The opportunities in the UK Innovation Corridor will be promoted at EXPO REAL both at the UK Cities and Partners (UKCAP) stand and through a series of panel discussions around freeports, investment and town centres.
The UK Innovation Corridor includes, and stretches between, London and Cambridge. It is keen to foster opportunities in tech and life sciences for which the area competes on a global platform. The Corridor is on course to almost double the size of its economy, growing from £189 billion to £350 billion by 2050. However, with an investment of £30 billion over the next 15 years this target can be achieved by 2040.
The Corridor’s Chair, Jackie Sadek, and Associate Director, John McGill, will be at EXPO REAL taking place in Munich from October 7 to 9, to showcase the Corridor and secure additional investment.
They will be on the UKCAP stand alongside the UK’s most prominent City Regions, leading institutions, developers and corporate advisors. UKCAP is also launching the UK Investment Pavilion at the global real estate event this year, where Jackie will be taking part in three speaker events.
They are:
- Monday October 7, 2:45 pm – 3:15 pm: ‘I&L, Freeports and Investment Zones’. This will focus on the strengthened investor confidence in the industrial sector following the Government’s announcement of a £1.8 billion investment in Britain’s port infrastructure and proposed Local Growth Plans aligned with a national industrial strategy, aiming to boost the UK’s trade and exports.
- Monday October 7, 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm. A roundtable discussion on ‘I&L, Freeports and Investment Zones’.
- Tuesday October 8, 09.30 – 10.30. Trowers & Hamlins round table on ‘City Centre Economy’.
On what she hoped to achieve from the expo, Jackie said: “While much investment flows into the major global areas of Cambridge and central London, there is clear evidence that these places are in danger of overheating and becoming too expensive to live and work. The solution and opportunity is to facilitate growth over the length of the Corridor which includes North and East London, as well as much of Essex and Hertfordshire.”
Two further organisations will be seeking to market opportunities and secure investment for Hertfordshire at EXPO REAL – Invest Herts and Gascoyne Estates.
Invest Hertfordshire, managed by Hertfordshire Futures, formerly Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership, is showcasing three key sites at EXPO REAL that it is bringing to market. They include Hertfordshire IQ enterprise zone, the £1bn regeneration of Stevenage Town Centre led by Stevenage Borough Council, and The Assembly from the Reef Group and UBS which is delivering commercial life science space, retail, restaurant and collaboration areas to the heart of a growing life sciences industry.
Melanie Miller, Hertfordshire Inward Investment Manager, said: “Invest Hertfordshire is proud to be flying the flag for the region alongside the UK Innovation Corridor at EXPO REAL. With an economy of £46bn p.a., a strong track record of driving innovation and regeneration and globally significant sector convergence, it’s no wonder Invest Hertfordshire has been invited to join a dynamic delegation of UK Cities and Partners. This puts us on a par with many other regions and cities across Europe and enables us to compete on an international platform.”
Gascoyne Estates is seeking to secure a partner for a hub for science and technology talent in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, a place where R&D companies can scale up and be a driver of innovation.
Rachael Elwin, Senior Development Manager Strategic Land, Gascoyne Estates, said: “Hatfield Innovation Campus will provide 400,000 sq ft of commercial space for the science and innovation sector in central Hertfordshire. With support from the local authority, and the Department for Business and Trade, the opportunity is well paced to support the fast growing and emerging sector. Gascoyne Estates are pleased to be working with the Innovation Corridor to bring this opportunity forward, and will be showcasing the development at Expo Real.”