MAKE THE CONNECTION The South East Midlands: Innovation, Connectivity, Opportunity THE SOUTH EAST MIDLANDS IS AT THE A thriving location for CENTRE OF WHAT IS FAST BECOMING THE £52bn UK’S INNOVATION CAPITAL – THE OXFORD- contributed to national innovation, creativity CAMBRIDGE ARC economy annually ur rapidly growing £52bn economy located between Oxford, Cambridge, and world-leading London and Birmingham make us one of the most exciting economic growth opportunities in the country. Fastest population OBusiness has benefited from the area’s rich heritage in engineering, growth outside London: motorsport and manufacturing expertise, which has transformed our area to 23.3% between technologies become a test-bed for new technologies with the potential to rapidly scale. 1997 - 2017 Today, entrepreneurs come here to build businesses based on technological innovation that will change the way we live and work. They enjoy the advantages of a connected location, tap into a highly skilled and entrepreneurial community and have a quality of life found rarely elsewhere. This is where progressive companies come to collaborate, to innovate and to 78% succeed. employment rate Welcome to the South East Midlands. THE MIDLANDS LEICESTER PETERBOROUGH £10bn BIRMINGHAM Corby goods and services Kettering Thrapston Coventry exported annually Rushden Wellingborough Daventry NORTHAMPTON CAMBRIDGE Towcester Bedford Sandy Biggleswade Brackley 1 in 25 MILTON Flitwick Buckingham KEYNES Houghton of all businesses created Regis Leighton Buzzard Dunstable LUTON are based here Aylesbury OXFORD LONDON 9% jobs growth over past 5 years (national rate 7.5%) Newlands Park, Luton: development plans THE SOUTH EAST MIDLANDS: INNOVATION CONNECTIVITY OPPORTUNITY 3 No 1 area in UK for % firms engaged in product Innovation or service innovation Mahle Powertrain Real Drive Emissions Where ideas Test Centre, Northampton become reality 79% Cranfield University’s Alumni network provided the local HE research catalyst for creating the ‘flying car’. A showcase contract income from of British innovation, the ‘Volante Vision’ concept BUSINESSES IN THE SOUTH EAST MIDLANDS large business (2.5 unveiled at Farnborough International Airshow in ARE AT THE CUTTING-EDGE OF INNOVATION, times national average) 2018 brought together the expertise from Cranfield DRIVING RESEARCH AND FURTHERING Aerospace Solutions, design excellence from Aston EXPERTISE IN CRITICAL SECTORS THAT WILL Martin and advanced engineering from Rolls-Royce CHANGE OUR FUTURE. Volante Vision concept eading in aerospace and innovators, such as the Silverstone and environmental management. The particular strengths in application and data This is the area where clever ideas automotive testing, advanced Technology Cluster, the Connected Places university boasts the largest logistics analysis. The Open University and Milton and new technologies coalesce into manufacturing, engineering and Catapult in Milton Keynes, Millbrook and supply chain research centre in Keynes have played a key role in using big L design, robotics and software Proving Ground’s vehicle and battery and Europe and is developing a regional Hub data to pioneer the ‘Smart City’ movement smart business solutions. development and electronics, the area’s 5G connectivity testing facilities in Central of Excellence to increase productivity and continue to lead in trialling connected businesses and universities are among the Bedfordshire, the Catesby Aerodynamic and competitiveness through better use and autonomous vehicles- self driving cars, most successful in the country at working Research Facility in Daventry and, Cranfield data and technologies, such as drones, delivery robots and pods. together to commercialise knowledge and University’s purpose-built experimental autonomous vehicles and robots, for ‘last- With enhanced connectivity among South test new technologies in these fields. facility for the rapid development of ‘on mile-delivery’ solutions. East Midlands’ clusters of expertise with and off highway’, ground and airborne Bedfordshire has a cluster of leading complementary specialist clusters in The engineering heritage of Silverstone has autonomous solutions, named ‘MUEAVI’. aerospace organisations including the neighbouring areas of Oxfordshire and been instrumental in attracting innovative Aircraft Research Association and Bluebear Cambridgeshire and in the Midlands, there companies to the area. Silverstone now Cranfield University is home to the systems. The National Space Propulsion are exciting opportunities for business has over 4,000 companies with advanced Aerospace Integration Research Centre Test Facilities at Westcott Venture Park in here to create the technologies to go even engineering, electronics and software skills (AIRC) and is developing the £67m Digital Aylesbury Vale allow the simulation of high- further, faster and smarter. within a one-hour drive-time radius. Our Aviation Research and Technology Centre altitude testing of thrusters and is a key area’s businesses, with their expertise and (DARTeC), which will spearhead the UK’s component of the UK’s space technology specialist capabilities now lead the UK’s research into digital aviation technology. ambitions. Future of Mobility and Clean Growth It is innovating in aircraft electrification The UK’s first 5G transport network solutions– developing new technologies by connecting the university’s expertise Building on the pioneering work at Bletchley test tracks, a digital air traffic control and technical testing in autonomy, energy in the aviation ecosystem with specialist Park during World War II, the area continues centre and vehicle testing centre with efficiency and data capture. Supporting capabilities in clean growth to be at the forefront of developments in climatic and altitude capability have UAV flying lab, Cranfield University this, the area also hosts major transport artificial intelligence and big data, with all been developed here. 4 MAKE THE CONNECTION THE SOUTH EAST MIDLANDS: INNOVATION CONNECTIVITY OPPORTUNITY 5 The South East Midlands Leading the UK’s future of mobility and clean growth. FUTURE OF MOBILITY AEROSPACE THE MIDLANDS LEICESTER Milton Keynes Milton Keynes 1 Integral Powertrain HQ 48 Franklin Products Ltd 2 Red Bull Racing (F1 team) 49 Aero Tech Laboratories PETERBOROUGH 3 UK Autodrive Project and MK:Smart Bedford Borough 4 The Open University 50 Aircraft Research Association 5 SBD Automotive 51 Bluebear Systems Oundle 6 Honda R&D Europe UK Ltd - Honda Racing Central Bedfordshire Corby 7 Connected Places Catapult (formerly Transport Systems Catapult) 52 Brinkley Propellers, Biggleswade BIRMINGHAM 8 Network Rail HQ 53 Brinkley Aircraft Services Ltd 9 Prodrive Composities 54 Rockwell Collins, Leighton Buzzard 10 EV Experience Centre 55 Aerospace Technology institute, Cranfield Kettering Thrapston 11 Intertek Transportation Technologies 56 Samad Aerospace Ltd, Cranfield Bedford Borough 57 Aerospace Integration Research Centre, Cranfield University Coventry 12 Bedford College Advanced Engineering Centre 58 Avalon Aero Ltd, Cranfield Central Bedfordshire 59 Digital Air Traffic Control Centre, Cranfield University Rugby 13 Navistar, Millbrook 60 Lockheed Martin 14 FiveAI, Millbrook 61 Hybrid Air Vehicles AUTOMOTIVE, FUTURE OF MOBILITY Rushden Huntingdon 15 Calsonic Kensei, Millbrook 62 Cranfield University AND LOGISTICS 16 Multi-User Environment for Autonomous Luton CLUSTERS Wellingborough Vehicle Innovation, Cranfield University 63 Gulfstream Aerospace 17 Millbrook Proving Ground 64 Leonardo UK Engineering Training Academy 18 Barclay’s Eagle Labs: aviation technology, Cranfield University 65 Harrods Aviation Daventry 19 Nissan Technical Centre Europe, Cranfield Aylesbury Vale Luton 66 Westcott Venture Park NORTHAMPTON 20 BP Chargemaster 67 Reaction Engines Test Site 1, Westcott CAMBRIDGE 21 Luton DART (under construction) 68 Airborne Engineering, Westcott 22 University of Bedfordshire Nothamptonshire Aylesbury Vale 69 Safran, Brackley Bedford Sandy 23 Racelogic, Buckingham Towcester AEROSPACE AND Northamptonshire CLEAN TECH CLEAN GROWTH Biggleswade CLUSTERS 24 Mercedes AMG Petronas (F1 team), Brackley 25 TotalSim, Brackley Milton Keynes 26 RS Components, Corby Brackley 70 Clayhill Farm Solar PV (10MW) Banbury 27 Cummins Engine Plant, Daventry 71 Littlewood Farm Solar PV (14MW) MILTON KEYNES 28 Henry Ford Academy, Daventry 72 Rectory Farm PV (9MW) 29 Volvo Training Centre, Daventry Flitwick Central Bedfordshire 30 Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal 73 Langford Solar Farm (13MW), Biggleswade Buckingham 31 Catesby Aerodynamic Research Facility, Daventry Luton Houghton 32 JRM Group, Daventry 74 RENEW project Luton Borough Council Regis 33 Ilmor Engineering 34 Mercedes Powertrains 75 The Centre for Competitive Creative Design, Cranfield University Leighton 35 GE Precision Engineering Ltd, Northampton 76 Urban Water Hub, Cranfield University Buzzard LUTON 36 Smart Move Northamptonshire 77 Facility for Airborne Atmospheric 37 Cosworth, Northampton Measurements, Cranfield University FUTURE OF Dunstable 38 Mahle Powertrain, Northampton MOBILITY AND Aylesbury Vale SPACE CLUSTERS 39 Institute of Logistics, Infrastructure, Supply and 78 Aylesbury Garden Town Transport, University of Northampton 79 Kingsbrook Housing Development Aylesbury 40 Silverstone UTC, Towcester 80 Gawcott Fields Farm (9.2MW), Nr Buckingham 41 Silverstone Technology Cluster, Towcester 42 Racing Point F1 Team, Towcester 81 Turweston Solar Farm (16.7MW) OXFORD 43 PUNCH Flybrid, Towcester