Jon Bloomfield

Biography

Born in London in 1950 Jon Bloomfield trained as a historian and has a doctorate in post-war Czechoslovakia from Cambridge University. For the last decade he has divided his time between two roles: as a policy advisor within the EIT’s Climate KIC programme and as Honorary Lecturer in the School of Public Policy at Birmingham University. At Climate KIC he has performed a range of roles including developing new practitioner training programmes; running the Making Transitions Happen platform; and overseeing innovation ecosystem activities. At Birmingham University he pursues a range of European research interests on governance; the environment; migration; and the role of cities. Jon Bloomfield was Head of European Policy at the West Midlands Regional Development Agency from 2005-2011 where he brought together the six regions involved in the Climate KIC partnership. Prior to that he was head of the European and International Division at Birmingham City Council, where he secured significant EU funds for the city; oversaw the development of in-depth, practical co-operation with Birmingham’s four European partner cities of Frankfurt, Leipzig, Lyon and Milan including the expanding Frankfurt Xmas Market; and played a prominent role in promoting the urban agenda in Europe. He covered the 1989 Velvet Revolution and subsequent events for ‘The Guardian.’ His book, ‘Our City: Migrants and the Making of Modern Birmingham’ was published by Unbound in 2019.