A high profile event is being held in Manchester to coincide with the Conservative Party Conference. The audience of politicians and council leaders, academics and businesses will learn more about the breadth of opportunities across the Tech Corridor region.
George Freeman, MP for Mid Norfolk, will host the event entitled “The Corridor of Life”, alongside members of the CNTC’s public-private sector backed board.
Key supporters from the region’s business community will also present at the event, including Matt Windle, MD of Lotus Cars, Asa Burrows, founder of start-up games developer SKC Games, based at the newly-opened innovation hub The EpiCentre in Haverhill, and Ian Foley, MD of global electric drivetrain manufacturer, Equipmake, based in Snetterton.
As well as having an opportunity to meet some of this region’s brightest entrepreneurs and business leaders, the event will be a chance to hear more about the CNTC region’s key assets that are helping to strengthen the UK economy. These include the importance of the Corridor’s proximity to key global logistics gateways like Freeport East at Felixstowe, and the role the region’s life science and MedTech clusters in Cambridge and Norwich have played in the UK’s fight against the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and the relative resilience the region has shown in covid recovery versus the wider UK.
C-J Green, chair of New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership, one of the partners in the CNTC, said: “This is a great opportunity to be waving the flag for our region. Businesses and our public sector partners all want Norfolk & Suffolk’s strengths and assets to be recognised by Government and this high profile event will certainly help to bolster our message about the great things we have to offer.
“The Government pledge to level up must include investing in our region with its huge potential, and that means showcasing our potential.
“We are working collectively with business to create new opportunities for private investment and to maximise returns for any further investment from government in the infrastructure we need to grow”.
George Freeman, MP said: "The Corridor of Life event promises to be a wonderful showcase celebrating, and championing, the CNTC – where science, agriculture, clean/green and digital technology and medicine all collide to create one of the UK’s most exciting and dynamic corridors of growth opportunities.
“The Corridor and all of the businesses within it have a key role to play in driving the growth and innovation required as we look to ‘Build Back Better’ and ‘Level Up’, and will create thousands more jobs and opportunities.”
John Fuller and Shaun Vincent, Leaders of South Norfolk and Broadland District Councils said: “Broadland and South Norfolk Councils are working with our public and private sector partners to deliver a programme of projects and opportunities along the tech corridor which will bring new businesses, jobs, and homes to the region.
“Building on the reputation of Cambridge as a centre for innovation and technology and Norwich’s reputation for research in agri-tech and life sciences, the ambition is to make our region a world-famous destination of choice for global technology businesses and advanced manufacturing companies.
“Both Norfolk and Suffolk are net contributors to the Exchequer but this can only continue if Government helps us to invest in infrastructure and providing space for these future thinking companies to grow.”
The CNTC represents a first-rate opportunity for investment and partnership that is strengthened by the mix and diversity of its businesses, sectors and communities.
This diversity makes CNTC well placed to address some of the major challenges that are facing humanity such as climate change, food security and ageing well. It also makes it more resilient than other parts of the UK (according to both the PwC Good Growth study 2020 and New Statesman Brexit Vulnerability Index).
The ‘Corridor for Life’ concept also recognises that Norfolk and Suffolk are highly attractive places to live, offering firms both space to grow their business alongside desirable quality of life for employees and their families. It also demonstrates that the ingredients are here for businesses in this sector to start, grow and cluster, leading to the sharing of innovation and development of new concepts. This will continue to grow our reputation, attracting both prestigious companies and nimble, high-value start-ups.