Parliament showcases innovation in Oxfordshire
Leading figures from Oxfordshire’s high-tech businesses, innovation hubs and research organisations joined councillors and parliamentarians at an innovation showcase in Westminster last week.
The event on 20 November was organised by Oxfordshire County Council and Advanced Oxford to discuss the opportunities within the county’s innovation economy.
It highlighted the county’s thriving advanced manufacturing sector and the urgent need for better countywide infrastructure to support growth.
Speakers from Harwell Science Park, BMW-Mini, Tokamak Energy and Polar Technology emphasised that their businesses cannot scale without investment in supporting infrastructure.
Inaccessibility to the national grid due to the lack of local substations prevents such businesses harnessing the power they need to deliver new innovative technologies, such as Tokamak Energy’s nuclear fusion magnets.
In addition, these businesses require good transport links to deliver raw materials and provide travel routes for their workforce.
Olly Glover, the Member of Parliament for Didcot and Wantage, who hosted the event, said: “I was really pleased to welcome businesses and organisations from across Oxfordshire to the House of Commons to champion advanced manufacturing and highlight our incredible and rapidly expanding community of high-tech companies and scientific innovators.
“Advanced manufacturing underpins many sectors, transport for example. Transport innovation is impossible without those who design and build the components that make it real.
“But innovation cannot thrive without the right infrastructure. Businesses in my constituency repeatedly say that, despite being at the cutting edge of science, their progress is held back by funding hurdles and infrastructure gaps, such as long delays in connecting to the national grid or recruitment of skilled staff who cannot afford to live in Oxfordshire.
“If Oxfordshire is to continue leading in innovation, we must provide its innovators with the support they deserve; reliable infrastructure, skills development, affordable homes for employees, and investment that matches their ambition.”
Councillor Liz Leffman, Leader of Oxfordshire County Council, said: “I was pleased to welcome businesses from across Oxfordshire to the second Oxfordshire Innovation Showcase in Parliament. Oxfordshire is a true place of opportunity, with the ‘Knowledge Spine’ – a strategic corridor linking Bicester, Oxford, and the Science Vale – at the heart of the county’s innovation ecosystem.
“Oxfordshire is one of the UK’s most productive and dynamic economic regions, but we must create the right conditions for opportunity to be accessible to all. Currently, both new homes and business expansion in Oxfordshire are constrained by limited grid connections.
“Accelerating the construction of grid supply points within the county would create further capacity and further realise the county’s potential. This is why we are working closely with partners to remove these barriers to inclusive, countywide growth.
“Oxfordshire’s economy is ranked fifth globally for science and technology intensity. However, it is essential that vital infrastructure – grid connections, roads, railways, homes – keep pace with this growth. Such investment needs clear leadership and a countywide approach to deliver the scale of growth our fantastic businesses need.”
Sarah Haywood, CEO of Advanced Oxford, said: “Advanced Oxford is pleased to be working with Oxfordshire County Council to take Oxfordshire’s story to Parliament, and to showcase the fantastic innovation which is taking place across our region. Our speakers – all drawn from companies that are at the cutting edge of manufacturing – gave insightful presentations, setting out the opportunities, but also the challenges that they face.
“The region is known for its strengths in R&D, but we have fantastic companies working at the interface of development with manufacturing, applying cutting edge technology and manufacturing techniques. We need to support these companies to scale and contribute fully to the growth of our economy.
“The Parliamentary reception demonstrated how business and local government are united in calling for continued support and investment into our region, particularly in key utilities such as electricity and grid connectivity.”
The showcase brought together voices from every corner of the county to call for government support and investment to help unlock the potential of Oxfordshire’s innovation economy.
The clear message from the event was that Oxfordshire’s world-class businesses need reliable power, improved transport links and affordable homes to continue creating jobs and enable the region to thrive and deliver on the government’s ambitions for the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor.
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