In November 2024, more than 60 people attended the Department for Business & Trade (DBT), Technology Investment team visit to the Greater Brighton region, including 10 senior officers from DBT.  The Tech Investment team work with international technology companies to set up and grow their presence in the UK. Their visit aimed to understand and convey why Greater Brighton is an ideal location for technology businesses.

The Greater Brighton Economic Board and DBT officers pose for a group photo, standing in two rows.

The University of Sussex hosted the first day, featuring a series of speakers and a visit to the Quantum lab at the Sussex Centre for Quantum Technologies (SCQT). The second day focused on visiting various businesses in the region.

So why is Greater Brighton a great place for technology businesses?

Proven Success

Greater Brighton is a leading base for businesses in the professional, scientific, and technical activities sector, with international employers such as American Express, Roche Diagnostics, Doosan, and Tokyo Electron.

Ralph Gilbert, CEO led a tour of Focus Group Shoreham Headquarters, a tech provider recently valued at $1 billion. Mark Bullen, MD showcased GB Electronics, an advanced manufacturing firm, one of the growth-driving sectors identified in Invest 2035. 

Professor Winfried Hensinger, Director of SCQT and Cofounder, Chairman, and Chief Scientist of Universal Quantum, highlighted the region’s leadership in quantum computing. The region has launched a doctoral training centre and successful spin outs, such as Universal Quantum which secured a €67M contract from the German Space Agency. This demonstrates that, with the right support, the region can help the UK develop a formidable and world-class quantum computing sector.

Growth Infrastructure

Greater Brighton boasts the largest business district in Southeast England with Manor Royal providing 9,000,000 square feet of commercial floor space and home to over 600 businesses generating 30,000 jobs. The region has higher proportions of premises with 5G, fibre, and gigabit-capable connectivity than the UK average.

Kathryn Hall, Mid Sussex Council’s Chief Executive, presented an overview of Burgess Hill’s Science and Technology Park, a 48 ha site with 100,000sqm of employment floorspace unlocking more than 5,000 new jobs, which is under development within a larger growth area delivering 3,500 new homes, roads and sustainable travel infrastructure. This emphasised the significant growth being delivered in Greater Brighton, alongside local facilities, services and its gigabit connectivity.

During the visit, a panel of speakers was hosted from the comprehensive ecosystem supporting technology businesses to establish and grow in the region – including:

The DBT team highlighted that 91% of potential GVA (over £320m) for the South East Foreign Direct Investment pipeline comes from Data Centre projects. Complimenting this, a Q&A session on data centres featured Matt Bagwell, CMO from Deep Green, and Peter Hutchinson, Data Centre Campus Manager from Digital Realty, shedding more light on the sector’s opportunities and challenges. 

Academic Excellence

Home to 3 universities and a forward-thinking Further Education sector that fosters creativity and innovation. The region boasts one of the highest proportions of startups per capita in the UK (5,025 business births in the region in 2022 vs a UK average of 4,951) and a strong job market in creative industries with the sector job count increasing by 30% from 2015 to 2022 in Brighton & Hove, a higher rate than jobs across the economy as a whole.

Quality of Life

Greater Brighton attracts and retains talent with its draw of outstanding natural beauty, the sea, a UNESCO biosphere and a vibrant cultural scene.

Connectivity

The region’s prime location includes proximity to London, a direct rail link to Cambridge, maritime links to European ports, Gatwick Airport’s extensive destinations, and a leading EV charging network.

Results of the visit

As a result of the visit there are already several lines of action in progress with government departments to help realise the growth potential of the quantum sector in the region and Burgess Hill Science and Technology Park. The DBT officers were impressed by the visit and provided the following feedback:

“I’ve been doing these local area familiarisation tours for over 10 years, and I don’t think we’ve ever met with such a large or wide array of local partners and stakeholders. It was a great opportunity for us to meet with senior representatives of the universities, key research leads, business support organisations and local authorities (including political leaders and Chief Executives) etc.”

Representative from the DBT Tech Investment team

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