The Investment Plan Oxfordshire’s Local Industrial Strategy
August 2020
This Investment Plan is part of a suite of Oxfordshire:
a trailblazer documents which underpin the Oxfordshire for the UK Oxfordshire: economy a trailblazer Local Industrial Strategy including: a detailed for the UK 2018 Economic Review: Baseline Oxfordshire assessment of the region’s economy; an economyLocal Industrial DECEMBER 2018 Strategy
2018 Future State Assessment analysis of global megatrends and competing A Partner in the Oxford-Cambridge Arc July 2019 DECEMBER 2018 international innovation ecosystems; and the strategy document which was jointly published with the UK Government. They are available on the OxLEP website at www.oxfordshirelep.com/lis Contents
Contents______1
Foreword______2
1. Introduction______4
2. The Investment Opportunity______9
3. The Investment Programme______19
The Ideas Pillar______25
The People Pillar______35
The Business Environment Pillar______41
The Infrastructure Pillar______49
The Place Pillar______55
4. Our Governance, Monitoring & Evaluation Plan______62
5. Ready Now to Deliver at Pace______66
The LIS Investment Plan: Our Guiding Principles
Invest in Oxfordshire, Oxfordshire – The UK’s Global Oxfordshire, Deliver for the UK Innovation Engine Global Britain As one of the three Oxfordshire has a world- Many of Oxfordshire’s net contributors to the class innovation ecosystem industries already compete Exchequer, Oxfordshire will with a concentration on a global basis and in new deliver economic growth, of global assets and emerging markets. Investing employment, supply chain strengths. We can power in Oxfordshire will support growth and collaboration the development of new the UK in achieving our opportunitie for the rest of products and services for international potential and the UK. the UK which will transform winning market share in the lives for societal benefit. technologies of the future.
1 Oxfordshire’s Local Industrial Strategy: The Investment Plan
Foreword
Oxfordshire is making a major contribution to ‘building back’ better and levelling-up our national economy. We are making a difference to local communities and the UK, and we have the appetite and leadership to do more.
I am continually amazed by Oxfordshire’s energy, its pioneering spirit of discovery and innovation, and its ability to respond to the challenges we face locally, nationally and globally. As I write, our scientists, businesses and researchers are stepping-up to tackle some of the most difficult issues facing our nation, including the search for a vaccine to tackle the COVID-19 global pandemic, and the long-term societal challenges created by climate change. Alongside this, the vision and dynamism of our innovators and entrepreneurs is harnessing the opportunities created by exciting new transformative technologies in space applications, life sciences, connected and autonomous systems, quantum computing, and more. They are driving the next generation of businesses, products and services which will create new and long-term employment opportunities for Oxfordshire’s young people and local communities, ensuring we build a resilient, clean and inclusive economy for the future.
2 Foreword
These exciting developments will also be It sets out a portfolio of exciting, distinct, crucial to the country – R&D and product and transformative initiatives which are development in Oxfordshire are fostering investible and ready to deliver at pace. Our supply chains, manufacturing capabilities, proposals will create breakthrough solutions collaboration opportunities and job creation in energy and climate change, accelerate in every part of the UK. the commercialisation of pioneering research and development into dynamic Oxfordshire is making a major contribution new businesses, and harness emerging to ‘building back’ better and levelling-up technologies for societal benefit. Everyone our national economy. We are making a has a role to play in making this Investment difference to local communities and the UK, Plan successful, real, and relevant – and we have the appetite and leadership to government, communities, investors, do more. educators, entrepreneurs, innovators and Against this background, the Oxfordshire more. Local Industrial Strategy, published jointly We invite you to join us on this exciting with the UK Government, sets out an journey, and work with us to seize the ambitious vision for Oxfordshire to become opportunities which lie ahead of us. one of the top three innovation ecosystems in the world by 2040. Since its launch last year, we have worked with our partners in industry, science and technology, local government and academia to translate the ideas and ambitions within the Strategy into a long-term programme of investment and delivery.
The result of this work, this Investment Jeremy Long Plan, drives the Strategy forward with an Chair of the Oxfordshire integrated set of proposals to develop the Local Enterprise Partnership physical, digital, financial and knowledge infrastructures of Oxfordshire. It is focussed on building a world-leading innovation ecosystem, which competes successfully for the UK at a global level against our rival international hubs, and creates employment and an inclusive, prosperous economy at home.
3 Oxfordshire’s Local Industrial Strategy: The Investment Plan
1. Introduction
The Oxfordshire Local Industrial Strategy (LIS) sets out a bold and ambitious vision for the region to be one of the top three global innovation ecosystems by 2040. Published jointly with the Government in July 2019, the LIS is a powerful and recognised statement of Oxfordshire’s leadership role in the UK’s economy, and the responsibility it holds in driving forward the nation’s success on the global stage.
Oxfordshire’s Leadership Role This Investment Plan Oxfordshire is the UK’s innovation engine. This Investment Plan uses Oxfordshire’s It is home to world-leading science and pioneering spirit of discovery and innovation technology companies, institutes, and to take forward the ambitions set out in universities which together form a hive of the LIS, translating its policy ideas and knowledge-intensive activities, and anchor commitments into a transformational the area’s strengths in ‘breakthrough’ programme for action and delivery. Since the sectors. Groundbreaking R&D is driving Strategy’s publication, Oxfordshire partners the creation of new, dynamic businesses from across the public, private and have hungry to grow and scale-up; cutting academic sectors have worked together to edge products and services are solving build investment-ready business cases and the challenges in healthcare, mobility, taken forward exciting plans to deliver on energy, data and artificial intelligence; and our vision to be a world-leading innovation commercialisation of these new ideas is ecosystem. They form the basis of this delivering manufacturing and supply chain document and our call for Government, opportunities across the length and breadth businesses, and investors to join us in this of our country providing a platform for bold and ambitious journey. levelling-up other regions. The Investment Plan sits alongside other Oxfordshire’s and the UK’s success are truly critical strategies which are in development, interdependent – each is ‘mission critical’ including: the Oxfordshire Infrastructure to the success of the other. That is why our Strategy, Oxfordshire Plan 2050 joint place matters. statutory spatial plan, the Oxfordshire Energy Strategy Delivery Plan, a new Local Skills Plan, and the emerging Oxfordshire Economic Recovery Plan. Together, these plans provide the coherence and strategic alignment between Oxfordshire’s long term economic, spatial and infrastructure priorities, giving confidence to Government and investors on their deliverability and implementation.
4 1. Introduction
A Pioneering Spirit of Discovery and This commitment and ingenuity is Innovation: COVID-19 Response fostering global collaboration, new partnerships with private industry and Today, 85 years on from the discovery the creation of exciting and commercial of Penicillin by Oxford scientists, market possibilities. The response to Oxfordshire is again at the vanguard COVID-19 demonstrates the centrality, of human discovery. Our scientists, dynamism and opportunity which the businesses and researchers are leading Oxfordshire Innovation Ecosystem offers the national and international response to UK plc. to tackle the COVID-19 global pandemic, using pioneering approaches to vaccine discovery, diagnostics, and treatments.
5 Oxfordshire’s Local Industrial Strategy: The Investment Plan
Importantly, this Investment Plan responds energy and clean growth, and connected to the economic challenges which COVID-19 and autonomous systems which will power is creating for businesses, supply chains UK leadership in new global markets. It and the workforce, and the need to build will harness the dynamic potential of our an inclusive economy for all communities. science and technology innovation for The urgency of the climate change the benefit of local residents to deliver emergency and the need to foster clean sustainable development and flourishing growth are additional key imperatives that communities; and create skills and this Plan works to respond to. It will drive employment pathways for Oxfordshire R&D and innovation across the region as a residents to have a prosperous stake in pioneering contributor to the Government’s the future economy. R&D Roadmap and the target for national This comprehensive Investment Plan will spending on R&D to reach 2.4% of GDP deliver benefits across Oxfordshire, the by 2027 (and 3% thereafter), in so doing Oxford-Cambridge Arc, and the UK as a accelerating private sector investment and whole. It will also deliver a world-leading the creation of high value jobs. innovation ecosystem which will enable This Plan encompasses a programme of the UK to compete successfully with activity for the next ten years, initially to international locations across the globe. 2030, with further longer-term projects in As we set out on our journey to achieving development for the period on to 2040. our 2040 vision, the portfolio will provide Oxfordshire’s investment agenda for the first The aggregate value of the Investment decade of working with Government and Plan, initially to 2030, exceeds £4.3bn. It public sector and commercial partners. includes groundbreaking projects in health and life sciences, space technologies,
6 1. Introduction
Structure of this Investment Plan › Section 4: Our Governance, Monitoring, and Evaluation Plan enabling the ongoing, The following sections set out in more detail periodic monitoring of this Investment Plan our proposals under this Investment Plan: against delivery commitments made in the › Section 2: The Investment Opportunity Local Industrial Strategy. The Section also including a description of the Oxfordshire identifies and describes the key indicators economy, its unique assets and the to monitor, at individual project and overall potential for accelerated growth across Plan levels, as well as a framework to track transformative technologies, sectors, and our progress in achieving our ambition to clusters including Health and Life Sciences, be a top-three innovation ecosystem by Space, Connected and Autonomous 2040; and Vehicles (CAV) and Clean Growth, › Section 5: Ready Now to Deliver at underpinning the area’s importance to Pace highlighting Oxfordshire’s readiness the UK in terms of driving innovation, to lead and work at pace to advance our high value jobs and attracting investment investment programme and building (foreign and domestic), businesses, talent an ambitious working relationship with and private capital; business and with government which can › Section 3: The Investment Portfolio unlock the energy and potential of our providing an overview of the entire innovation ecosystem and drive prosperity. investment programme, including the breadth of investment-ready projects, what they will deliver and their impact, the total project cost and the level of private sector investment they will leverage. There are also summaries of those projects which are in development for later, phased delivery under the programme with the potential to be accelerated where opportunities allow. The projects are organised under the Industrial Strategy’s Pillars of Ideas, People, Business Environment, Infrastructure and Place, so aligning with the published LIS strategy document. A full compendium of the investment- ready projects, in Strategic Outline Case form, is set out as a separate, supporting document to this Plan;
7 Oxfordshire’s Local Industrial Strategy: The Investment Plan
Figure 1.1: Oxfordshire’s Investment Plan Project Portfolio, 2020-30
Projects:
Ideas People
ID1 The Energy Systems Accelerator P1 Careers Innovation Gateway
ID2 Global Life Sciences Cluster P2 T-Level Programme Pillars of the Industrial Strategy ID2A Clinical Biomanufacturing Facility P3 OxLIFE Oxfordshire’s Inclusive ID2B BioEscalator 2, Headington P4 Economy Commission Harwell International Space RAF Brize Norton’s ID3 P5 Cluster Technology Hub
ID3A Gateway to the UK Space Sector P6 High Flyers Programme
Disruptive Innovation in ID3B Space Centre Phase 3 Delivering (2020 – 2030): ID3C Space AI and Autonomy Lab Oxford – Singapore AI and Human- ID4 Infrastructure Total: 2,558 Machine Collaboration Institute Locate Oxford: Global Innovation ID5 IN Oxford City Science Area Sectors Private sector funding leveraged (£m) Campus The Institute for Fusion ID6 IN Culham Science Park Total: 24,750 Materials, Culham Global Quantum ID7 IN Harwell Campus Jobs created Computing Centre
ID8 Oxford Science Park Quarter IN Living Labs Testbed Total: 1,783 Innovation Lab, Williams ID9 IN LO:GIC at Begbroke Science Park Number of businesses receiving support Technology Campus, Grove
Total: 28,730 New learners assisted – Young People (Under 19) Business Environment Place
Living Oxford B1 Internationalisation Plan PL1 Total: 12,435 (Oxfordshire’s Living Labs) West’s End Global Howbery Park Centre of New learners assisted – Adults (19+) B2 PL2 Innovation District Excellence in Climate Change Creative and Cultural Culham-to-Harwell Mobility B3 PL3 Total: 2,710 Industries Hub Corridor Facility for Industrial Global Energy-Technical Qualifications achieved B4 PL4 Scale-Up Support Living Lab The Recovery and Investment Milton Park Mobility B5 PL5 Total: 3,575 of the Visitor Economy and Cycle Hub The Business Scale-up B6 PL6 Creative City, Heyford Value of FDI projects (£m) Programme – creating a world class scale-up community Bicester Eco Zone & PL7 Corporate HQ Hub Total: 84,465 B7 Finance and Investment Plan West Oxfordshire Garden Village PL8 Innovation floor space developed (GEA Sq.m) Science Park, Eynsham B8 International Conference Centre PL9 Banbury Industrial Zone Total: 259,994 B9 ‘Connecting Global’ Platform
Commercial floor space developed (GEA Sq.m) B10 The Oxfordshire Study ...together, delivering Total: 29,424 B11 Entrepreneurship Hub an additional £1.2 Housing units delivered B12 Digital Investment Plan billion GVA annually, to the Oxfordshire Ideas People Infrastructure Project Business Environment People Project under development economy, from 2030
Source: OxLEP, 2020
8 2. The Investment Opportunity
2. The Investment Opportunity
Oxfordshire is the UK’s innovation engine Case Study: Latent Logic and Waymo/ Groundbreaking R&D is creating cutting edge Alphabet – making Oxfordshire and products and services that address today’s the UK a magnet for innovators and and tomorrow’s most pressing challenges, pioneers including COVID-19, climate change, Oxfordshire-based Latent Logic specialises automation, the future of work, and human- in AI ‘imitation learning,’ teaching machine collaboration. These innovations are machines how to act by showing them powering whole new industries and markets examples of humans doing the same whilst also revolutionising existing sectors actions. Founded in 2017, the company was in aerospace, manufacturing, tourism and acquired at the end of 2019 by Waymo, the logistics to create new jobs and opportunities autonomous vehicle division of Alphabet for supply chains and their workforce across (parent company to Google). the country. Latent Logic’s pioneering technology Oxfordshire has one of the highest extracts real human behaviour from concentration of innovation assets in raw video data collected from traffic the world with universities, and science, cameras, and trains its ‘virtual humans’ technology and business parks at to behave just like real humans do using the forefront of global innovation in a machine learning technology called transformative technologies and sectors ‘Imitation Learning’. The result is realistic such as Fusion Technology, Autonomous virtual humans, providing automated Vehicles, Quantum Computing, Cryogenics, vehicles with a simulated environment in Space, Life Sciences, and Digital Health. which to train, making it safer to develop Together, they provide a rich and automated vehicles and enabling economically critical network of employment, autonomous vehicle certification and R&D and creative nodes which offer eventual large-scale public launches. significant opportunities to scale-up, develop new products and services, so enabling the Waymo, the Alphabet subsidiary, is UK to compete on the international stage in intending to use its new base in Oxford new exciting markets (See Figure 2.1). to build a second pool of AI talent outside its headquarters in Mountain View, California. As Drago Anguelov, Waymo’s Principal Scientist and Head of Research, said: ‘We see an exciting opportunity in Europe, not only in continuing to build our partnerships with major automakers but also in benefitting from the world-class technology and engineering capabilities in Oxford and beyond.’
9 Oxfordshire’s Local Industrial Strategy: The Investment Plan
Figure 2.1: Oxfordshire’s Critical Economic Sectors, Assets, and Growth Opportunities
1 Begbroke Science Park 6 Williams Innovation & Technology Campus Key sectors: advanced engineering, medical tech Key sectors: advanced engineering inc new high- › 60+ world leading research & technology performance technology campus cluster companies employing 900+ staff 7 Milton Park / Didcot Garden Town › Begbroke Innovation Escalator spin out hub Key sectors: Life Sciences, Creative Industries › Proposed 4000 homes as part of wider A44 corridor vision to double capacity at Begbroke › 250+ high technology companies employing including new station & linking to Oxford Airport 9000+ people, encompassing leading life & Oxford Parkway sciences cluster › EZ1 package of 9 separate development sites 2 Living Labs Testbed totalling 21ha Undertake smart living pilots at scale using › Adjacent to EZ2 Didcot Growth Accelerator emerging technologies integrated into major offering grow on space across 102ha of land housing development to tackle Grand Challenges: › Testing of new forms of mobility via Autonomous › Bicester Garden Town 13000 homes(inc healthy Vehicles pilot linked to Didcot Garden Town town and EcoTown) › International Film & TV Studios Hub anchored › Didcot Garden Town 15000 homes around Rebellion Studios development › Oxfordshire Cotswolds Garden Village 2200 8 Oxford City Science Area homes Key sectors: Life Sciences, AI Technologies, Digital 3 Harwell Campus Health, Quantum Computing, Global CBD Key sectors: Health Sciences (med tech, life › Oxford BioEscalator sciences, digital health), Space Applications, › Old Road Campus – Jenner Institute & Medical Energy Research Centre › 200+ world leading research & technology › John Radcliffe, Nuffield & Churchill Hospitals companies on site employing c6,000 people Quarter › Designated UK Space Agency gateway with UK › Centre for Applied Semi-Conductivity largest space cluster of 100 growth companies › Oxford Science Park › Location of critical UK strategic assets including › Oxford Business Park Diamond Light Synchrotron, Medical Research Council, Public Health England › Oxford North › EZ1 development site of 93ha › Oxford Station & Global Innovation District › Proposed 1000 new homes as part of Harwell 9 Culham Science Park Innovation Village to pioneer solutions for grand challenges focused on clean growth & mobility Key sectors: Fusion Energy, Robotics & Autonomous Systems 4 Motorsport Valley › Over 2000+ world-leading scientists on site Key sectors: advanced engineering, battery working with UK strategic assets technology, high performance motorsport › Centre for Fusion Energy & Supply Chain Cluster technologies › Remote Applications in Challenging Environment Centre (RACE) 5 Upper Heyford Creative City › 3500 homes proposed at adjacent Culham Key sectors: creative industries inc international Smart Village providing testbed for new mobility film & tv studio complex solutions (linking with Harwell & Culham), digital health & smart technologies to deliver improved public service outcomes
Source: OxLEP, 2020
10 2. The Investment Opportunity
Figure 2.1: Continued
Birmingham KEY Rail network Motorway
Major road
Activate 4 Garden Town / Village Learning Campus Banbury Enterprise Zone
Science Vale UK
Knowledge Spine
Rail station M40 FE College Chipping Norton Canal Oxford 2 4 5 Universities Bicester Activate Business Park Learning Science Park Campus London Bicester Blenheim Palace Oxford Village 0 1 2 3 4 5 Kms Leafield Airport ° Technical Centre q Begbroke A34 1 Burford Science Park Kidlington A40 Witney Eynsham Abingdon & Witney College OXFORD
A34 Activate Oxford Brookes Carterton Learning q Brize Norton Airbase Oxford Business Park Thame Campus 8 University Oxford Science Park River Thames of Oxford 2 Culham Science Centre M40 A420 Abingdon & Faringdon Witney College Abingdon
Culham Science Park 9 7 Earth Trust Didcot Howbery London Park Grove Milton 7 - 1hr Grove Technology Park 6 Park Wallingford Wantage White Horse Harwell Oxford 3 Hill Henley
A34 River Thameson Thames
Source: OxLEP, 2020
11 Oxfordshire’s Local Industrial Strategy: The Investment Plan
Case Study: Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAV) – shaping the Future of Mobility The dynamic and flourishing CAV cluster in Oxfordshire, has grown around strong collaboration and foresight between innovators, local government, academics and private industry to accelerate a new approach to mobility and human communications. The supportive environment fostered by Oxfordshire County Council, allied to the convening power of future thinking organisations such as Living Oxford and MoBox, testing collaborations between the CAV cluster capability at RACE in Culham Science and multinationals such as Axa XL and Park and global research strengths of the Telefonica, and UK entities such as University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes Cicero Group, Transport for London, University has attracted investment and TRL, and the Catapult network. partnerships with technology developers such as Arrival, Dyniym, FiveAI, Oxbotica › MULTICAV, an Oxfordshire County and StreetDrone along with related Council initiative and the first ever CAV capabilities in fields such as cyber security demonstrator led by a public transport (Nominet, Sophos, Chilton Computing) provider (First Group), involving work and simulation (Waymo) to advance new with MEPC, Nova Modus, UWE, and commercialised solutions in autonomous Zipabout. vehicles and reshaping how we travel. › OMNICAV was initiated in Oxfordshire This cluster sits at the heart of a and brings together Admiral Insurance, network of major projects and industry Aimsun (part of Siemens), Alchera, collaborations across the UK taking Arcadis, Ordnance Survey, XPI forward pioneering advances in mobility Simulation (part of Thales), Thatcham such as: Research, and Warwick Manufacturing Group to develop real world validated › The MCTEE (Millbrook-Culham Test simulation testing and certification of and Evaluation Environment) project, autonomous vehicles in the UK. which confirmed RACE as a key element within the UK CAV testing ecosystem, › PAVE (People in Autonomous Vehicles at the hub of a network of test sites in in Urban Environments) programme Bedfordshire, London, West Midlands, involved a groundbreaking collaboration Warwickshire and Cambridgeshire. involving Amey, Arup, Bosch, WS Atkins, Siemens and Westbourne › DRIVEN (led by Oxbotica) in which a Communications which confirmed the fleet of CAVs performed a pioneering position of the Culham Science Park as an end-to-end journey from Oxford a pre-eminent location for the testing of to London. The project strengthened UK CAV programmes.
12 2. The Investment Opportunity
The diversity, depth and integration of Oxfordshire’s sectors powers a resilient economy, with the proven ability to commercialise ideas and channel these to drive new opportunities for growth and employment . With a dynamic and flourishing business base, we continue to be one of the UK’s key economies and are a net contributor to the UK Exchequer, (Figure 2.2). A high proportion of our companies are technology-based businesses at the forefront of global innovation, with the potential to give market leadership to the UK in new and emerging sectors.
Figure 2.2: Key components of Oxfordshire’s economy at a glance
50,000 £23bn new jobs created GVA generated in since 2011/12 real terms each year
51% 3.9% of the working age GVA growth in population qualified nominal term year- to degree level or on-year since 2006 above
#1 1 of 3 Oxford University County areas which ranked number are net contributors globally to the UK exchequer
£600m $1bn largest fund for track record of university spinouts growing businesses in Europe: Oxford with market value of Sciences Innovation over US$1bn
Source: OxLEP, 2020
13 Oxfordshire’s Local Industrial Strategy: The Investment Plan
Allied to this is Oxfordshire’s ability to Case Study: Oxis Energy Ltd – combine and commercialise its research Oxfordshire R&D driving UK and strengths with the highest intensity of International Energy Manufacturing university spin-out companies in the country. and Supply Chain Growth The University of Oxford continues to Oxis Energy is an R&D intensive generate more spin-outs than any other Oxfordshire based business located University in the UK – there are currently on the Culham Science Park and over 150 active start-ups and spin- pioneering next generation battery outs focused in a number of pioneering technology. Culham is home to the technologies and sectors, with the ambition original Lithium‑Ion battery technology, to harness the wider innovation ecosystem and where they were first developed and to deepen commercialisation of R&D and prototyped. significantly accelerate the production of new businesses in coming years Building on this heritage, Oxis focuses (see Figure 2.3). on the development of world-leading Li-S chemistry that can be used in The potential of each firm for rapid many battery applications. The unique and exponential growth, coupled with technology (41 patent families with Oxfordshire’s ability to generate ‘unicorn’ 198 patents granted and 110 pending) firms such as Oxford Nanopore Technologies is based on sulphur-based cathode Ltd (businesses achieving a market valuation materials, highly stable electrolyte of US$1bn), provides the foundation for systems, and anodes made of Lithium accelerated scaling-up of the innovation metal and intercalation materials. ecosystem to compete at globally, the Oxis has well equipped laboratories at creation of significant employment and Culham, with state-of-the-art equipment attraction of investment into the UK, and and large dry room facilities, providing supporting demonstrably the objectives of the vital R&D infrastructure to innovate the UK’s recently-released R&D Roadmap. new products and designs. To drive its growth, Oxis is establishing a manufacturing plant in Port Talbot, South Wales, to produce component parts for batteries to power buses and trucks, as well as drones and submarines. The company plans to export to Brazil to make rechargeable lithium sulphur batteries, using the new Welsh plant to accelerate production, create several hundred new jobs over the next decade, and contribute to a highly skilled local workforce.
14 2. The Investment Opportunity
Figure 2.3: Oxford University’s history of spinouts
Source: OxLEP, 2020
15 Oxfordshire’s Local Industrial Strategy: The Investment Plan
Case Study: Harwell Space Cluster – This world-leading hub for innovation acts attracting international opportunities as a showcase for inward investors to the for the UK UK to understand the latest developments in technology and applications across The Harwell Space Cluster at Harwell the space sector and the opportunities Science and Innovation Campus is home it offers to grow pioneering businesses to the largest space cluster in Europe and drive exports. For example, Spanish with over 100 space organisations located start-up, Open Cosmos, established its onsite and also encompassing major assets business at Harwell in 2016 with help from of national and international significance the European Space Agency Business including STFC-RAL Space, the European Incubation Centre and now employs 70 Space Agency, the Satellite Applications people, utilising STFC testing facilities Catapult and the new National Satellite and the Satellite Applications Catapult Testing Facility expected to be operational Disruptive Innovation for Space Centre. in 2021. Building on these assets and working with the UK Space Agency, has Similarly, Orbital Micro Systems (OMS) established Harwell Space Cluster as the decided the UK was the best place to prime gateway into the UK space sector. establish its business in 2017 and was attracted to the unique ecosystem at Companies within the cluster range from Harwell Campus. Using the connections start-ups through early stage companies through the cluster, OMS identified the commercialising new technology and academic capabilities that it needed to applications, to multinationals, such as develop its business and has subsequently Airbus and Lockheed Martin, keen to established a presence in Edinburgh, engage with the innovation taking place highlighting the wider impact of the cluster across campus and also collaborate with to the UK. As William Hosack, CEO of OMS other leading Health and Energy clusters said ‘we could have gone anywhere, but for located across the site. us the UK is the centre of gravity.’
16 2. The Investment Opportunity
The Local Industrial Strategy, published ecosystems, focusing on today’s solutions jointly with Government, sets out and tomorrow’s technologies, scaling up our Oxfordshire’s vision to become one of the leading assets and business infrastructure, top three global innovation ecosystems build on the area’s international presence by 2040. It recognises the challenge to secure further FDI into the UK, and posed by competitor innovation hubs in deliver transformative growth for its local North America, the Far East, and Europe communities which is clean, sustainable and and identifies the ingredients that make inclusive. successful innovation ecosystems: a The Investment Plan provides investors, flourishing environment for innovation and business leaders and Government with a business creation; world-leading experts in clear and ambitious roadmap for delivery for knowledge and technology development; Oxfordshire over the coming decade and its and a dynamic, agile, and skilled workforce. centrality to the success of the UK economy. It is clear that Oxfordshire has many of these It gives the confidence needed to plan and attributes, with the potential to go further invest, and see the opportunities they have and faster by developing and strengthening across the region to work with Oxfordshire its world-leading capabilities and nurturing partners to achieve lasting impact and return emerging opportunities and innovation. on investment. Over the coming sections, we This ambitious Investment Plan will see set out in more detail each of the activities Oxfordshire prioritise investment in these underpinning this Plan and the investment key drivers to propel the region into potential they will deliver. the leading group of global innovation
17 Oxfordshire’s Local Industrial Strategy: The Investment Plan
Case Study: Penlon – leading the UK MHRA, UK Cabinet Office, the NHS, and industry’s response to the COVID-19 product engineering specialists. Ventilator Challenge Penlon had the first working prototype of At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic its ‘ESO2’ ventilator ready three days later in mid-March, the Prime Minister invited and, following testing and review, secured industrial, technology and engineering the formal go-ahead to proceed to full businesses from across the UK’s manufacture on 29th March. Aerospace, Automotive and Medical Thanks to a dedicated and skilled Sectors under its Ventilator Challenge Oxfordshire workforce, a process that to step forward with innovative plans to might have taken years had been design and quickly manufacture thousands shortened to just two weeks. Together with of ventilators to meet anticipated hospital consortium partners Ford and McLaren, demand. the company was able to scale-up to 24/7 One of the companies to heed the call production and the sourcing of over 470 was Abingdon-based Penlon, a medical separate parts from around the world. device company established in 1943, Penlon recruited over 400 skilled people, with extensive experience primarily manufacturing 20 year’s worth of devices in the development and manufacture in just 12 weeks. of Anaesthesia products, including a With ventilators now being shipped around historical collaboration with Oxford’s the world, including a large consignment Nuffield Department of Anaesthesia. to Bangladesh. Guru Krishnamoorthy, Inspired by the PM’s challenge and Chief Executive of Penlon, attributes the recognising the urgent national need, company’s ability to meet the challenge Penlon assembled a ‘Proof of Concept’ to the unique Oxford ecosystem. ‘There is for a Minimum Viable product by energy in Oxford – you only need to walk re‑engineering their existing anaesthesia around the city to get a sense of it. For us, ventilator platform. This device was it is a dream location, people from around approved for development within four the world want to come here to study and days by a team of experts drawn from the work.
18 3. The Investment Programme
3. The Investment Programme
This Investment Plan sets out a transformational portfolio of integrated initiatives, aimed at powering Oxfordshire to be a top three global innovation ecosystem. With a total programme value (to 2030) of over £4.3bn1, the Plan includes a public sector investment ask of £1.1bn which, in turn, will lever almost £2.6bn of private sector funding into its projects alongside committed public sector infrastructure funding of £0.7bn.
Introduction The portfolio comprises twenty investment- By 2030, the portfolio will deliver at ready projects, in addition to proposed least 24,500 new jobs (gross full- projects under the Infrastructure Pillar, time equivalents), 344,400m2 of new with an initial delivery horizon to 2030. commercial and innovation floorspace, This portfolio is underpinned with a further 29,400 new homes2, 2,700 qualifications nineteen proposals of equal importance (NVQ4+ and Apprenticeships), and which are at development stage, and planned support for over 41,000 adult and young for later phased delivery with the potential learners. Delivering the projects will for acceleration where opportunity allows. collectively lever over £2.6bn in domestic In summation, the portfolio will secure and foreign private sector investment. Oxfordshire’s position on the international More widely, the portfolio will secure stage in breakthrough technologies, a total of £3.6bn of Foreign Direct accelerate the commercialisation of Investment, and produce GVA of £1.2 bn/ pioneering research and ideas into new year from 2030 (based on average GVA products and services, and catalyse per £52,300 job)1. significant private sector investment in R&D and wider commercial activity. Clean, sustainable, and inclusive economic growth are our long term outcomes.
1 This Plan’s total investment is initially for the period 2 Part of the committed new homes to be delivered to 2030, with further projects in development for by 2031 as agreed in the Oxfordshire Housing and the period between 2030 to 2040 Growth Deal and which are recognised in Local Plans
19 Oxfordshire’s Local Industrial Strategy: The Investment Plan
The Investment Plan will enable innovative science campuses to meet the demand from companies and researchers in sectors growing businesses, spin-out companies and and technologies such as Health and Life investors keen to remain or locate within Sciences, Space, Clean Growth and Energy Oxfordshire. Systems to tackle today‘s challenges and The Plan’s portfolio also includes key future priorities, ranging from COVID-19 initiatives focused on maximising the to climate change and mobility. It will opportunities for the UK to lead in advance new technologies in AI and international trade and investment in Quantum Computing, which underpin technologies and markets, with projects innovation across all sectors, and which to attract international R&D business will revolutionise the delivery of public investment and venture capital, and to services and outcomes for local people extend manufacturing and supply chains and consumers. Additionally, it will deliver linkages, once landed, across the UK. on the ambitions within the LIS to make a step-change in available innovation and Crucially, the Investment Plan emphasises commercial floorspace across the County the vital importance of investing in with new innovation districts, R&D Hubs and skills, talent and people to deliver on our
20 3. The Investment Programme commitment to an inclusive economy. Our Presenting the Project Portfolio goal will be to ensure that Oxfordshire’s Oxfordshire’s Local Industrial Strategy is workforce and its young people are built around the five pillars of Ideas, People, supported to build and develop the skills Business Environment, Infrastructure, and needed to access the new employment Place; this Investment Plan follows this same opportunities being created and ensure structure. they have a prosperous stake in the future economy. The Investment Plan maximises Oxfordshire’s approach under each pillar the engagement of Oxfordshire’s businesses, is distinctive, designed to leverage the innovators and entrepreneurs within the region’s unique strengths and assets, and skills and education system under a new ensure ongoing scientific, technological, and ‘Social Contract’ to inspire and invest in the economic leadership for the UK. Specifically: next generation connecting them to mentors, › The Ideas Pillar projects will deliver business coaches and influencers across the clinical biomanufacturing facilities, innovation ecosystem to develop new ideas accelerators and support for start-ups/ and access exciting career pathways. scale-ups in Life Sciences and Space; This Investment Plan has a 20-year time critical research, innovation and corporate horizon for realising our ambition for premises; and nation-to-nation R&D Oxfordshire to be one of the world’s ‘top collaborations on AI and Robotics, among three innovation ecosystems by 2040’. others. Projects under development The portfolio encompasses projects which will deliver breakthrough solutions and vary in length and delivery time in order commercial opportunities in fusion, to achieve their objectives and outcomes, quantum computing, automotive, and recognising the runways needed to deliver advanced manufacturing; key development or regeneration schemes. › The People Pillar projects are Others aim to provide early and critical organised under Oxfordshire’s ‘Social momentum to accelerate business growth Contract’, an innovative programme or building new education, training and skills (with relevance for other areas of the interventions for Oxfordshire’s young people UK) anchored in ‘levelling-up’ economic and workforce. engagement and career opportunities and The portfolio, therefore, focuses in the building an inclusive economy. Investment- main, on what we will do for the first 10 ready projects here will establish a new years of our journey, from 2020 through delivery model to engage employers 2030. We will be reviewing and evaluating with schools, Apprenticeship and T-Level performance regularly to make sure our initiatives and support existing workers project interventions remain aligned with in the labour market to retrain, adapt the context, rationale, and objectives of our and flex to changing skills demands and 2040 journey and preparing the groundwork market needs and connect to employment for the later phase of activity between 2030 in the future economy. Projects under and 2040. This is set out in Section 4 of this development also include an Inclusive document ‘Our Governance, Monitoring & Economy Commission which will aim Evaluation Plan’. to increase the number of businesses committing to the Oxford Living Wage; a High Flyers Programme supporting women and BAME researchers and entrepreneurs
21 Oxfordshire’s Local Industrial Strategy: The Investment Plan
22 3. The Investment Programme
to translate ideas into new business by the Oxfordshire Growth Board and opportunities; and support for military Oxfordshire County Council. Investment- personnel at RAF Brize Norton to harness ready infrastructure projects include their highly developed skills for careers strategic rail service enhancements, new within the innovation ecosystem as they rapid transit corridors, healthy active transition to civilian life; travel schemes and green infrastructure corridors which will provide the basis › The Business Environment Pillar for a zero carbon, connected innovation projects address the ‘engine room’ of ecosystem; and the innovation ecosystem including financing, international reach, scale-up › The Place Pillar projects provide the support, and physical premises essential ‘connective tissue’ across the ecosystem to success. Investment-ready projects which includes new locations and hubs include a collaborative project with The for employment as part of wider place Department of International Trade (a pilot planning and the development of new for the Oxford-Cambridge Arc) to expand settlements within Oxfordshire. They will the County’s global brand, trade and also form the network of ‘living labs’ to investment opportunities; a flagship Global test next-generation technologies and their Innovation District alongside the national applications in real time as part of bringing rail hub at Oxford Station; a state of the forward innovation in contemporary living art building for Oxfordshire’s dynamic and design. The investment-ready Place Cultural and Creative Industries; and a projects include pan-Oxfordshire Living flagship facility to support and drive the Labs projects, a new climate change centre growth of scale-up companies across the of excellence and an autonomous vehicle ecosystem. Under development for later mobility shuttle connecting world-leading phased delivery are projects to expand science parks in the south of the County to capacity for entrepreneurship activity aid greater collaboration and connectivity. across the region as part of a wider plan Under development for later, phased to deepen business creation; diversify delivery are major new commercial centres the range and breadth of financing and that extend Oxfordshire’s and the UK’s investment available within the innovation offer into the creative sector and clean ecosystem; and increasing collaboration growth and a new science park as part and connectivity with other global of the West Oxfordshire Garden Village innovation ecosystems to raise the profile development at Eynsham. of Oxfordshire as a location for talent, For ease of reference, each Pillar over the investment and ideas; following pages is prefaced with an overview › The Infrastructure Pillar proposals of the investment-ready projects, a summary set out the ‘enabling projects’ which will of outputs, the total projects cost, and provide the connectivity between the the public sector ‘investment ask.’ They innovation ecosystem encompassing are followed by a precis of those projects road, train and mobility schemes. which are under development and planned These initiatives are integral to the for in later, phased delivery under the delivery of the Investment Plan and are programme but are of equal importance and being advanced under the Oxfordshire have the potential to be accelerated where Infrastructure Strategy and taken forward opportunity allows.
23 Oxfordshire’s Local Industrial Strategy: The Investment Plan
24 3. The Investment Programme
The Ideas Pillar
The eight developed projects within the › £330m public sector capital investment ‘Ideas’ Pillar will be largely delivered to in new, high quality R&D floorspace; an overall time horizon to 2030, with › Support 950 innovation businesses (and individual initiatives working to specific support a further 375 businesses by start and end dates to meet their 2040); objectives. › Enable and support the delivery of 1,000 On this basis, the minimum headline housing units in line with agreed Local outputs anticipated under this Pillar will Plans and the Oxfordshire Housing and comprise: Growth Deal included within the new › Total value: £1.9bn; homes target for the County set for 2031 (with a further 1,000 houses to be › Public Sector Ask: £390m; delivered by 2040); › Lever £1.5bn of private investment › Attract £128m in Foreign Direct (public:private leverage ratio of 1:5); Investment (and an additional £103m by › Create 12,500 jobs (and a further 2,600 2040); and jobs by 2040); › Generate over 1,700 qualifications › Deliver 53,500m2 of innovation through apprenticeships and other floorspace (and a further 5,000m2 by professional qualifications (followed by 2040); 1,400 further qualifications by 2040).
Oxfordshire has a reputation as a global Robotics, among others. These initiatives centre for innovation, with thriving start- will generate opportunities for further ups, scale-ups and R&D groups focussed employment across the UK, as technologies on current and future challenges. However, and expertise are dispersed and adopted Oxfordshire’s ability to accommodate rising throughout the national economy. business and investor demand requires Projects under development will deliver investment to add premises, accelerators, breakthrough solutions and commercial programmes and support structures in order opportunities in Fusion, Quantum Computing, to compete with rival innovation ecosystems Automotive, and Advanced Manufacturing on the global stage. technologies and sectors. The investment-ready projects under this pillar deliver new world-leading clinical biomanufacturing facilities, accelerators and support for start-ups/scale-ups in life sciences and space, critical research, innovation and corporate premises, and nation-to-nation R&D collaboration on AI and
25 Oxfordshire’s Local Industrial Strategy: The Investment Plan
Timeline for delivering outputs, by Project ID 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 +
ID1 The Energy Systems Accelerator
ID2 Global Life Sciences Cluster
ID3 Harwell International Space Cluster
ID4 Oxford – Singapore AI Institute
ID5 Locate Oxford: Global Innovation Campus
Developed Projects
ID1 The Energy Systems Accelerator Total Project Cost = £172 million (TESA) Total Public Sector Funding The Energy Systems Accelerator (TESA) Requirement = £96 million project creates a pioneering hub to bring together leading academics, innovators, Enabling... a global hub for knowledge industry R&D teams and public service sharing and collaboration in net zero providers across the region into a dedicated carbon energy systems, positioning facility to collaborate, innovate, develop Oxfordshire and the UK as a global and scale-up new net zero carbon system leader in net zero carbon energy products, solutions and services. It will systems, through stimulating and uniquely operate across energy vectors trialling cross-disciplinary innovation at (electricity, mobility, heat and gases), scale. In 2030, TESA will have delivered supply chains and technology development an increase of 12,450 new ongoing jobs: cycles. This will provide a powerful cluster 3,450 in Oxfordshire and 9,000 in the of world-leading expertise which will rest of the UK. showcase Oxfordshire’s leadership in clean growth and drive inward investment into the country, whilst underpinning the UK’s energy transition, creating new innovative companies and jobs in the zero-carbon sector. The project features the development of the 10,000m2, purpose-built, net carbon negative hub within the proposed Global Innovation District in central Oxford providing an inspiring setting to house this critical mass of diverse specialists. It will be equipped with research laboratories, offices, teaching and knowledge-sharing spaces.
26 3. The Investment Programme
ID2 Global Health & Life Sciences Cluster The Global Health & Life Sciences Cluster programme is a package of two projects located in the heart of the Headington area of East Oxford comprising the University of Oxford’s Old Road Campus, Oxford University Hospitals Trust and pioneering research hubs such as the Jenner Institute. It will deliver a world-leading Clinical Biomanufacturing Facility and the expansion of a new BioEscalator incubator for spin-out and R&D business collaborations such as with Novo Nordisk, building on the successful facility developed under the Life Sciences Sector Deal.
ID2A Clinical Biomanufacturing Facility Total Project Cost = £16 million (CBF) Total Public Sector Funding Oxfordshire leads the UK in development of Requirement = £14.4 million many new vaccines and immunotherapies. The current CBF located at the University of Enabling... the construction of a 500m2 Oxford is no longer capable of meeting the extension to the CBF to: create two new significant demand for services which far GMP suites; refurbish the existing 20- outstrips capacity for Good Manufacturing year old facility; engage other project Practice (GMP) standard manufacture partners to develop manufacturing facilities, resulting presently in the processes for novel immunotherapies outsourcing of manufacturing abroad adding including personalised cancer vaccines; cost and time to processes. and to create a local centre of excellence in this therapeutic area. The recent COVID-19 outbreak has highlighted the need for national manufacturing facilities. CBF has risen to this challenge but, due to its limited scale, that response has been at the expense of all other manufacturing projects that use the facility at this time, impacting on important research and clinical trials work. This project will expand the CBF to create a facility which can support SMEs in performing small scale manufacture of innovative experimental medicines and vaccines and provide much needed UK biomanufacturing capacity, allied to the world-leading life sciences capability within the cluster at Headington.
27 Oxfordshire’s Local Industrial Strategy: The Investment Plan
ID2B BioEscalator 2, Headington, Oxford Total Project Cost = £70 million A central component of the Global Health and Life Sciences Cluster development is Total Public Sector Funding BioEscalator 2, which builds on the success Requirement = £32.18 million of the existing accelerator, which was a key Enabling... larger, longer-term space component of the Oxford & Oxfordshire City for more early-stage medical science Deal. BioEscalator 2 will provide expansion companies and pharma collaborators, space for spin-outs and SMEs in order to the strengthening of medical science further support medical science start-ups research and innovation in Oxfordshire, in Oxfordshire, in alignment with the Life and the attraction of additional Sciences Sector Deal. companies into the wider Oxfordshire University-owned land, now being prepared, ecosystem whilst delivering an estimate will be available for BioEscalator 2 by of 300 jobs at any one time. 2023/4. To support the ecosystem in the near-term and maintain momentum, the first part of this project will be to build a 2,500m2 BioEscalator extension to the current facility to accommodate significant demand for innovation and lab space from pioneering life sciences companies and researchers.
28 3. The Investment Programme
ID3 Harwell International Space Cluster ID3A Gateway to the UK Space Sector As a globally recognised hub, the Harwell The ‘Gateway to the UK Space Sector’ International Space Cluster attracts proposal will enable the Cluster to build investment, supports exports, and drives on its strong platform to increase exports, innovation across the satellite industry. attract inward investors, and help global Following strong growth over the last five challenge holders find innovative solutions. years, the hub comprises 105 organisations The flagship building will be a compelling which collectively employ over 1,100 front door through which innovators, space professionals, making it the most investors and global businesses can connect concentrated group of space companies in to the whole of the UK space sector. This Europe. will enable the Cluster to support the Government’s levelling-up agenda and help The International Space Cluster programme the UK space sector to reach its target of is a package of three projects that will 10% of the global space sector by 2030. expand the Harwell Space Cluster into one of the world’s leading locations for space technologies and downstream services. Total Project Cost = £80 million The projects will enable a Space Gateway Total Public Sector Funding to engage industry, a disruptive innovation Requirement = £60 million and scale-up facility (DISC), and a Enabling... a new 15,300m2 Space groundbreaking research and translation Gateway complex including User Centred capability (Space AI and Autonomy Lab). Design Lab, Business Launch Pad, Space Showcase, operations centre, skills and training centre, Support Hub as well as flexible lab and office accommodation for space related SMEs (700 people) and Catapult/public bodies (350 people). This will create over 500 new jobs by 2030, support over £10m of export opportunities and £15m of inward investment projects.
29 Oxfordshire’s Local Industrial Strategy: The Investment Plan
ID3C Space AI and Autonomy Lab (SAILAB) The Space Artificial Intelligence and Autonomy Lab (SAILAB) will transform the satellite value chain from operations in space, including enhanced data acquisition, processing and in-orbit satellite servicing, through to provision of decision intelligence to customers across a wide range of sectors on earth such as Agri-forestry and financial services. The University of Oxford, a world- leader in AI and autonomy, working in partnership with the Satellite Applications Catapult, is taking a mission-led approach to developing, translating and deploying solutions, working with companies from the Harwell Space Cluster and catalysing growth across the UK. It will draw on co-investment from tech companies and will work closely
ID3B Disruptive Innovation in Space with UK and European Space Agencies. Centre (DISC) Phase 3 Disruptive Innovation in Space Centre Total Project Cost = £120 million (DISC) Phase 3 builds on the success of Total Public Sector Funding the existing DISC by providing industry Requirement = £50 million with open access to specialist facilities and equipment in precision, high-skilled Enabling... new technologies and manufacturing solutions that speeds-up platforms (hardware and software) prototyping, collaboration and innovation, to deploy in space and downstream and removes barriers to entry. Phase 3 builds systems, supported by patents and a larger (3,500 sqm) centre, with dedicated businesses established by a new ‘upstream’ assets (rockets, satellites) and generation of space entrepreneurs ‘downstream’ applications (in Health, Energy, and technical leaders, with £610m Transport, Agri-Tech and Maritime) facilities. investment into UK businesses and It will provide a blueprint for other regions £650m projected GVA increase with to emulate, enabling the creation of national 350 new jobs created and 25 spin-out end-to-end Space sector capability. companies.
Total Project Cost = £22.5 million Total Public Sector Funding Requirement = £15 million Enabling... 615 jobs, overcoming barriers companies face in concept-to-prototype development, skills and networking opportunities.
30 3. The Investment Programme
ID4 Oxford – Singapore AI and Human- ID5 Locate Oxford: Global Innovation Machine Collaboration Institute Campus (LO:GIC) A joint UK-Singapore industry-academic LO:GIC is the largest development in hub to accelerate development and the University’s 900-year history – a commercialisation of AI and machine £2bn programme to deliver a 400-acre learning technologies. The Singapore innovation district as part of the expansion Human-Machine Collaboration Initiative of the Begbroke science campus, north (HMC) is a collaboration of the University of Oxford, providing housing alongside of Oxford and the Singapore Agency for academic and commercial R&D space for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) University departments, spin-outs, SMEs and and the Singapore Infocomm Media international corporates – all collaborating Development Authority (IMDA). to address the most pressing technology The project revolutionises the approach challenges of the modern era. The to world-leading research, education, programme will be majority private sector innovation and commercialisation in AI and funded. robotics. The Institute provides a digital Globally significant, LO:GIC will co-locate innovation centre to serve as the platform University engineering, physical and life for large-scale, international research- sciences research directly with industry to innovation-venture collaborations, and develop new technologies and companies, engages leading tech corporations and local with resultant societal and economic SMEs to produce c. 50 proof of concepts, benefit; integrated with a new residential leading to increases in the commercialisation community including key worker housing and of ideas and the number of spin-outs in AI schools, all connected locally, nationally and and machine learning across the UK. internationally. The ambition is to deliver by 2032 an exemplar innovation campus for the UK competing with the best globally.
Total Project Cost = £35 million Total Project Cost = £1.25 billion Total Public Sector Funding Total Public Sector Funding Requirement = £7 million Requirement = £90 million Enabling... 200 SMEs to benefit from Enabling... 8,600 jobs in start-ups, the digital platform and creation of commercial and academic R&D; 2,000 advanced solutions in AI and robotics, dwellings (50% affordable) to address and a new generation of highly Oxfordshire’s significant housing needs; trained people working in high-value, 185,000m2 of new academic and transformational AI and human-machine commercial R&D space – a launchpad collaboration technologies. for Oxford knowledge and innovation to support the manufacturing bases in the midlands and north and connecting with the emerging Oxford-Cambridge Arc.
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Projects Under Development ID7 Global Quantum Computing Centre A pipeline of further projects under the Ideas This project aims to cement Oxfordshire Pillar are being developed for later, phased as the UK’s hub for Quantum Computing, delivery. These will build on Oxfordshire’s and create a thriving ecosystem through globally leading assets and sector strengthening existing links in the field specialisms as well as investing to expand the between leading academics and innovators capacity of existing science and technology and establishing new interventions hubs to meet the demand from across the to support further advancement of innovation ecosystem. opportunities for greater collaboration, commercialisation of advanced research ID6 The Institute for Fusion Materials, activity and market development based Culham on quantum technology. It will involve the creation of three ‘quantum innovation This project will be a partnership between nodes’ (QuINs) for, targeted investment in leading fusion scientists at the University of Entrepreneurship, Skills and Innovation. Oxford, UKAEA, fusion companies, and the wider UK academic community. It will create The Entrepreneurship Node will link more a national centre of excellence (Institute of than 200 quantum researchers at the Fusion Materials – IFM) to design, prepare, University of Oxford with those in other characterise and, eventually, to help validate sectors such as Space, Healthcare, Energy, the advanced materials which will be needed Ai, Big-Data, and wider industry and for the harnessing of fusion energy, and so funders, to exploit the world-class ideas address future global demand for clean, safe that this will generate. The Skills Node and reliable energy. will develop facilities to train the quantum engineers, apprentices and technicians UKAEA (at Culham Science Park) has required, as well as helping to enable recently embarked on Tranche-1 of the start-ups through access to equipment. ‘STEP’ programme to build the first energy Complementing this, the Innovation Node will producing fusion reactor. A central technical focus on growing the wider ecosystem and risk for fusion energy is that the uniquely accelerate collaboration through technology hostile environment of the reactor can convergence, which Quantum Computing will restrict the performance, and lifetime, of power. key components, and so have a severe effect on future reactor reliability. IFM The Centre will build links between regional will establish the capabilities to build the and national facilities, including the National scientific understanding of these effects to Quantum Computing Centre at Harwell, to mitigate materials-related issues and provide create a comprehensive set of capabilities the design teams with evidence-based in quantum technologies, as well as building materials solutions, providing the basis a wider National and International network. for translational research with pioneering These Quantum Innovation Nodes are companies within the fusion supply chain. complementary to, and will leverage, the activities of the UK National Quantum Technologies Programme
32 3. The Investment Programme
ID8 Oxford Science Park Quarter ID9 Innovation Lab, Williams Technology Campus, Grove Oxford Science Park (OSP) is one of the UK’s most influential science, technology This project will deliver a new Innovation and business environments, and a central Lab at Grove Technology Campus, led by component of the Oxfordshire innovation Williams Advanced Engineering (WAE). It ecosystem. It has 2,700 people working will be focussed on developing disruptive across 130 companies, creating an low carbon technologies and applications environment which inspires creativity and flowing from Formula 1 innovations, including upholds the region’s global reputation as lightweight structures and new energy a centre of excellence in R&D. Nearly 700 technologies as industries globally transition jobs at the Oxford Science Park have been to zero carbon. created in the last two-to-three years alone, The Lab will be highly collaborative, working and the demand for further innovation space with research institutes and businesses is outstripping availability. across the Oxfordshire innovation ecosystem Under this investment project, OSP will see and wider UK, acting as an engine for rapid major expansion over two phases which will advanced technology development. It will aim to create over 3,000 jobs, plus another bring new technology, skills, and investment 2,000 construction related jobs on the site into the region leveraging the extensive and in the supply chain. There are ambitious industry relationships and performance plans to create an additional 99,000m2. of heritage at Williams. The Lab will also drive office and laboratory space on the remaining a range of new exploitation models for the 10+ acres of land over the next three-to-five technologies developed; these including years, with further phases to follow, subject licensing, manufacturing, and technology to new site allocation and opportunities to spin-outs as part of the wider redevelopment accelerate development, providing critical of the Technology Campus. additional capacity within the innovation ecosystem to continue to develop, nurture and scale-up businesses whilst also attracting major new international investors.
33 Oxfordshire’s Local Industrial Strategy: The Investment Plan
34 3. The Investment Programme
The People Pillar
The three developed projects within the › Leverage of minimum private sector ‘People’ Pillar will be fully delivered to contribution of £30m; an overall time horizon to 2030. This › Support 28,590 young learners is based on an initial five-year delivery (including through work experience period, and subject to outcome of a placements additional to the 5,000 work Gateway Review of progress, being rolled experience placements delivered by forwards for a further five years. OxLEP annually) and over 12,400 adults; On this basis, the minimum headline and outputs anticipated under this Pillar will › Deliver 185 qualifications (namely, 125 comprise: Careers Leaders Achieving 3 standard › Total value: £102m; units of L6 Careers Leader Training and 60 apprenticeships). › Public sector ask: £72m;
Central to the success of Oxfordshire’s The People pillar is structured around the innovation ecosystem is the need to develop Oxfordshire ‘Social Contract’, an innovative a more responsive skills system which can programme (with relevance for other areas provide the talent which businesses need of the UK) anchored in inclusive growth and to thrive and grow, whilst creating new and levelling-up economic opportunities across exciting career and employment pathways the County. Projects will bring forward a for young people and the wider community. new delivery model to deepen engagement It is at the heart of this Investment Plan’s between employers and schools to connect commitment to deliver a genuinely inclusive young people with opportunities across the economy across Oxfordshire. innovation ecosystem; apprenticeship and T-level initiatives to expand provision and the As mature industries recover from the take up of vocational learning in the County; economic impact of COVID-19 and businesses and support for existing workers to retrain, are forced to remodel or, worse, close it is adapt and flex to changing skills demands vital that the skills and talents within the and market needs. Oxfordshire workforce are not lost and have the opportunity to rebuild and connect with Projects under development feature an the opportunities being created in the future Inclusive Economy Commission; the High economy. Further investment is required to Flyers Programme backing women and capitalise on the area’s highly skilled work BAME researchers and entrepreneurs force, connect individuals to innovation to commercialise their ideas into new ecosystem jobs, and create an escalator of businesses; and support for military local talent through skills interventions at personnel at RAF Brize Norton through a every stage along the career pathway. new Technology Hub as part of anchoring the skills at the UK’s most significant station within the wider innovation ecosystem.
35 Oxfordshire’s Local Industrial Strategy: The Investment Plan
Timeline for delivering outputs, by Project ID 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 +
P1 Careers Innovation Gateway
P2 T-Level Programme
P3 OxLIFE
Assumes project continuation past formal Gateway Review
Developed Projects
P1 Oxfordshire Social Contract, Careers Total Project Cost = £18.3 million Innovation Gateway (CIG) Total Public Sector Funding The CIG is a transformative programme Requirement = £17.1 million focused on driving social mobility and long-term career opportunities for young Enabling... 95% Oxfordshire’s schools people across Oxfordshire including those and colleges to be regularly engaged in receipt of pupil premium funding in with businesses and 14,000 total the County’s most deprived communities students engaged in the Primary Pupil through improving and deepening Mentoring Programme. In turn, raising employer engagement in schools and aspirations, employer engagements and connecting pupils, educators and governing the development of a more responsive bodies with leading mentors, coaches skills ecosystem, creating better and influencers across the innovation opportunities for all. ecosystem. Specifically, the project involves the expansion of the pilot Careers Hub; investment in a new network of School Career Leaders, utilising the University of Oxford’s Litmus Careers Survey, and running the Primary Pupil, Parent/Carer Mentoring Programme to raise aspirations and open pathways into the new technologies and sectors which form the dynamism of the future economy. Project
36 3. The Investment Programme
P2 Oxfordshire Social Contract, T-Level P3 Oxfordshire Social Contract, OxLIFE Programme OxLIFE provides a comprehensive skills This project focuses on working with FE programme to support Oxfordshire’s colleges, private providers and business workforce to rebuild their skills capability in expanding T-Level provision across the and connect with opportunities in the future innovation ecosystem to offer a broader economy being created across the innovation range of qualifications for young people ecosystem to support people to have longer covering Oxfordshire’s key technology and more flexible careers as demand for sectors. Allied to this, it will aim to increase skills change. The programme includes a the overall number of learners within the Skills Pathway Service to upskill employees skills system taking up these qualifications, including connecting to opportunities being and support employers through a new created in adjacent sectors of the economy Account Management system to navigate where skills can be transferable; and Skills and understand requirements under Progression Support working with deprived Apprenticeship Levy, new T-Levels and communities to improve social mobility and Apprenticeship Standards in creating employability, paired with a Progression new vocational opportunities across the Support Fund to cover costs of barriers education landscape in Oxfordshire. to employment, which will build career pathways into new sectors of the economy.
Total Project Cost = £12.2 million Total Project Cost = £8.1 million Total Public Sector Funding Total Public Sector Funding Requirement = £3.3 million Requirement = £8 million Enabling... 440 SMEs to be Enabling... tailored support for beneficiary to Levy transfer, number of employers, helping them navigate the apprenticeship starts raising by 15%, Skills Provider landscape, invest in staff supporting 200 employers to navigate training at all levels, and ensure 5,000 skills landscape and 800 additional work people to have the skills support needed experience/industrial placements. to access post-pandemic opportunities.
Projects Under Development ranked as the second most unequal city in the UK. Significant numbers of people in Further projects under this pillar which Oxford and Oxfordshire are earning below are at the early stage of development to the national living wage of £9 p/h (10.3% support Oxfordshire’s programme of skills and 14.6% respectively). There are also development and inclusive growth include: inequalities around housing affordability, education attainment, health outcomes, and P4 Oxfordshire’s Inclusive Economy food poverty. This disparity is expected to Commission increase as a result of COVID-19. Oxfordshire is one of the strongest Building on a robust inclusive economy economies of the UK, which has been seminar series during 2019 that engaged growing annually faster than the UK and the leaders in higher education, the private and South East since 2006. However, it is also
37 Oxfordshire’s Local Industrial Strategy: The Investment Plan public sectors, and non-profits and social local residents and young people, indicating enterprises, this project will establish an both need and opportunity to diversify the Inclusive Economy Commission to address local economy and create a more sustainable these challenges. Initiatives will include local living / working community increased local procurement, which will RAF Brize Norton provides Carterton, and aim to increase the number of businesses the wider UK, with untapped economic committing to the Oxford Living Wage, place- potential. The proposed Technology Hub based programmes of investment to reduce aims to make best use of the highly skilled deprivation, targeted skills and infrastructure and motivated personnel leaving the RAF by investments, and provision of affordable integrating these skills into key market areas housing and workspace. It will also align of growth within the innovation ecosystem. with broader policies such as Early Years The project also focuses on unleashing education initiatives, growing apprenticeship the wider economic potential of Carterton opportunities, and investments across the including the opportunities set out under Oxford-Cambridge Arc. the R&D Roadmap to maximise innovation potential through greater collaboration P5 RAF Brize Norton’s Technology Hub, between the UK’s Defence/Security Sectors Carterton and military-focussed R&D investment. The Carterton is the second largest town in West world-leading potential of the Oxfordshire Oxfordshire, home to RAF Brize Norton innovation ecosystem offers significant (the UK’s largest air force base), and with scope to accelerate these opportunities a significant military services community. through an exciting new approach at Whilst the town has pockets of many small Brize. The new Technology Hub will also businesses with specialisms in high-tech have a catalysing effect and power wider manufacturing and engineering, there is regeneration of Carterton, stimulating new an imbalance of jobs to workers, leading to business space, jobs and opportunities within around 60% out-commuting for jobs for the town.
38 3. The Investment Programme
P6 High Flyers Programme The High Flyers Programme will focus on creating a dynamic pathway of support Central to our ambition to develop for early stage researchers to test their Oxfordshire into one of the top three global proposals through proof of concept and innovation ecosystems by 2040 is the market validation activities alongside need to maximise the natural talent which mentoring and peer support from across resides across the region, and connect the innovation ecosystem, to help accelerate them to opportunities which are being their ideas towards full commercialisation. created. The creation and scaling-up of Building on recent empirical research led by high-growth knowledge-intensive businesses Oxford Brookes University, a key element of by harnessing the spirit of discovery and the programme will be to improve access to innovation within our researchers and support and backing for women and BAME scientists and innovators is crucial, but we researchers and innovators, who are under- need to do more to accelerate their journey represented in the enterprise community to translate these ideas into successful and have experienced barriers in bringing companies. These skills sets need to be forward proposals for investment and supplemented by a greater degree of market testing, which are critical to enabling knowledge and support to commercialise progress towards full commercialisation of ideas, develop strong business skills and their ideas. High Flyers will aim to increase connect with like-minded entrepreneurs. and widen the pool of entrepreneurial talent through an inclusive approach, in line with the ambitions of the R&D Roadmap by also extending support and mentoring to BAME entrepreneurs beyond the immediate region, and connecting them into the assets and resources of the innovation ecosystem.
39 Oxfordshire’s Local Industrial Strategy: The Investment Plan
40 3. The Investment Programme
The Business Environment Pillar
The five schemes in the ‘Business 9,200m2 by 2040); Environment’ Pillar will be largely › Attract £3.4bn Foreign Direct delivered to an overall time horizon to Investment (with a further £20m FDI 2030, with individual initiatives working secured by 2040), this pillar being the to specific start and end dates to meet major source of FDI in the portfolio; their objectives. › Directly support 765 businesses (with On this basis, the minimum headline a further 1,400 businesses being outputs anticipated under this Pillar at this supported across the other pillars); stage will comprise: › Support learners to attain 450 › Total value: £1.6 billion qualifications; and › Public sector ask: £117million; › Enable and support the delivery of 800 › Private:Public sector leverage generated housing units, in line with agreed Local ratio of 10:1; Plans and the Oxfordshire Housing and Growth Deal included within the new › Create 11,800 jobs (with a further 4,500 homes target for the County set for 2031 jobs by 2040); (with a further 345 houses unlocked by › Leverage £1bn private sector investment 2040). (with an additional £488m to follow by Alongside the new jobs directly created 2040); by these projects, there will also be › Deliver 145,000m2 of commercial a substantial number of indirect jobs floorspace (with a further 68,500m2 safeguarded in the Oxfordshire visitor to follow by 2040) and 24,000m2 of economy through the THRIVE initiative innovation floorspace (with a further (outlined below).
The Business Environment Pillar addresses in central Oxford which will act as a gateway the engine room of the innovation ecosystem development into the innovation ecosystem and puts in place programmes which will offering new A-grade R&D and corporate aim to provide businesses with the support premises for international businesses and structures and facilities needed to thrive and investors; and a state of the art scale-up compete globally. hub for high growth technology companies which will foster multi-disciplinary R&D, Investment-ready projects include collaboration and joint ventures. a groundbreaking initiative with the Department of International Trade (a The pillar also includes strategic programmes forerunner programme for the Oxford- to support Oxfordshire’s dynamic creative Cambridge Arc) to expand the County’s industries and internationally recognised global brand and trade and investment tourism sector to recover, build resilience opportunities to catalyse investment into and flourish coming out of the COVID-19 the UK; a flagship Global Innovation District pandemic.
41 Oxfordshire’s Local Industrial Strategy: The Investment Plan
Projects under development will full fibre and gigabit digital connectivity; and address accelerating wider scale-up and increasing collaboration and connectivity entrepreneurship support across the with other global innovation ecosystems to business base; diversifying the breadth and raise the profile of Oxfordshire as a location access to financing and investment within the for talent, investment and ideas. ecosystem; powering a significant increase in
Timeline for delivering outputs, by Project ID 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 +
B1 Internationalisation Plan
B2 West’s End Global Innovation District
B3 Creative and Cultural Industries Hub
B4 Facility for Industrial Scale-Up Support
The Recovery and Investment of the B5 Visitor Economy
Assumes project continuation past formal Gateway Review
Developed Projects
B1 The Oxfordshire Internationalisation Plan Total Project Cost = £2.2 million This is an integrated programme with the Total Public Sector Funding Department for International Trade to Requirement = £1.8 million deliver the Oxfordshire Internationalisation Enabling... accelerated economic Plan (a forerunner programme for the recovery, increased Foreign Direct Oxford-Cambridge Arc) to expand the Investment (FDI), international trade County’s global brand and attract trade and capital investment (£1.5bn) in and investment opportunities that support Oxfordshire, and the creation and business growth, job creation, recovery and safeguarding of 2,650 jobs, supporting renewal and prosperity for Oxfordshire and 235 businesses to invest and export over the UK. five years. Supporting critical sectors The Plan sets out phases of activities to stimulate economic recovery and focussed on the three pillars of responses to global challenges around internationalisation work and international climate change, energy, health and relationship building: a proactive approach wellbeing. to securing foreign direct investment (FDI); increasing international trade and exporting success; and securing increased capital investment to support infrastructure development and growth capital for scalable hi-tech companies.
42 3. The Investment Programme
B1 Oxford West’s End Global Innovation B3 The Creative and Cultural Industries District (GID) Hub The Oxford West End Global Innovation This project comprises the development District (GID) will provide a flagship, gateway of a purpose-built creative industries hub development into the innovation ecosystem, near the city centre of Oxford that provides providing a new district for business growth a mix of lower-cost affordable workspace, and innovation as an extension of Oxford’s and incubators which are critically required city centre encompassing A-Grade office to sustain the continued growth in small space and R&D HQ facilities for spin-out and micro entrepreneurs in the sector in companies and inward investment across Oxfordshire. multiple sites, so forming the largest- The Hub will provide a focus for the region’s scale mixed use development project in dynamic creative industries and support a generations. This project is focussed on wide range of ventures and multidisciplinary delivering a sustainable, integrated and collaborations from digital and immersive connected district encompassing Osney technologies to graphic design and artistic Mead, Oxford National Railway Hub and ventures, and provide needed support to Station, Oxpens, and other development sites drive recovery from the impact of COVID-19. with retail, hotel, university, lab and office, The Hub will also work to support concepts and residential spaces. emerging from the newly established The GID will be realised through the Cultural Renewal Taskforce and in expanding coordination of local landowners ‘CreaTech’ in Oxfordshire focusing on and partners, and the facilitation of forging connections across creative and tech infrastructure investment across key sectors. development sites. Together, the sites account for 350,000m2, to be brought forward over 15 years with £1.5bn of largely private sector investment.
Total Project Cost = £1.53 billion Total Project Cost = £9.5 million Total Public Sector Funding Total Public Sector Funding Requirement = £46 million Requirement = £8.8 million Enabling... city-centre and adjacent A Enabling... the application of digital Grade premises to house 13,500 jobs, technology, design and immersive 300 apprenticeships, 500 additional technologies and support the creative research posts, and support 900 industries post-COVID-19 bringing businesses within 350,000m2 of space. forward 6,000m2,of creative workspace and 100 jobs.
43 Oxfordshire’s Local Industrial Strategy: The Investment Plan
B4 Facility for Industrial Scale-Up B5 The Recovery and Investment of the Support (FISUS), Harwell Visitor Economy (THRIVE) FISUS is a unique, multi-faceted initiative THRIVE will work to provide a suite of to support technology-based businesses deliverable projects, to aid the economic to successfully scale-up, drive multi- recovery of the Visitor Economy in disciplinary and cross-sector collaboration Oxfordshire which contributes over £2.3bn and accelerate business recovery post- per annum to the region’s economy and COVID-19 through significant job creation attracts over 30 million visitors each year. As and enhanced manufacturing capability. one of England’s top five visitor destinations, Located on the Harwell Campus, a state-of- the rebuilding of the sector is vital to the-art facility will accommodate over 50 Oxfordshire’s wider international profile SMEs with high growth potential. Training and business markets, which in turn will programmes, use of shared laboratories be crucial to the wider recovery of the UK and sector-specific equipment, and access economy post COVID-19. to funding schemes and finance at key The four key areas of focus are supporting milestones, will enable companies to de- business recovery and survival; improving risk their business strategies and efficiently business competitiveness; strengthening develop and validate their products to the resilience and capacity of Oxfordshire’s cultivate prosperous and robust companies. Destination Management Organisation The project delivers a new 7,005m2 centre (DMO); and providing leadership, support, with open interactive networking spaces and and coordination to rebuild market share offices, wet and dry lab accommodation in across international markets. variety of sizes so companies can transition across their growth journey. Flexible office Total Project Cost = £4.05 million space will also be offered to companies across the UK and internationally to provide Total Public Sector Funding a temporary soft landing and facilitate more Requirement = £4.05 million virtual working. Businesses will benefit from Enabling... Oxfordshire to support the being co-located with industry leaders and Visitor Economy sector, generating and access to world-leading national facilities in safeguarding 10,000 jobs and supporting healthcare, space technologies and energy over 1,000 businesses. systems across the Campus to test, evaluate and commercialise R&D and new product innovation at pace.
Total Project Cost = £52.1 million Total Public Sector Funding Requirement = £47.1 million Enabling... a kick-start of UK Plc recovery and helping to retain innovative technologies and manufacturing in the UK and supporting over 400 businesses.
44 3. The Investment Programme
Projects Under Development B7 Oxfordshire’s Finance and Additional projects under this Pillar, which Investment Plan are at an earlier stage of development, The COVID-19 pandemic has had an include proposals to diversify the breadth increasing impact on the availability and access to finance and investment and accessibility of financing to sustain options available within the ecosystem and growth trajectories for small and start-up investment in the digital infrastructure of companies, particularly those firms which the ecosystem to world-leading standards. are younger, early-stage companies seeking Additionally, a new International Conference to attract investment in the short to medium Centre to rebuild Oxfordshire’s critical visitor term, and where they are raising investment economy and business conferencing market for the first time. These companies are share. also the businesses that fall outside the eligibility for the range of Government B6 The Business Scale-Up Programme lending measures introduced during the – creating a world class scale-up pandemic such as the Future Fund. As a community result, a diversified approach may be needed With one of the fastest growing communities to encourage and incentivise seed and early- of high growth scale-up businesses stage investment into these businesses nationally, our ambition is to maximise the which provide the future innovators and huge potential of our entrepreneurs and scale-up companies that are a critical dynamic businesses to drive high value component of the Oxfordshire innovation economic growth and prosperity. Research ecosystem by the Scale-Up institute (2020) reports Working with key advisory firms and that Oxfordshire’s business leaders highlight business leaders the Plan will aim to diversify access to talent, international markets, the range of finance options and funders for access to equity finance, and access to high growth potential companies, increase infrastructure/premises and broadband as knowledge and awareness of finance key issues. networks and provide access to alternative The Business Scale-Up Programme will be sources of finance including patient capital, developed with entrepreneurs, innovators venture and angel funding. and business leaders within the innovation ecosystem experienced in taking pioneering young companies and shaping them into flourishing, market leading operations. It will also draw on successful programmes operating in other global innovation ecosystems to ensure that the programme is credible and relevant. We aim to create a long term, sustainable and co-ordinated programme harnessing support from across the scale-up ‘family’ including Universities, Innovate UK, business and science parks ensuring that it is integrated into the DNA of the innovation ecosystem and provides easy to access, easy to navigate and high value support for high growth businesses to thrive.
45 Oxfordshire’s Local Industrial Strategy: The Investment Plan
B8 Oxfordshire’s International breakthrough sectors to drive interest; Conference Centre supporting the recruitment of high-tech and R&D talent; and providing new touchpoints to Oxford is a key global brand, supporting a engage international investors. vibrant Oxfordshire tourism economy which also drives high value visitor spend into the Leveraging Oxfordshire’s international rest of the UK. An Oxford Brookes University brand and positioning the region as a global study set out how business conferencing innovation ecosystem, Connecting Global will has been a major driver for growth in partner existing networks and organisations rival innovation ecosystems across the within the world’s most prominent globe. There has been significant demand technology centres and tech cities (e.g. from conference organisers to grow and Silicon Valley, Quantum Valley Boston, and expand opportunities for major events in Silicon Wadi), creating a digital environment Oxfordshire, which build on the established for knowledge exchange and collaborative academic circuit within the County and dialogue, alongside an ambitious programme extends into set piece sector events for of trade missions, sponsor visits, interactive business investors and arts and cultural sessions and virtual events. exhibitions. B10 The Oxfordshire Study As a flagship development, this project will help promote Oxfordshire and accelerate Oxford is a compact research and the growth of the international business innovation focused historic city located in a conference market as the sector rebuilds geographical rurality with innovation assets following the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the (e.g. science parks and business incubation long term, attracting a minimum of 6,000 centres) spread across the County. In visitors, with future plans for modular contrast, many of the comparator global growth to 20,000 visitors, the multi-purpose ecosystems are younger, of a different scale medium sized convention and event facility and they sit in very different sub-regions will meet current demands for this size of their countries. As a result, it is not facility whilst strengthening the Oxfordshire immediately obvious how Oxfordshire, as a visitor economy and a key business city region, performs relative to these other destination as part of the wider innovation innovation ecosystems. Equally, there has ecosystem. been limited work undertaken to capture and measure the progress of global innovation B9 ‘Connecting Global’ Platform ecosystems and their specific characteristics which can be drawn upon and learned from. Connecting Global is an integrated digital platform promoting Oxfordshire as a major Working in conjunction with the universities, global hub for investors and innovators national research partners, businesses with a unique partnering network linking and Government The Oxfordshire Study other world-leading innovation ecosystems. will be commissioned as a major analysis The platform will showcase successes and to investigate the innovation ecosystem, share opportunities for investment and against the top ranked ecosystems of the trade, with promotional activities across world. The study will also explore the impact online and social media such as mapping the of related and critical public policy measures Oxfordshire Cluster’s high tech companies such as housing, transport, education and and spin-outs; engaging and compelling skills interventions which are central to an content on cutting-edge research and ecosystem flourishing.
46 3. The Investment Programme
B11 Oxfordshire’s Entrepreneurship Hub B12 Oxfordshire’s Digital Investment Plan The Entrepreneurship Hub will aim to foster and deepen a strong commercial The Digital Infrastructure Plan intends to culture across the innovation ecosystem, increase Oxfordshire’s pace of rolling out extending the support available to people gigabit broadband and 5G infrastructure with ideas who are keen to start up and across the County. It will cover digital develop a business but sit outside those connectivity (both fixed and mobile), thereby networks traditionally engaged through enabling digital delivery, and making Oxfordshire’s universities and research hubs. commercial investment at scale easier. It aims to leverage existing resources and Led by Oxfordshire County Council, in key partnerships, to bring together the rich partnership with OxLEP, City and District networks that already exist in the ecosystem Councils, it will involve working with HMG and connect them to wider cohorts of social through Bringing Digital UK (BDUK), plus and community entrepreneurs. strong engagement with commercial Initially the Hub will provide cross-sector operators to secure investment in support for early stage entrepreneurs, Oxfordshire. The benefits will include start-ups, and small businesses, from across increased innovation, better health the County to better connect with public management, improved asset management, and privately funded services across the reduced vehicle use, sustainable economic ecosystem and deepen collaboration, action growth and it will enable the development of learning and scale-up opportunities. It will a ‘smart County’. also create a community of connectors, an online portal of shared content, and a network of partner organisations providing support including digital resources, peer to peer support, and identifying and developing initiatives that fulfil specific support gaps within the ecosystem. Moving forward, it will extend the offer to include support for later stage growth businesses, sector-specific resources and specialised advisory services.
47 Oxfordshire’s Local Industrial Strategy: The Investment Plan
48 3. The Investment Programme
The Infrastructure Pillar
Five overarching investment schemes investment is in place, leaving an ‘ask’ of under the ‘Infrastructure’ Pillar will be £409 million. delivered to an overall time horizon to Against this background, the minimum 2040, with individual initiatives working headline outcomes anticipated under this to specific start and end dates to meet Pillar at this stage will comprise: their objectives. › Over 27,600 new houses, all of which These projects and their investments, are already recognised in Local Plans; part of Oxfordshire’s wider infrastructure objectives, will play a critical enabling role › A range of rail service improvements – for the activities in this Investment Plan service frequency, journey times, and which is being brought forward alongside reliability – for the County; the Oxfordshire Infrastructure Strategy › Reduced travel congestion, and the (OxIS) - led by Oxfordshire County Council introduction of new active travel modes; and the Oxfordshire Growth Board, with and Government and investors. The overall cost of Investment Pillar activity is £1.1 › Targeted flood alleviation investments. bn, of which £708 million of public sector
Timeline for delivering outputs, by Project ID 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 +
Oxford Station Phase 2
Oxford Station Phase 3*
Botley Road Phase 1
Botley Road Phase 2*
Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme
Culham Station Upgrade*
HIF 1 Programme
Chilton-to-Harwell schemes To be programmed as part of business case development preparation
A40 Phase 1 Science Transit
A40 Phase 2 HIF 2 Programme
North Cotswolds Line Upgrade*
A44 Rapid Transit Line 1 Corridor*
Begbroke Station*
* Indicates current proposed programme, subject to confirmation
49 Oxfordshire’s Local Industrial Strategy: The Investment Plan
Oxfordshire has adopted a strategic, rail service enhancements, enhanced digital prioritised approach to infrastructure connectivity and energy provision, carbon provision which supports and enables reduction initiatives and green infrastructure growth and economic development corridors. Funding for many of these is either across the County. This has been taken in place, or being secured, from national forward by the Oxfordshire Growth Board, programmes, including the Oxfordshire and is encompassed in the Oxfordshire Housing and Growth Deal and the Housing Infrastructure Strategy (OxIS). Infrastructure Fund. Accordingly, some components of the Additional OxIS initiatives with wide ranging Infrastructure Strategy, proposed, planned, and complementary impacts and benefits or being delivered, provide targeted across Oxfordshire to these schemes include: support to key interventions identified › Strategic Rail projects, required to meet in this Investment Plan. Partners from service enhancements identified in the Oxfordshire’s Planning Authorities, together Oxfordshire Rail Corridor Study; with the County Council as the statutory lead for infrastructure, have given careful › A programme of enhanced digital consideration to the spatial distribution of connectivity across the County, as outlined Ideas, People, Business Environment, and in the Oxfordshire Digital Strategy and Place activities proposed in this document. Work Programme; Table 3.4 identifies the critical packages of › Energy requirements set out in the enabling infrastructure which will be brought Oxfordshire Energy Strategy; and forward to support the ambitions within this › Emerging infrastructure programmes Investment Plan, enabling the advancement focused in carbon reduction and enhancing of the portfolio of projects detailed. These green infrastructure and corridors. infrastructure schemes include strategic
50 3. The Investment Programme
Most of the strategic infrastructure projects Oxfordshire Growth Deal and ensuring that identified in Table 3.4 are transport schemes, infrastructure funding and delivery has which are developed and will be delivered by aligned with planned growth. The planned Oxfordshire County Council. The Council has OxIS refresh will ensure that infrastructure a capital programme governance process priorities are up to date and support delivery in place, which develops schemes from of the new Oxfordshire Plan 2050. Inception to Delivery through a number of In line with the Monitoring and Evaluation Gateway stages. This is overseen by the framework set out under Section 4 of Programme Management Office and requires this Investment Plan, a formal evaluation business cases to be submitted at each of the Portfolio’s impact and process will scheme stage, ensuring robust project and be undertaken at the end of Plan Year 8 financial management is in place at all times. (Summer 2028), to assess formally how the Where funding from government is provided, forthcoming 10 years of Plan activity (from for example the Housing Infrastructure Fund 2030 through to 2040) should be best (HIF), business cases also need to align with designed and configured. This review will be central government requirements as set out especially vital for the Infrastructure Pillar, in the Green Book and associated guidance. given the inclusion of major regeneration, In a broader context, OxIS also ensures that land/property and infrastructure schemes, identified projects have been through a which we anticipate for the Plan’s 2030- robust prioritisation process against policy 2040 period and central to activity under priorities. The first OxIS produced in 2017 the Infrastructure/Place pillars. was a key component in supporting the
51 Oxfordshire’s Local Industrial Strategy: The Investment Plan
Table 3.4: Infrastructure projects in Oxfordshire critical to this Investment Plan
Investment Project / Strategic Infrastructure Cost and Plan Outcomes3 ‘bundle’ Description Requirements Funding
Oxford › Expansion of the › Upgrade of rail corridor and › Total › 70% increase in rail services through City Global Health capacity through Oxford estimated cost Oxfordshire by 2033 Science & Life Sciences including Oxford Station £291m › Doubling of train services through Area Headington redevelopment and National › Phase 2: Oxford station by 2028 Sectors Quarter including Rail Hub – new station £162m (funded, BioEscalator 2 and multi-mode transport › Significantly enhanced connectivity, subject to HMG more than doubling the current level and Clinical Bio interchange (Phases 2 final approval) Manufacturing and 3 of Oxford Station of direct connections between priority Centre Programme) › Phase 3: stations in Oxfordshire, reducing overall Estimated journey times › Oxford West End £129m Global Innovation (unfunded – District (GID). New public sector central business ask) and innovation district focusing › Botley Road Corridor (2 › Total › Supports the opportunities for growth on A Grade office Phases) – strategic arterial estimated cost to the west of the city centre in line with space and R&D HQ route upgrade into Oxford – £23.5m policies SP1 and SP2 of the Adopted facilities (West End) including: › Phase 1 2036 Oxford City Local Plan including › The Energy › Healthy active travel (funded/ housing and employment sites at Osney Systems schemes with additional construction Accelerator cycling and walking routes underway) – (TESA) located › improvements on £9.1m within the Osney Oxpens section to Osney › Phase 2 area of the West Mead Bridge to deliver (unfunded End enhanced access to Osney public sector development site ask) – £8.4m › Oxpens Bridge (unfunded – public sector ask) – £6m
› Oxford Flood Alleviation › Total › The Oxford Flood Alleviation scheme Scheme providing flood estimated will help to convey water away from resilience to City Centre and cost – £150m development infrastructure and reduce key West End development (funded) flooding in the most at risk areas. It will sites reduce the risk of flooding to homes, businesses, major roads and the railway.
Culham › Institute for › Culham Station Update to › Total › Supports delivery of the South Oxon Science Fusion Materials a multi-mode hub as part of estimated and Vale of White Horse Local Plans, Park – Development of the Oxfordshire Rail Corridor cost – £21m including expansion of Culham Science cluster for fusion Study delivering enhanced (unfunded – Centre and 3,500 new homes adjacent technologies connecting and services public sector to Culham Station into Oxford and potential ask) › Significant increase in rail services to 2 extension of East West Rail trains per hour in each direction, with connectivity through Culham direct connections through Oxford to and into Didcot Bicester and East West Rail
› Culham-to-Harwell › Housing Infrastructure Fund › Total › The HIF 1 scheme is forecast to directly Mobility Corridor Programme/Projects (HIF1) estimated unlock 11,711 homes in the Didcot Garden – expansion projects including Didcot- cost -: £234m Town area, and support delivery of the of pioneering Culham strategic link road (funded) science-based research and knowledge autonomous clusters at Harwell (space sector, systems hub energy, health), Culham (robotics, CAV, connecting critical nuclear fusion) and Milton Park (life science hubs sciences) across Culham- Harwell-Milton Park
52 3. The Investment Programme
Table 3.4: Continued
Investment Project / Strategic Infrastructure Cost and Plan Outcomes3 ‘bundle’ Description Requirements Funding
Harwell › International › HIF Programme/Projects › As above › As above Campus Space Cluster including Didcot-Culham › Global Energy- Strategic Link road Technical Living › Highway upgrades between › Unfunded – cost › Supports delivery of Harwell Science & Lab Chilton Interchange and to be identified Innovation Campus › Global Quantum Harwell Campus (‘Chilton- as part of Computing Centre to-Harwell schemes)’ business case development
Living › Oxfordshire › A40 Stage 1 Science › Total › The HIF 2 scheme will directly unlock Labs Cotswold Garden Transit scheme and estimated 4,813 homes (including 2,222 affordable Testbed Village Housing Infrastructure cost – £153m homes) and support 10,000 homes in Fund Programme/Projects (funded) the West Oxon area. (HIF2) including: › Helps resolve current severe congestion › New rapid transit corridor on the A40 corridor, significantly and Park and Ride improving transport connectivity › Enhancements as part between Witney and Oxford of Connecting Oxford programme linking strategic corridors to the west and east of Oxford
› North Cotswold Line › Total › Directly supports strategic housing Upgrades – including estimated sites including Cotswold Garden Village enhanced Hanborough cost – £199m (2,200 homes) and West of Eynsham ‘Hub’ Station and improved (unfunded – (1,000 homes) via direct Active Travel services into West Midlands public sector and other connections ask) › Up to 4 trains an hour connecting Oxford to Hanborough and other destinations › Enhanced long distance service frequency (2 trains per hour in each direction), reduced journey times and increased service reliability
LO:GIC at › LO:GIC – › A44 Rapid Transit Line 1 › Total › Supports delivery of the sites in the Begbroke development of Corridor estimated Cherwell Local Plan Partial Review Science the Begbroke cost – £36m including around 4,400 homes and Park Campus as a (unfunded – Begbroke Campus development major innovation public sector quarter for UK ask) and international collaboration and › Development of new › Total › As above, providing additional longer commercialised Begbroke Station, as estimated term rail connectivity opportunities R&D part of Oxfordshire Rail cost – £10m Corridor Study, to serve the (unfunded – innovation campus and wider public sector growth along the corridor ask) Total estimated cost £1,117.5 million Of which, funded is... £708.1 million Unfunded is... £409.4 million
Source: OxLEP, 2020 3 All housing numbers are based on existing agreed Local Plans prepared by Oxfordshire’s local authorities, recognising that these have varying plan periods
53 Oxfordshire’s Local Industrial Strategy: The Investment Plan
54 3. The Investment Programme
The Place Pillar
The four developed projects within the › Create an additional 420 jobs; and ‘Place’ Pillar will all be delivered to › Assist 140 young learners and generate an overall time horizon to 2030, with 360 qualifications. individual initiatives working to specific start and end dates to meet their Across the Plan’s portfolio as a whole, objectives. projects will collectively deliver over 29,400 new housing units, making an On this basis, the minimum headline important contribution to expanding and outputs anticipated under this Pillar will diversifying Oxfordshire’s housing offer. comprise: The Investment Plan anticipates the › Total value: £107 million; delivery of significant additional new › Public sector ask: £66 million; floorspace, employment and private sector investment leveraged to these › Deliver 7,190m2 of innovation floorspace; initial outputs as longer-term, mixed- › Support 60 businesses (with a further use schemes are brought forward for 2,100 businesses in total across the development. There is considerable other pillars); potential for accelerated delivery where opportunities arise.
Oxfordshire spans a large physical Working hand in hand with these objectives, geography with companies, rural and urban the LIS highlighted the importance of ‘place’ innovation / science parks and hubs sitting within the ecosystem. Imagined through a within the wider landscape of homes and polycentric network of innovation clusters long-established local communities. Its creating workplace and housing communities attractive location, heritage and natural across the County which are contemporary assets makes Oxfordshire a place where by design and deliver new innovations in people want to live and businesses want to place shaping and sustainable communities. locate, and means demand for housing is They harness the pioneering technologies high. The Oxfordshire Housing and Growth within the ecosystem in health, mobility and Deal between Government and the County’s clean growth for the benefit of Oxfordshire local authorities and OxLEP will manage the residents delivering improved public delivery of new homes by 2031, together service outcomes alongside creating new with a new statutory joint spatial plan – employment opportunities in these locations. Oxfordshire Plan 2050 – to guide future development and ensure it is sustainable and carefully managed.
55 Oxfordshire’s Local Industrial Strategy: The Investment Plan
Timeline for delivering outputs, by Project ID 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 +
PL1 Living Oxford (Oxfordshire’s Living Labs)
Howbery Park Centre of Excellence in PL2 Climate Change
PL3 Culham-to-Harwell Mobility Corridor
PL4 Global Energy-Technical Living Lab
The Place Pillar takes forward these the Plan will bring forward the delivery of objectives through projects which include new commercial centres of employment as a network of ‘Living Labs’ under the Living part of wider strategic mixed use schemes Oxford programme; a new world-leading that extend and enhances capacity across climate change centre of excellence at Oxfordshire’s innovation ecosystem: Creative Howbery Park focusing on flood resilience City in Heyford with a major studio hub and housing design; and a pioneering for Film and TV; a new Eco Zone and Hub autonomous vehicle shuttle link between in Bicester building on the ambitions of Culham and Harwell science parks. Projects the Eco Town; an exciting Science Park for being developed for later, phased delivery pioneering companies in West Oxfordshire as include pilots to develop alternative travel part of the Garden Village development; and modalities at Milton Park, home to over regeneration of the Banbury Industrial Zone 10000 staff at one of the ecosystem’s most along the M40 corridor. important innovation assets. Additionally,
56 3. The Investment Programme
Developed Projects
PL1 Living Oxford (Oxfordshire’s Living Total Project Cost = £2.18 million Labs) Total Public Sector Funding Building on Oxfordshire’s success in piloting Requirement = £1.45 million the living lab concept under local transport policy initiatives across the County, in Enabling... a focused and dynamic concert with Oxfordshire County Council, response to the evolution of the Living this is an ambitious programme which aims Labs approach across Oxfordshire to apply and scale-up the potential to create connecting communities, innovators and a network of ‘living labs’ across identified developers to deliver improved public locations and pilot areas set out under service outcomes across the County the LIS encompassing wider opportunities through pioneering collaborations. to bring forward solutions in mobility, healthcare and energy. Living Oxford will create a visible community- focused, independent organisation acting as the fulcrum for the development of ‘living labs’ in Oxfordshire. It will operate at the intersection of the public, private and community sectors of Oxfordshire whilst leveraging and connecting people, places, organisations and projects to deliver better solutions to existing and new real-world problems. It will also enable the sharing of best practice including analysis from past, existing and new living lab type projects both in the County and wider to ensure the delivery of better outcomes under each lab developed. Living Oxford will also provide the interface for businesses, innovators and place makers to engage with Oxfordshire in introducing, testing and commercialising new products and services within in real-time settings, working with planning authorities, public service providers and communities in Oxfordshire advancing new approaches and solutions to sustainable development and contemporary living.
57 Oxfordshire’s Local Industrial Strategy: The Investment Plan
PL2 Howbery Park Centre of Excellence PL3 Culham-to-Harwell Mobility Corridor in Climate Change (CHARM) The new Centre of Excellence will draw CHARM will pilot an autonomous vehicle on the world-leading capability located shuttle link between world-leading science at Howbery Park and create a hive of parks and a public transport hub in the new facilities to research, innovate and south of the County, piloting groundbreaking commercialise new products and services to deployment, technology maturation, public in response to the challenges presented by engagement, and long-term monitoring of climate change. next generation driverless mobility services, with the potential to be tested and deployed The project will create a further 7,185m2 across the UK. of new and innovative facilities and will include dedicated space for collaborative This project will be delivered in three water resilience and water security research, phases: the Concept Design Study; the innovation, education, training and space Culham Mobility Service; and overlapping to support start-ups and early stage with this, the Didcot Mobility Interchange businesses. Further, the River Thames flood linking Culham to Harwell delivering modern plain at Howbery Park will be used as a mobility services across Oxfordshire using natural laboratory to research, innovate connected autonomous vehicles and 5G and demonstrate development excellence infrastructure alongside other multimodal on flood plains, including an exemplar flood services. A key focus of this project is to resilient and water efficient building. facilitate the demonstration of mobility solutions that are capable of meeting the Total Project Cost = £22.4 million needs of local users in a safe and reliable fashion, and in so doing, becoming a default Total Public Sector Funding choice for local businesses and residents and Requirement = £8.4 million hence a pilot for national rollout and global Enabling... a world-leading Centre of exports. Excellence for Water Resilience and Water Security, where private, public and Total Project Cost = £27.8 million NGO organisations can collaborate to Total Public Sector Funding deliver outstanding research, education, Requirement = £27.8 million innovation and commercialisation outcomes, creating 327 high value jobs, Enabling... a platform that will showcase SME support, training opportunities and emerging green mobility technologies flood risk management cost reduction to provide sustainable mobility solution across the UK. in a key growth corridor in Oxfordshire. The project supports the UK’s Net Zero target through enabling increased connectivity in the local area whilst changing mobility habits and creating a cleaner less congested environment.
58 3. The Investment Programme
PL4 Global Energy-Technical Living Lab, Harwell Total Project Cost = £55 million The Harwell Net Zero Technical Living Total Public Sector Funding Laboratory will enable the testing and Requirement = £27.5 million evaluation of novel energy systems in a Enabling... accelerated adoption and real-world environment, with the advantage accessibility of pioneering energy of colocation in a world-class technical technology solutions including knowledge base. connected and autonomous energy Providing a testbed for investors to develop systems whilst creating 65 jobs and pioneering services in energy consumption, supporting 30 businesses. storage and testing by utilising the global assets of the Harwell campus will assist businesses to bring innovative products to market and address a broad spectrum of future challenges. The three central components of the Energy Living Lab will be: a Harwell-wide Smart Energy System; demonstrator platforms and shared labs which will be accessed by stakeholders across academia and industry to pilot in Oxfordshire and trial solutions; and the expansion of the proof-of-concept and demonstration programme.
59 Oxfordshire’s Local Industrial Strategy: The Investment Plan
Projects Under Development provide 1,500 new jobs, on a 43,000m2 footprint providing sound stages, studios, As part of the longer term ambitions offices and production spaces, along with under the Investment Plan, work is being acres of backlot/external set-build space. progressed in the delivery of major new commercial centres of employment as under PL7 Bicester Eco Zone & Corporate HQ wider strategic mixed use schemes which Hub will focus on sustainability and healthy-place shaping, whilst also enhancing capacity This proposal is for an Eco Zone and across Oxfordshire’s innovation ecosystem. Corporate HQ Hub at Bicester Business Park on strategic employment land close to the PL5 Milton Park Mobility and Cycle Hub national motorway and rail network. It aims to deepen its position as a location for clean This project aims to increase sustainable growth businesses and builds on the zero modes of transport across a strategically carbon ambitions set out under the Bicester significant science and technology hub Eco Town vision at North West Bicester, within Oxfordshire’s innovation ecosystem. which has seen significant net zero housing Projections suggest that, by 2040, the development and the Bicester EcoBusiness working population at Milton Park across its Centre – one of the first net zero commercial 250 business on site will have doubled to business facilities in the country. In addition, 20,000. there is significant potential for Bicester Through a new Mobility and Cycle Hub, the to become a vital strategic interchange aim is to grow the cycling mode share to for East-West Rail and the Oxford-London 30% by 2040, with an interim target of Marylebone Line, as part of the wider 20% by 2025, led by the establishment of development and connectivity across the a network of mobility social enterprises and Oxford–Cambridge Arc. services which will facilitate modal shift and create up to 120 jobs. It will also complement improvements planned and being delivered in the Science Vale Cycle Network, including upgrades to the cycle route between Milton Park and Didcot Parkway station.
PL6 Creative City, Heyford This is an ambitious plan to create a large media hub in Northern Oxfordshire allowing companies within the film, tv, tech and gaming industries to cluster, creating a dedicated new environment for the industry and meeting significant domestic and international demand. The site already has a strong track record of filming on the historic airfield and this new development will allow wider filming opportunities and use of post-production facilities on site. The development will
60 3. The Investment Programme
The project also encompasses wider PL9 Banbury Industrial Zone regeneration activity under the Bicester Garden Town scheme building on the This project intends to build on Banbury’s transformation of Bicester from a traditional long and proud industrial heritage to Oxfordshire County market town, to a create the second largest urban centre and dynamic and vibrant community comprising industrial powerhouse of the region. Banbury the global retail offer at Bicester Village provides the gateway to the North and pivots and the centre of motorsport heritage at the centre of the country on the strategic at Bicester Motion. These proposals will corridor between London and Birmingham, weave and embed Bicester more directly connecting Oxfordshire with the economies into the Oxfordshire innovation ecosystem, of the Midlands and further afield. expanding the town centre as part of the The Industrial Zone will be at the renewal of the area to create jobs, increase strategically employment land site at productivity and drive growth locally. Banbury, adjacent to the M40, which has significant untapped potential and offers PL8 West Oxfordshire Garden Village considerable scope for regeneration and Science Park, Eynsham sustainable development. The Zone will The West Oxfordshire Garden Village, benefit from accessibility to the national known as Salt Cross, is one of the national motorway and rail network with excellent programme of Garden Communities and is connections to Oxford and the Ox-Cam Arc, part of a holistically planned new settlement making it attractive to investors across which enhances the natural environment. It service, manufacturing and logistics sectors, will offer locally accessible work and high- and scope, therefore, to raise productivity quality affordable housing in beautiful, levels and deliver transformational growth healthy and sociable communities, adhering across local communities. to nationally accepted Garden Village (City) principles. The Science and Technology Park will provide much needed move-on space for innovative businesses with high growth potential, complementing existing science parks such as Begbroke with the opportunity for greater technology collaboration and connectivity for businesses and high growth companies across the western arc of Oxfordshire. It will also complement a natural cluster of advanced manufacturing business already in the Eynsham area, providing space for their growth and supply chain development. In doing so, the science and technology park will provide a huge range of employment opportunities for the new community of Salt Cross.
61 Oxfordshire’s Local Industrial Strategy: The Investment Plan
4. Our Governance, Monitoring & Evaluation Plan
Governance Regular reporting arrangements to the Successful delivery of this Investment Plan is Forward Plan of the Oxfordshire Growth the responsibility of everyone – Oxfordshire Board will be established, to ensure timely partners, project sponsors, investors, and reporting, valued scrutiny, and alignment government – and will only be achieved with between this Plan and wider growth the commitment to collaborate, co-invest, aspirations, such as those in the Oxfordshire and mobilise delivery resources which drive Housing and Growth Deal. At all point, this forward our overall ambition for Oxfordshire Plan’s style and reporting of progress will and the UK. be transparent, tied back to the LIS’ core The OxLEP Board will be responsible for objectives, and focused relentlessly on real- overseeing the implementation of this time optimisation. Investment Plan, and its progress towards In relation to the Infrastructure Pillar of this its objectives and outcomes. The Board will Plan, the Oxfordshire Strategic Transport build on the robust and Government-assured Forum will work closely with Oxfordshire processes which have ensured the successful County Council and the Growth Board’s implementation of recent investment Infrastructure Sub-Group to inform and programmes using City Deal, Local Growth, support the implementation of actions, EU, and other funding streams. The Board drawing on the multimodal expertise of the will receive quarterly reports on Plan Forum and its members. progress, advise on adjustments to the Plan and its actions to achieve the objectives of the LIS overall, and give strategic direction on the use of funds. OxLEP’s Annual Report and Annual Meeting will provide a formal opportunity to share wider detail on Plan progress achieved in the preceding 12 months. Management and liaison with partners and project sponsors will be led by a dedicated Programme Management Office (PMO) within the LEP’s Strategy and Programmes Team. This will be overseen by a Senior Director from OxLEP’s Corporate Leadership Team, who will act as The Senior Responsible Officer.
62 4. Our Governance, Monitoring & Evaluation Plan
Monitoring and evaluating this This Investment Plan constitutes a significant Investment Plan proportion of the forward activities of OxLEP and the Oxfordshire Growth Board. As such A framework for Monitoring it will be subject to a robust Monitoring Real-time tactical oversight of the Plan’s and Evaluation framework, which measures performance will be led by the OxLEP progress against the key metrics which form Programme Sub-Group, an advisory group the core of the Plan. These are detailed in of the OxLEP Board with delegated powers the table below, and categorised by indicator for Monitoring and Evaluation. Chaired by type. The high-level sources and periodicity a senior Board Director, the Group meets of each indicator is also given. quarterly, and comprises a Deputy Chair, Local Authority and Private Sector Board Directors, and two co-opted representatives from the business community with experience in large scale, complex programme management and delivery.
63 Oxfordshire’s Local Industrial Strategy: The Investment Plan
Table 4.1: Oxfordshire’s Local Industrial Strategy: The Investment Plan – Core Monitoring and Evaluation Indicators
Indicator Indicator type Unit Source Periodicity Value of private investment Outcome £m Tracking Bi-annual levered Portfolio recommended Projects No. of business directly Outcome Nominal Tracking Bi-annual receiving enterprise/growth Portfolio recommended support Projects Value of FDI projects Outcome £m Department for Annual International Trade NVQ 4+ qualifications – Outcome Percentage EMSI/Office Annual including PhDs change for National Statistics New Learners Assisted – Young Output Nominal Tracking Bi-annual People (Under 19) – covering Portfolio recommended non-formal qualifications Projects including careers advice Number of New Learners Output Nominal Tracking Bi-annual Assisted – Adults (19+) Portfolio recommended – covering non-formal Projects qualifications including redundancy support Innovation Floor Space – Output Sqm Valuation Office Annual covering specialist floorspace Agency (Gross External Area – GEA) including incubators, accelerators and test-beds Commercial Floor Space – Output Sqm Valuation Office Annual covering general commercial Agency uses (GEA) including retail, office and industrial floorspace Number of businesses deploying Output Nominal Oxford City Annually Oxford Living Wage Council Weekly wages (inc. for lowest Impact £ Office for Quarterly 10%) National Statistics Economic Inclusion Score Impact Nominal Inclusive Single model Growth Monitor to be updated (produced by by inclusion Universities of indicators (incl. Manchester and income, living Sheffield) costs, labour market, output etc.)
64 4. Our Governance, Monitoring & Evaluation Plan
Table 4.1: Continued
Indicator Indicator type Unit Source Periodicity Jobs safeguarded Impact FTE equivalent Tracking Bi-annual Portfolio recommended Projects Jobs created Impact FTE equivalent Tracking Bi-annual Portfolio recommended Projects Additional Gross Value Added Impact £m Office for Annual (net) National Statistics
Source: OxLEP, 2020
Milestones for Evaluation is funded - viably and appropriately - at all Whilst monitoring will track Plan progress in stages in the Plan’s implementation and real time, this will be augmented with three execution. discrete evaluation activities through which Measuring progress towards our wider assessments of achievement, focus, wider goal and impact will be made. These evaluation As an integral part of this Plan, in addition activities will be as follows: to Plan-specific monitoring and evaluation, › An interim evaluation of Plan we will progress an important initiative – The implementation at the end of Plan Year 2 Oxfordshire Study. Led by Oxford University, (i.e. Summer 2022); this aims to forge a deeper understanding of the Oxfordshire innovation ecosystem, › A formal evaluation of Portfolio impact its current status against top-ranked and process at the end of Plan Year 5 (i.e. ecosystems globally, and help shape those Summer 2025); and public policy measures – housing, transport, › A second evaluation of Portfolio impact innovation. skills/education etc – which and process at the end of Plan Year 8 (i.e. are central to an ecosystem’s growth. The Summer 2028), to assess formally how study will result in sets of metrics which the forthcoming 10 years of Plan activity will enable Oxfordshire as a whole to track (from 2030 through to 2040) should be progress against its aspiration to be a ‘top best designed and configured. This review three global innovation ecosystem by 2040’. will be vital in driving early preparatory We anticipate this study will attract interest work on those major land/property from Research England and Government and infrastructure schemes, which we in providing an important empirical anticipate will be critical elements of the analysis to deepen understanding of the Plan’s 2030-2040 period. vital ingredients necessary for innovation ecosystems growth. As such, we will be In line with best practice, we will earmark interested in exploring joint commission up to 1.5 percent of the cost of each project opportunities with them and other partners in this Plan (to an agreed cap) to support to take forward this exciting initiative. the costs of these evaluation activities. This resource will ensure that evaluation activity
65 Oxfordshire’s Local Industrial Strategy: The Investment Plan
5. Ready Now to Deliver at Pace
In times of the uncertainty created by COVID-19, the challenges of climate change, and the new chapter forged for our country as we leave the European Union, it is vital for leaders to step forward and show ambition and vision. Oxfordshire partners recognise their responsibilities, not only to our local communities, but also the leadership role we have within the UK economy.
This Investment Plan has set the pathway Equally, it needs a ‘new deal’ and an to Oxfordshire’s ambition to be a ‘top three ambitious working relationship with global innovation ecosystem by 2040’. It sets Government and its agencies to co-work out a clear projection of where we wish to with Oxfordshire in framing distinct policies be, and the interventions we are proposing and interventions which unlock the energy to power us on this journey. of our place, the vibrancy of our innovators, and the entrepreneurial spirit of our We are determined to move at pace, and communities . We are open fully to piloting use the levers and powers available across new approaches and to live with managed Oxfordshire for the accelerated delivery of risk to drive innovation and prosperity for proposals – investment ready and designed our County and more widely. Similarly, to hit the ground running – which will deliver we are looking to business to play a still real, tangible economic benefits across stronger and more active role in vital areas the County and UK. We are committed such as skills development and by investing to pursuing a collaborative and proactive in Oxfordshire’s most precious and natural approach, which will be focused on solutions, talent – its young people, its dynamic hungry for innovate, and committed to new workforce, and resilient communities – to ways of thinking. And we are ready to work ensure that they have a prosperous stake in with investors to build and progress those the future economy we will create. strategic business relationships and projects which will deliver on everyones’ aspirations for success. Whilst these are vital ingredients, we know that alone these will not be enough. Further public funding and investment are crucial, this in the sure knowledge that these will provide in Oxfordshire the catalysing effect in leveraging significant private sector activity and unlock further investment into our country.
66 5. Ready Now to Deliver at Pace
Case Study: Oxford Quantum Circuits leaves, at room temperature and with (OQC) – how Oxfordshire is supporting 100% efficiency, can now be modelled and the next generation of innovation reproduced to support the rapid growth of leaders to solve the unsolvable human populations, with a positive impact on the world. Quantum computing is delivering a paradigm shift in computer architectures, The firm has already delivered the UK’s equivalent to ‘moving from a candle to most advanced quantum computer, which the lightbulb.’ It employs new physics is now available commercially. Next year principles and novel ways for hardware will see the launch of OQC’s wider service to interact with data with applications offer and the opening of new labs, with an ranging from drug discovery to materials expanded team to accelerate R&D around design. quantum computing. A Series-A funding round is expected to close by the end of OQC is one of a number pioneering the year. start-ups in Oxfordshire’s innovation ecosystem which is focused on harnessing OQC is thriving by being located in a the transformative power of quantum dynamic business environment, which technology. The business’ vision is to put has the potential to nurture innovators the quantum in the hands of humanity and entrepreneurs and attract further to solve the world’s most pressing global talent into the UK. As its visionary challenges, including addressing new Founding CEO, Illana Wisby says: ‘We are ways to accelerate responses to climate supporting a growing ecosystem in a way change, accelerating diagnostics and drug that’s quite unique… and we understand discovery in healthcare, and creating that it’s better to be collaborating and applications for artificial intelligence which working together – you don’t always get can be deployed for societal benefit. that in other places. There’s so much What were previously mysteries, like the momentum that’s waiting to be unlocked.’ production of man-made fertilisers from
67 Oxfordshire’s Local Industrial Strategy: The Investment Plan
This Investment Plan has been shaped by We urge you now to Oxfordshire partners who are organised, aligned with our vision, and excited to seize the opportunity in collaborate (see Figure 5 1). It provides investors, business leaders and Government working with us to build with the confidence needed to plan and our new future. invest, and see the opportunities they have across the region and to work with Oxfordshire partners to achieve lasting impact and return on investment.
Figure 5.1: Partners to this Plan (non-exhaustive)
Source: OxLEP, 2020
68 5. Ready Now to Deliver at Pace
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