2021: a year in tech and what’s coming in 2022? Tim Robinson, CEO of Tech East looks back at the tech business year, and makes some predictions for the year to come
What does Levelling Up mean for this region? We end the year with a political concern about what exactly ‘Levelling Up’ means for this region. There is uncertainty over local structures (LEPs are under review) and the new Shared Prosperity Fund which replaces EU structural funding is not yet live. Looking ahead into 2022
2021 has been a year of significant progress in the East of England tech ecosystem. Tech businesses have mostly thrived despite Covid, and many have recorded significant wins in terms of growth, finance and international expansion. While big stories like Facebook’s plans for Meta and the IPO of Cambridge- based cybersecurity specialists Darktrace have dominated the press, there are many success stories closer to home. Tech East has a strategic partnership with Scrutton Bland and together we are helping startups and scaleups grow and succeed. Major trends Back in May, Tech East published a report entitled 12 Clusters of Tech which highlighted many of the unique features of the region and selected three hot technology areas where the East excels: AI, Net Zero and Healthtech. Two months later the government published its Innovation Strategy which chimed well with our view. There are significant opportunities for the UK and our region in AI, Quantum Computing, 5G, Bioinformatics, Robotics and Net Zero and we’ll be building on these in 2022. Challenges and concerns The skills gap remains a concern, with digital skills increasingly underpinning businesses and organisations of all kinds post Covid. The good news is that there are lots of positive initiatives including four shiny new skills centres in Ipswich/Martlesham and in Norwich, including the new Digitech Centre at Adastral Park.
Here are a few predictions:
Tim Robinson
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Following COP26 the tech sector will really start to engage with the Net Zero agenda, building on local successes like Liftshare, Mobilityways, EO Charging and Spark EV Technology. I expect the convergence of the Offshore Wind sector with digital, data and AI to be a major breeding ground for innovation. More research will emerge on the lack of major VC funding outside London and hopefully government will work with private equity firms to address this. On skills, we’ll learn whether Suffolk and Norfolk will get an Institute of Technology to drive technical and vocational skills. New hubs will progress, including a new innovation hub for Ipswich, building on the early successes around the waterfront and University.
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Freeport East (focused on Felixstowe and Harwich but stretching to Stowmarket) will move forward and start to unlock investment, skills and innovation in the ports, logistics and manufacturing sectors. There will be a greater focus on increasing diversity, inclusion and neglected coastal towns, enabling digital to play its role across these essential themes. The Ox-Cam arc will move ahead with more pace, providing better links with Oxford and Milton Keynes. And finally we’ll learn whether Suffolk gets the green light for the gigantic infrastructure Sizewell C. If so, digital innovation and digital skills will be fundamentally important for that project over the next decade.
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So lots happening, lots to come. These are exiting times.
T E C H B U S I N E S S | S C R U T T O N B L A N D | 3
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