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Some university cities, notably Oxford and Cambridge, have
tech credentials going back decades. Cambridge, particularly, has done much to justify its soubriquet of ‘Silicon Fen’ after becoming home to a vast array of technology companies since the computing boom of the 1980s. Giants such as Microsoft Research, Amazon and Apple all have
a presence in a tech city led by chip design firm ARM, which was the subject of a £23.4 billion takeover deal in 2016 by Japanese firm Softbank. Cambridge leads the way in emerging technologies such as AI, virtual reality and driverless cars, and is also home to several computer games studios. “The ‘golden triangle’ between Gloucester, Cambridge and
Guildford perfectly encapsulates the balance of open jobs and reasonable cost of living,” says Amanda Stansell, senior research analyst at Glassdoor. “The growth in flexible working also means employees are no longer spending every day, 9-5, in the office, meaning the location of the company is less important than it once was. Companies can get away with not having offices in the larger, expensive cities – like London – as employees are prioritising flexibility and convenience over the prestige of an office address.”
TECH HUBS FOSTER INNOVATION Several key cities have been creating smart hubs to foster innovation. Greater Birmingham’s fintech cluster, for instance, has seen significant growth, the latest being led by cybersecurity firms. The total number of fintech companies now stands at more than 2,000, making it the largest cluster of any UK city outside of London. And there is more to come in ‘Brum’, says Yiannis Maos,
founder of Birmingham Tech Week, which will be held in October 2020. “Birmingham has the potential to be a world-leading ‘tech city’. Birmingham Tech Week is about showcasing the region’s cutting-edge capabilities, attracting investment and converting our existing talent into the leaders of tomorrow through invaluable networking and collaboration. Birmingham Tech Week will be a catalyst for change; reinforcing locally and nationally that this is a passionate region on the rise. This marks only the beginning of a fantastic growth journey for regional tech.” North of the border, Edinburgh finds Glasgow hot on its heels
as the pair vie for the title of Scotland’s tech capital. The latest figures from Accenture’s UK Tech Talent Tracker found that Edinburgh had retained its position as the third-largest pool of digital talent in the UK. Les Bayne, joint managing director of Accenture Scotland, says,
“There is a great deal to be confident about. Edinburgh is defined as a home to the digital native: 20-40 year olds now account for 35 per cent of the population, the highest in Europe. The University of Edinburgh is also recognised as a world leader in informatics and computer science, and Glasgow has been proposed as one of the UK’s four hubs for quantum computing. Whether a start-up or large enterprise, digital talent is available.”
FAST-GROWING REGIONS Meanwhile, accountancy and business advisory firm BDO has given Reading & the Thames Valley a prime spot in its rankings of regional tech hotspots, pointing out that Tech Nation found Reading’s tech company density to be approximately seven times higher than the national average.
“Reading is the fastest-growing region in the UK, growing by
about 2.5 per cent,” says Simon Brooker, BDO’s managing partner for an area whose occupants include major league tech firms such as Microsoft, Oracle, Huawei, Cisco Systems and Symantec. “Last year, we had three times as many SME start-ups than Birmingham and Manchester combined,” he adds. For its part, Yorkshire claims to be the fastest-growing area
for digital tech jobs between 2016-19 having seen a 48 per cent increase, from 58,000 to 86,000, with two-thirds of them based in the Leeds area. Roger Marsh, who chairs the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership, comments, “Our research highlights that the northern tech scene is thriving, with so many fantastic opportunities for entrepreneurs to grow their businesses here. We’re extremely proud to see that Yorkshire has the highest growth rate in terms of digital employment in the country, which we predict to continue as workers begin to seek more affordable options outside of the capital and the commuter belt. “We have a great talent pool, with Leeds City Region boasting
nine universities and, of course, the new offices for Channel 4. Over the past few years, we have seen such an increase in not only tech giants relocating to our region, but also some exciting and innovative start-ups setting up shop here.”
SMART CITY STATUS Other areas are mounting their own challenges. Milton Keynes, for example, is making the transition to smart city status, becoming the testbed for both national and international smart mobility projects. “The town is uniquely placed because it’s in the middle of the
Oxford-Cambridge arc and is an equal distance to two world- class centres of research, with access to excellent engineering and science talent,” says Dr Jamieson Christmas, founder and chief executive of Envisics, an augmented reality company developing head-up displays. “Its strong transport links and close proximity to funding in
London means it’s an ideal place to incubate technology companies of all sizes, especially start-ups that require flexibility and cost efficiencies to succeed.”
ACCESS TO INTERNATIONAL TALENT The one concern for all tech companies, however, remains the accessibility to overseas skills once new UK immigration rules come into effect at the start of 2021. According to a report from the think-tank, the Entrepreneurs Network, 49 per cent of Britain’s fastest-growing start-ups had immigrant co-founders, with 42 per cent of them from the EU. And nine of the UK’s 14 unicorns had at least one foreign-born co-founder. techUK’s Antony Walker wants to see a restructuring of the visa
system with further reforms to the “cumbersome” Start-Up and Innovator visa routes. But, he adds, “Overall, the UK will remain open to highly skilled talent from around the world, although it will take time for companies to adapt to the new system. The government will need to continue to work with start-ups and the wider tech industry to ensure that the skills needs of the fastest- growing part of the UK economy can be met.” And that is no longer just in London, but in so many other parts of the UK, too.
Keep up-to-date with latest initiatives on the Enterprise section of our website and with relocation news on the mobility industry section, as well as the UK tech sector at
www.relocatemagazine.com/technology
8 | RELOCATE | SPRING 2020
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