Image above (courtesy of Department of International Trade): Nigel Tipple of OxLEP, Minister Freer and Barbara Ghinelli of Harwell Campus.
The Government Minister, responsible for overseeing UK exports, yesterday (7 February) visited one of the world’s leading science parks based in Oxfordshire to further-understand the county’s innovation successes.
Mike Freer MP, the Department for International Trade’s Minister for Exports, travelled to Harwell Campus to visit Oxford Space Systems and meet with representatives from OxLEP, the Satellite Applications Catapult, Harwell space sector companies Lockheed Martin and Open Cosmos, Abingdon based Zircotec, as well as key figures from the Campus itself.
During the visit, Mr Freer discussed global exporting opportunities, in particular, supporting exports and investment into the UK’s space sector – an area which Harwell Campus has particular expertise, thanks to it being the home of the largest space cluster in Western Europe.
He also experienced at first-hand one of the Campus’ recent innovative additions, a fully-autonomous passenger shuttle service currently being trialled on the site.
The Minister’s visit complements one of the long-standing priorities for OxLEP, highlighting the investment opportunities available in the county across key, world-leading sectors.
Prior to the pandemic, OxLEP held a number of high-profile House of Commons economic briefings highlighting some of Oxfordshire’s world-leading transformative technologies including; space and satellites, quantum computing and connected and autonomous vehicles.
The briefings created significant awareness and helped to establish new relationships with a variety of groups, including Westminster representatives, foreign embassies, trade envoys and private sector business leaders.
During Monday’s visit, Mr Freer also met with OxLEP chief executive Nigel Tipple who highlighted to the Minister OxLEP’s role in steering inward investment opportunities in Oxfordshire, supporting the UK’s ambition for a post-COVID-19 and post-Brexit economy.
OxLEP lead on a county-backed internationalisation plan for Oxfordshire through to 2025 which aims to secure £1.5bn of outside of county investment and capital investment.
The plan also hopes to spearhead the creation and safeguarding of 2,650 jobs in Oxfordshire and supporting 235 businesses to invest and export by the end of 2025.
Minister Freer’s visit comes a week after the Levelling-Up White Paper announcement from Michael Gove MP, in which the role of LEPs – in the context of supporting regional economic growth – became embedded in policy agenda, setting the course of future relationships with Government, local government and the private sector.
Minister for Exports Mike Freer said: “The UK is a global science superpower thanks to businesses like those in and around the OxLEP partnership. It’s great to see their dynamism and innovation that helps the region to grow and thrive.
“Exporting their technology around the world, and securing valuable investment, shows how trade can level up every part of the UK and I look forward to seeing further success come out of the region in the years to come.”
Nigel Tipple added: “We were delighted to welcome Mr Freer to Harwell Campus, showcasing to him the incredible, globally-significant science and innovation-led advances being shaped and developed here in Oxfordshire.
“With unrivalled strengths and ambition in sectors such as; space, automotive and energy-related activity such as fusion, Oxfordshire offers opportunities appealing to an international audience and within the context of a post-pandemic economy.
“More widely, the visit has provided an excellent opportunity to build even stronger ties with Government and demonstrate how OxLEP has a long-term commitment to highlighting and supporting investment opportunities for Oxfordshire – particularly important following the recent publication of the Levelling Up White Paper.”
The Minister’s visit also follows recent OxLEP-led engagement with the Department for International Trade at the end of 2021.
Several representatives from the Department visited multiple locations in the county last November, alongside OxLEP’s official COP26 event that highlighted how – with the right level of investment – Oxfordshire’s energy sector had the capabilities to drive forward a zero-carbon future globally.
