and the membership logo used as a professional kitemark. Go-to-market is community-led, relying on thought leadership, policy advocacy (Grow Local, Grow National manifesto, Delivering Good Growth initiative), and event programming to attract and retain members across local and regional authorities, consultancies, universities, and elected officials. Pricing is module-based (£60-£79 for members, £130-£152 for non-members on CPD courses), with annual conference early-bird rates and free partner webinars used as acquisition and engagement tools.

Name

Institute of Economic Development

Legal name

Institute of Economic Development

Website

https://ied.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Institute of Economic Development is the UK's leading independent professional body for economic development practitioners, delivering individual and organisational membership, Certificate and Advanced Certificate CPD programmes, and an annual conference and awards dinner.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Membership and Economic Development Training

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Project, Quality & Operations (PMP PDUs, Six Sigma, Quality CE) (EDAAALAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Project, Process & Quality Certification Prep (PMP, PRINCE2, Lean Six Sigma, ITIL) (EDANAIAE), Professional Certification & Training Content Publishing (Exam Prep, CE/CPD) (MPAJACAL), Trade, Industry & Economic Development Administration (BPAIAAAL)

Keywords

• Professional membership services
• Economic development training
• Continuing professional development
• Professional certification programs
• Industry events and awards

Headquarters

HQ city

Warrington

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Membership: Annual membership fees for individual practitioners working in economic development, providing access to resources, events, networking, and the iED membership logo as a professional kitemark
2. Organisation Membership: Corporate/organisational membership for local authorities, councils, consultancies, and universities involved in economic development
3. CPD Training Courses: Online webinar-based continuing professional development programmes including Certificate and Advanced Certificate in Economic Development, with module-based pricing for members and non-members
4. Annual Conference and Awards: Annual conference and awards dinner with ticket sales, sponsorship opportunities, and early bird registration rates

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Institute of Economic Development operates as the UK's professional body for economic development practitioners, delivering Individual and Organisation memberships, the Certificate in Economic Development and Advanced Certificate in Economic Development qualifications, modular CPD online courses, the Annual Conference and Awards, and supporting member services such as the Early Career Network and Consultants Directory. Its core function is to set professional standards, accredit practitioners, and provide continuing professional development to the UK's economic development workforce across local government, consultancy, and higher education.

Product overview

The Institute of Economic Development (iED) offers a structured portfolio of professional development and membership services for economic development practitioners in the UK. The core educational offerings consist of the Certificate in Economic Development (nine-module introductory programme) and the Advanced Certificate in Economic Development (twelve-month advanced programme for experienced professionals), supplemented by individual CPD Online Courses covering specialised topics. Additional services include the Annual Conference and Awards, Good Growth Focus Groups, Early Career Network, Consultants Directory, Jobs Board, Monthly Bulletin, and Member Search directory. All educational programmes are delivered online via Zoom or MS Teams.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Certificate in Economic Development: Online continuing professional development courses for economic development professionals covering topics such as introduction to economic development, business support, inward investment, skills development, regeneration, funding and policy, housing, and community development.
• Advanced Certificate in Economic Development
• iED Early Career Network
• Annual Conference and Awards
• Delivering Good Growth
• Consultants Directory
• Grow Local, Grow National

Products and services

• Individual Membership Annual subscription for individual economic development, regeneration and place-making practitioners, providing member rates on training, access to the Annual Conference and Awards, the Early Career Network, the Consultants Directory, and member communications.
• Organisation Membership Annual subscription for organisations such as local authorities, economic development consultancies and universities, providing multiple staff access to member training rates and broader member benefits.
• Certificate in Economic Development Entry-level iED qualification providing the foundational knowledge and accreditation for economic development practitioners, delivered via online webinars with assessment.
• Advanced Certificate in Economic Development Advanced iED qualification for experienced practitioners, building on the Certificate in Economic Development to provide higher-level accreditation for senior economic development professionals, delivered via online webinars with assessment.
• Modular CPD Online Courses Single-module continuing professional development courses covering economic development topics, available for individual purchase to support practitioners' ongoing CPD obligations.
• Annual Conference and Awards Annual UK sector conference combined with awards ceremony, bringing together iED members, councils, consultancies and partner organisations, with paid delegate places and partner / sponsorship packages.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 30 individuals registered for 2024 Certificate cohort
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• LightcastcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLightcast, a global leader in labour market analytics, partners with iED for webinars on global labour market challenges and provides skills analysis training modules as part of the Certificate in Economic Development programme.
• Urban ForesightcoreStrategic or Co-development PartneriED partners with Urban Foresight for the Net Zero Living Programme webinar, addressing net zero and clean growth topics relevant to economic development practitioners.
• Keele UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKeele University delivers the Clean Growth CPD module as part of the Advanced Certificate in Economic Development, with Dr. Rosa M. Fernandez Martin serving as course instructor.
• Rose RegenerationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRose Regeneration, led by Ivan Annibal, delivers the 'Left-behind places and solutions for economic growth' module and co-developed the Social Value Engine tool with East Riding of Yorkshire Council.
• Lambert Smith Hampton (LSH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLSH, a leading UK commercial and residential real estate consultancy, delivers town centres and housing modules as part of iED's Certificate programme and contributed to the Future of Town Centres course.
• Copper ConsultancycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCopper Consultancy delivers the Stakeholder Consultation module across multiple course cycles, using the OASIS communications framework for the Advanced Certificate programme.
• YTKOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYTKO, led by Bev Hurley CBE (past iED Chair), delivers the 'Driving economic growth through better business support' module, sharing expertise on business lifecycle support.
• AtkinsRéaliscoreStrategic or Co-development PartneriED collaborated with AtkinsRéalis to publish the insight report 'How Universities Can Help Drive Local and Regional Economies'.
• Edge Hill UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEdge Hill University partners with iED for webinars on identifying businesses with growth potential, presenting their widely-recognised approach to SME support in Lancashire and Liverpool City Region.
• Social Value EngineminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial Value Engine, a UK-accredited social value assessment tool jointly developed with East Riding of Yorkshire Council, partners with iED for webinars on social impact and localisation in community wealth-building.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Institute of Place Management: Professional body focused on place management and town/city centre development. Operates a directly comparable membership and CPD model in a closely overlapping sub-discipline of iED's remit (regeneration, town centres, place-based growth).
• Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH): UK professional body for housing practitioners. Similar membership + CPD + policy model and a heavily overlapping customer base with iED, including local authorities, housing associations, and consultancies working on regeneration.
• Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI): UK chartered professional body for town planners. Highly comparable structure to iED: membership subscriptions, CPD accreditation, accredited university routes, policy advocacy, and an annual conference serving a similarly public-sector-adjacent profession.
• Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA): UK professional body for public finance professionals. Closely comparable model — individual and organisational membership, CPD training programmes, qualifications, and policy influence within UK local government and the broader public sector.
• ADEPT (Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning & Transport): UK membership body for senior local authority directors covering economic development, planning, environment and transport. Overlapping practitioner community with iED, with comparable policy advocacy and member events.

Broad incumbents

• Local Government Association (LGA): National political body representing all UK councils. Serves many of the same local authority customers as iED with policy, lobbying and training offerings, but on a much broader remit covering the full scope of local government rather than economic development specifically.
• APMG International: Global accreditation and certification body that develops and administers professional qualifications (PRINCE2, Agile, etc.). Comparable as a CPD/qualifications provider targeting similar practitioner audiences, though with a much broader portfolio and global reach.
• Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS): Much larger global chartered professional body covering real estate, land, property and construction. Overlaps with iED through property/regeneration CPD content and serves a similar public- and private-sector client base, but on a far broader scale.

Others

• Centre for Cities: UK urban economic policy think tank. Operates in the same economic development policy space as iED, producing research and commentary that informs the same practitioner audience, but without the membership/CPD model.
• Core Cities UK: Collaboration of major UK city councils (Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, etc.) driving economic development in the largest UK cities. A key customer and partner constituency for iED's policy work on devolution and statutory powers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/theied
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/institute-of-economic-development

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Institute of Economic Development