Gordon Brown has called for Britain to make innovation the centre of its economic strategy, arguing that stronger support for research, startups and regional technology clusters could make the economy £100bn larger over 10 years. The accompanying estimate says the approach could generate an additional £35bn in annual tax revenue, create up to three million jobs and leave each person £5,000 better off. Those figures are projections, not guaranteed outcomes.
Brown made the case at the Innovation Nation Summit in Manchester, where he highlighted Britain’s research base and its capacity in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, biology, energy and advanced manufacturing.
Research prepared for the summit identified 127 innovation clusters across every UK region and nation. The proposal is to give these areas sustained support for infrastructure, skills and research and development, while devolving more power so regional authorities and mayors can shape local growth and connect companies to international markets. Brown also argued that young people in lower-income communities need greater access to the opportunities created by Britain’s science and technology economy.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham used the summit to set a national goal of making the UK the world’s leading innovation nation.
The government plans to connect regional clusters through partnerships beginning with the Northern Growth Corridor and the Oxford-to-Cambridge corridor, including cooperation in life sciences, digital technology and advanced manufacturing. It said the aim is to help more ideas move from universities and laboratories into companies, products and skilled jobs in Britain rather than being developed or scaled elsewhere.
The summit’s wider framework calls for innovation to spread beyond laboratories and high-growth startups, for promising firms to find the finance and talent needed to scale, and for national and local institutions to focus on delivering measurable economic results. The government’s measures are the first announced steps in that programme; the projected gains depend on whether the proposed funding, devolution and business support translate into sustained commercial growth across the country.