The University of Warwick has announced a new partnership with Tech West Mids (Tech WM), a not-for-profit organisation that aims to help tech businesses and entrepreneurs in the region go global.

Warwick, as the founding academic patron of Tech WM, formerly Birmingham Tech, hosted the launch of a new ‘West Midlands Tech Review Report’ on campus this week, showing that the West Midlands tech industry is now worth over £15 billion.

The report aims to help academia, businesses and industry work together better to further drive the West Midlands’ emerging market in cutting edge technology.

Findings of the report include a survey of decision makers at leading tech companies, which found that 85% feel that the West Midlands is currently a good place to start and grow a technology business, with 79% believing that the region’s tech scene will grow rapidly in the next five years.

Growth strategy, cross network collaboration, connectivity (both online, in the form of 5G coverage, and logistically in the form of transport connections), and a large and diverse talent pool are all cited as key strengths for the region.

The University has also joined the Tech WM Digital Advisory Group, with a role to provide advice on opportunities for economic growth and collaboration between academia and business.

                 We were delighted to host the West Midlands Tech Review here at Warwick, which welcomed some of the region’s leading innovators, businesses and authorities. The event celebrated our thriving tech sector and established the next steps needed to help the West Midlands become a global destination for tech jobs, ventures and investment.

    As founding academic patron of Tech West Mids, Warwick is uniquely placed to support growth and collaboration across the region’s tech sector.

    We look forward to applying our capabilities in translating skills into entrepreneurship to strengthen tech partnerships in the region. The findings of the new West Midlands Tech Review Report will galvanise the next steps to drive collaboration and growth throughout our West Midlands’ tech ecosystem.

    Professor Stuart Croft, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Warwick

    Photo: Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands – Yiannis Maos MBE, Founder & CEO of Tech WM – Martin Ward, West Midlands Tech Commissioner – David Plumb, Chief Innovation Officer, University of Warwick – Professor Stuart Croft, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Warwick.

                 With 144,000 people working in West Midlands tech roles, and a 31% surge in hiring into the West Midlands tech industry in 2022, now is the perfect time to build on this momentum.

    Launching in 2020, our Warwick Innovation District (WID) has been connecting academics, students, funders, and businesses to help commercialise research and launch ventures in the region, supporting Warwick businesses in raising over £100m in start-up and SME funding, and starting or supporting over 700 businesses.

    We are combining research, teaching excellence and skills with digital and technology entrepreneurship to create lasting impact across sectors such as manufacturing, energy, healthcare and gaming.

    These latest initiatives, including our role as founding academic patron of Tech West Mids, will give us a great platform to build on these successes and continue to champion the West Midlands in tech.

    David Plumb, Chief Innovation Officer, University of Warwick

    Catch the highlights from the launch event below:

    Notes:

    Tech West Mids (TechWM) – formerly Birmingham Tech – is a not-for-profit community initiative (CIC) that aims to raise the profile of the West Midlands tech sector and help local businesses go global. Through a number of carefully crafted scale-up initiatives, cross-network collaboration, and original content, Tech West Mids helps tech and digital businesses successfully scale by providing them with valuable knowledge, insight, and support.

    Since its inception in 2019, the organisation has helped businesses raise over £100 million and inspired thousands of people to get into the tech sector. It has also become known for its most popular showcase event, Birmingham Tech Week – the UK’s largest regional tech event.

    TechWM works with over 50 national and regional partners across the ecosystem, including the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT); techUK; West Midlands Combined Authority; and the UK Tech Cluster Group (UKTCG), to name a few.

    In 2023, the organisation underwent a rebrand from Birmingham Tech to TechWM, with a view to build a stronger, more resilient economic future for the region as a whole. TechWM aims to achieve this goal by working to its core values:

    • Encouraging and fostering collaboration across all sectors
    • Inspiring people from all walks of life to get into the tech sector.

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