Response to Lord Heseltine’s Report ‘No stone left unturned in pursuit of growth’
By commissioning Lord Heseltine’s report, this Government has sought fresh thinking on how to drive economic growth – a visionary step that I welcome and support. And it is great to see the results of that report recognising the huge potential of regional innovation hubs to spearhead our economic recovery, and the need for investment in infrastructure to bring these hubs together. [read more]
The launch of Cambridge2U as part of Silicon Valley Comes to the UK
Cambridge is a super city. Officially. In a recent HSBC Commercial Banking report, Cambridge reached the rank of “supercity” on account of it being a hub of innovation that is set to lead the UK’s economic recovery and tap into emerging global markets. The Cambridge cluster currently comprises 1,400 high-tech companies, employs 53,000 people and earns more than £13bn in revenue annually. It is also the home of ten different billion dollar companies, including many in the life-science sector. The Cambridge cluster clearly beats at the centre of a rich ecosystem of entrepreneurs, businesses and investors. [read more]
George’s presentation ‘Strategy for UK Life Sciences’
George’s presentation from today’s Westminster Business Forum and Westminster Health Forum.
Download | Strategy for UK Life Sciences presentation [read more]
New institute in Norfolk to put the UK at the forefront of diet-dependent disease research
The UK is currently facing a significant challenge to its health and wealth. With an ageing population and stalled economic growth, the UK urgently needs to find innovative solutions for improving healthcare whilst generating employment and investment opportunities. It is my belief that the life science sector is ideally placed to meet these challenges and that East Anglia and in particular the Norwich Research Park (NRP) in Norfolk, will play a central role. [read more]
Putting the + into Plan A+: How a Conservative Industrial Policy can help the Eastern Region lead a sustainable economic recovery
At what promises to be a politically charged conference next week with some big debates about growth, infrastructure, tax and spending cuts, I thought you might be interested to see the fringe meetings I’m doing on a Conservative Industrial Policy for a sustainable economic recovery. I’m speaking at 10 fringe meetings – list below – stressing 3 key points: [read more]
Trade mission to Sweden: promoting the UK's Life Science Strategy
In order to trade our way out of this debt crisis and balance the books, the UK needs to find something it can sell. With a rich history of success in scientific research, from Nobel Prize winners to innovative new materials, I believe that it is the UK's life science sector that will play a key role in paving the way to our economic recovery by developing and exporting the products and services that the rest of the world needs; from the continued provision of medicine, to food, to energy. [read more]
How Life Sciences can help drive a sustainable UK recovery
What are we going to sell to trade our way out of this debt crisis? To unlock a sustainable UK economic recovery, we have to sell things the world actually needs. To unlock the confidence and sustainable economic growth we so badly need we need to gear our export and trade less towards the sclerotic Eurozone and more towards the fastest growing emerging nations of the world. The economies of the 'BRIC+' countries identified by Jim O'Neil at Goldman Sachs are growing at c7% per annum. That’s almost doubling over 10 years. [read more]