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Statement from the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation, and Technology, Michelle Donelan, on the Innovation Clusters Map.

We are a nation bursting with innovation. From space in Scotland to net zero in the North East, and from advanced manufacturing in the Midlands to life sciences in the South, the UK is home to some of the world’s most exciting and cutting-edge clusters. These roaring engines of productivity and growth are helping to tackle global challenges and secure our future resilience and security.

Enabling these clusters to reach their potential is essential to delivering our ambition to make the UK the most innovative economy in the world. My vision is for world-class and globally leading clusters of innovation to exist across the UK as nexuses of opportunity and growth – places where innovative businesses thrive, local people have high-quality jobs, and the public and private sector work together to create a more sustainable, resilient, productive and innovation-led economy.

My department is already providing a range of support – including our flagship Innovation Accelerators and Launchpads – to help make this vision a reality.

The Innovation Clusters Map is the next step forward. It is the most comprehensive picture to date of firm-level innovation activity in the UK and will help policymakers, investors and many more besides to better understand, engage with and invest in the UK’s ecosystem.

In doing so, the map will play a vital role in supporting my 3 goals for clusters:

• Increase private investment in innovation clusters significantly, building on substantial public investment, and anchored in clusters’ unique strengths.
• Ensure clusters can expertly communicate their investible propositions to investors and have access to the right support to take these to fruition.
• Ensure people across the UK benefit from the innovation-led economy, by creating high-skilled jobs and prosperity across its innovation clusters.

The public and private sector will need to work in partnership to achieve this, but together I know we can realise this vision.

• See the Innovation Clusters Map
• Read the methodology report