Government minister Lord Patrick Vallance meets business leaders at Cranfield University to discuss the plans for the the Oxford-Cambridge growth corridor.
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THE VISION for the Oxford-Cambridge growth corridor, with Milton Keynes and Bedford at its heart, came under scrutiny at a round table discussion involving business leaders, academics, local authorities and Lord Patrick Vallance, the government’s Science Minister and Oxford-Cambridge Innovation Champion.
Lord Vallance set out the government’s vision and priorities for the Oxford-Cambridge corridor at the meeting, hosted by Cranfield University, and heard from leaders and key regional voices about the co-ordinated actions required to drive investment and build growth. The discussion also covered the biggest areas of innovation potential, connectivity and infrastructure in the region.
“Joining the dots between hotbeds of innovation like Cranfield University and the wealth of academic, business and investment opportunities across the Oxford-Cambridge Corridor will unleash this region’s potential to create jobs and deliver growth, supporting our Plan for Change,” said Lord Vallance.
Represented at the discussion, chaired by Cranfield University’s chief executive and vice-chancellor Professor Dame Karen Holford, were leading local businesses including Nissan, Lockheed Martin, Airbus, Marshall Aerospace, London Luton Airport and Red Bull Advanced Technologies. They were joined by ARC Universities Group representatives and senior council executives.
“The Oxford-Cambridge corridor has enormous potential to drive economic growth across the UK,” said Dame Karen. “At the moment our region contributes over £40 billion to the UK economy, with the potential to add a further £78 billion by 2035. But we need to accelerate the translation of innovative research into commercial products and the development of key skills, with universities having a key role to play.
“The clusters of knowledge that we have across the Oxford-Cambridge corridor have enormous potential and I am really pleased the government is recognising this and engaging so directly to support our huge ambitions.”
On his visit to Cranfield, Lord Vallance officially opened the new ASTRA Lab space robotics facility, which simulates orbital conditions for space robotics, and toured Cranfield’s Aerospace Integration Research Centre.
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