OxLEP Q&A event: How can Oxfordshire businesses make an impact – nationally and internationally – by embracing innovation?
Oxfordshire is now moving into a period of significant growth, with key work set to begin in developing a Local Industrial Strategy (one of just three government-backed trailblazers), the £215m Housing and Growth Deal and the emerging ‘Oxford-Cambridge Corridor’.
As well as having one of the strongest economies in UK, Oxfordshire is globally-competitive across many key sectors – such as automotive, life sciences, space technologies and electronics and sensors.
Meanwhile, the Oxfordshire Transformative Technologies Alliance’s science and innovation reportsays that the county can support the UK to become a ‘global leader’ through digital health, space-led data applications, autonomous vehicles and technologies underpinning quantum computing. If fully-utilised, the four technologies could be worth in the region of £180billion to the UK economy by 2030.
Following the success of our two previous Q&A events for the Oxfordshire business community - a third, quarterly Q&A event will be held at the Kassam Stadium on Tuesday 10 July, centred around OxLEP's 'Enterprise' priority.
Business leaders from across the county will discuss why innovation-led growth is key to success in Oxfordshire and how 'UK PLC' can utilise the county's key innovative assets.
Oxfordshire is home to the internationally-renowned and government-backed enterprise zone, Science Vale UK, as well as boasting world-class research and development sites including; Harwell Campus, Culham Science Centre and Milton Park.
The focus of the Q&A event will be around the question, 'How can Oxfordshire businesses make an impact – nationally and internationally – by embracing innovation?' and will be debated by the following panel:
- Nigel Tipple: Chief Executive, OxLEP
- Ian Nash: Area Director, Business Banking, HSBC
- Emma Jones MBE: Founder, Enterprise Nation
- Dr Matt Perkins: CEO, Oxford University Innovation
Further panel members to be announced soon.
We are also pleased to announce that – in addition to our regular Q&A session on 10 July – colleagues from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) will be holding a ‘Voice your views to government’ session for Oxfordshire small businesses.
This is the chance for businesses to discuss with BEIS representatives some of the key issues facing SMEs today, including; business support options, productivity, Brexit and local issues affecting business performance.
The session is open to Oxfordshire-based SMEs attending our main Q&A event – it will run from approximately 10.15am to 12.15pm, following the main Q&A.
There is a maximum of 15 spaces available for this session which will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
To register your interest in attending this BEIS event, please email Rob Panting – Communications Manager at OxLEP – via: [email protected]. We will confirm your space on the ‘Voice your views to government’ session by Thursday 5 July.
Event details are as follows:
- 8am: Registration and breakfast refreshments
- 8.30am: Q&A event begins
- 10am: Q&A event closes
- 10.15am: BEIS' 'Voice your views to government' session begins
- 12.15pm: BEIS' 'Voice your views to government' session closes
This is a free event, though places are limited.
We look forward to welcoming you.