Glasgow City Region has been selected as one of three pilot areas across the UK to share £100 million funding for a new innovation and research accelerator, part of the UK Government’s Levelling Up plans.
Taken forward as a Regional project, the Innovation Accelerator will build on progress made in recent years, including our three emerging world-class Innovation Districts and help take our innovation economy to the next level, leveraging in substantial private sector investment on the back of public sector funding.
In the last five years Glasgow has consistently ranked in the top 20% of the Top 100 most innovative cities in the world and is ranked second in the UK behind London as an emerging tech destination.
The Innovation Accelerator funding will catalyse much greater investment, to build on the assets we have and to create high value jobs across the whole Region.
To develop the business case for investment, an Innovation Partnership has been established, led by the private sector, and including our universities, research institutions and government. The Partnership has endorsed a number of key sectors to be included in the Region’s final submission, and agreed an initial long-list of projects submitted.
Partners have continued to work on refining the project proposals and in particular to seek further opportunities to drive collaboration and potential integration of the current project longlist.
The Innovation Accelerator programme complements the vision set out in the Glasgow City Region Economic Strategy for Glasgow City Region to be most innovative, inclusive and resilient economy in the UK by 2030.
