Our report, Exploring the UK’s growth infrastructure potential has been published in partnership with Beauhurst and is funded by the UK Government. This report assesses the accessibility of suitable spaces and frameworks within the UK ecosystem. Insights from scaleup companies up to big tech firms are reviewed.
The UK’s laboratory landscape is primarily concentrated within the ‘golden triangle’ of London, Oxford and Cambridge. London is home to the highest number of high-growth life science companies of any region, with 3,888 companies located within the capital. Outside of London, other major UK cities, including Manchester, Birmingham and Edinburgh also host a large number of life science companies. This is primarily due to the fact that these cities attract companies due to their large populations and skilled workforces, coming out of prominent universities.
Overall, the UK is home to 889 life science academic spinouts. Scotland is home to the third highest number of life science university spinout companies across the four nations. The cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow in particular, are responsible for 58.5% of all spinout companies from Scotland.
Regional clusters also play an important part in promoting innovation, enabling partnerships between academia and industry, as well as encouraging investment. The UK is currently witnessing increased equity investment and growth, within sectors reliant on high-performance computing (HPC). This innovation is being driven primarily by advancements in AI, climate modelling and life sciences. Nonetheless, wider tech industries also come into play. Case studies reflective of scaleup companies and big tech firms are included within this report.
Equity investment into companies dependant on HPC reached a record total of £9.94bn back in 2021, fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic’s digital acceleration. Although investment levels decreased to £5.58bn in 2023, they currently remain above pre-pandemic levels in 2024, with a project rebound expected – up to £7.20bn.
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