A new chair has been appointed to head up the UK Tech Cluster Group (UKTCG) to continue to support regional tech eco-systems as we begin the post-pandemic recovery.  

Katie Gallagher was nominated to take over the role from Dr David Dunn, CEO of Sunderland Software City, after four years at the helm. 

Katie has been the Managing Director of Manchester Digital for 10 years and was a founding board member of the UK Tech Cluster Group when it was set up in 2018. She has worked closely with the organisation and other bodies to champion the tech and digital industry across all of the UK regions. 

She said: “I’m thrilled to be voted as the chair and pick up the excellent work began by David. We launched in 2018 to share crucial insights, affect policy change and, importantly, provide a single voice for tech organisations across the UK regions. 

“Moving forwards, we are pleased to continue working together at a grassroots level to share connections and best practice across the different regions, as well as being part of the Levelling Up conversation.  

“Overcoming the lack of talent, increasing sector collaboration and driving R&D activity are all areas we know that our industry wants us to focus on. In addition to this, we have seen a decline in early-stage start-ups and need to reinvigorate that pipeline and ensure the right support gets to the right people within the tech industry. 

“Lastly, I’d like to thank David for his huge amounts of hard work over the past four years and I look forward to continue to work alongside him as part of the cluster group.”

Dr David Dunn said: “I’m delighted to see Katie take over the reins as chairperson for the UK Tech Cluster Group. We’ve made huge progress in creating a forum where regional tech organisations can work together for the greater good, as well as supporting each other, and I know that Katie will continue on this trajectory.” 

The UK Tech Cluster Group was founded to bring together tech organisations who understand local ecosystems and share learning of how best to support tech growth across the UK.

The UKTCG works closely with government departments to provide regional intelligence, influence national policy changes and share their on-the-ground insights into the widely varying UK regions. 

The group meets regularly to discuss current trends around the tech industry, share best practice and build stronger regional economies. 

In our eighth roundtable session as part of the national Recovery Roadmap program, the group discussed how Women are underrepresented in tech — a recent poll said only 8% of women hold tech roles as software engineers. A diverse workforce makes better businesses; how do we work better to support marginalised talent to step up and lead in the public & private sector? What role does technology play in improving our businesses and organisations?

We are significantly pushing women out. We are already falling behind in terms of skills and making progress in this space. If you look at the data around women in STEM, the progress we’ve been making on getting young women into STEM is 0.25% each year, for the past four years. So in four years, we’ve increased the number of women in STEM by 1%.

Zara Nanu, Global Future Council at World Economic Forum, CEO at Gapsquare

Watch the roundtable discussion

In the UKTCG’s third roundtable event, a panel of experts explore how digital skills and capabilities will be essential in the new normal enabling the UK’s economic recovery.

1. Ben Shorrock, Managing Director TechSPARK, UKTCG Steering Board
2. Sarah Fry, Research & Development, TechnologyOne
3. Zara Nanu, Global Future Council at World Economic Forum, CEO at Gapsquare
4. Marina Traversari, Global Head of Startup Ecosystem, Telecom Infra Project
5. Katie Gallagher, MD, Manchester Director, Director Digital Her
6. Lucy Paine, Director, Tech Swindon
7. Jess Philips, Enterprise Innovation Manager, Tramshed Tech

In our seventh  roundtable session as part of the national Recovery Roadmap program, the group discussed how stakeholders from across government, local authorities, and enterprise partnerships help us to create awareness of the jobs available in the tech sector and to undertake positive action to reskill people to fill these roles.

We  do lots of research, but also,  part of the purpose of our pilots will be gathering further information about skills need. These projects are quite short, a year or 18 months, so we’ll have good needs information from business and better be  able to identify the plans for bigger programmes. Alongside this we have skills boards made up of industry leaders in different sectors advising us.

Jane Vivian People and Skills Programme Manager, West of England Combined Authority

Watch the roundtable discussion

In the UKTCG’s third roundtable event, a panel of experts explore how digital skills and capabilities will be essential in the new normal enabling the UK’s economic recovery.

1. Ben Shorrock, Managing Director TechSPARK, UKTCG Steering Board 
2. Jonathan Williamson, SaaS Platform Director, TechnologyOne 
3.  Scott Murphy, Managing Director, HdE TALENT 
4. Robert Walker, Strategic Project Manager Digital Skills for Employability, Sheffield City Council 
5. Rob Dawson, Enterprise Officer, Bath & North East Somerset Council 
6. Caitlin Davies  Senior Manager Economy Skills and Natural Resources, Welsh Government 
7. Jane Vivian, People and Skills Programme Manager, West of England Combined Authority

In our sixth roundtable session as part of the national Recovery Roadmap program, the group discussed how we best support the UK public and higher education sectors to better understand how digital technology can enable increased productivity and be equipped with the trial solutions and knowledge to show the potential return on investment.

Now, we can easily have conversations with anybody at any point across the country, which is really, really good. Although technically we could do that before, there’s been a real culture change and I hope we can take the best things going forward as we reenter the workspace next year. 

Ethan Wroe, Policy Support Officer at Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Watch the roundtable discussion

In the UKTCG’s third roundtable event, a panel of experts explore how digital skills and capabilities will be essential in the new normal enabling the UK’s economic recovery.

Attendees

1. Ben Shorrock, ​Managing Director TechSPARK, UKTCG Steering Board
2. Robert Walker​, Strategic Project Manager, Sheffield City Council
3. Jennifer Wells​, Knowledge Exchange Manager, University of Brighton
4. Emma Woodcock​, Chief Information Officer, Yorkshire St John University
5. Andrew Henley​, Co-I and Wales lead ESRC The Productivity Institute, Co-I ESRC Productivity Insights Network & Professor of Entrepreneurship and Economics at Cardiff University
6. Andy Salmon​, Vice Principal, Bath Spa University
7. James Bedford​, Digital Cluster Development Manager, Science & Technology Council
8. Mark Lockett​, Sales Director, TechnologyOne
9. Michael Veasey​, Economic Development Consultant, Essex County Council
10. Kate de Vries​, Economic Development Officer, Norfolk County Council

In our fifth roundtable session as part of the national Recovery Roadmap program, the group discussed what their experience of the coronavirus outbreak can tell us about the future role, priorities and shape of public services. The session focussed on four key areas: the integration of services; inequalities in access and outcome; the relationship between local and national services; and the role of civil society—the private sector, charities, volunteers and community groups—during coronavirus.

One thing I’ve noticed is it’s much harder to produce serendipity in innovation. A lot of our projects start from bumping into someone on the way to the train station or similar. We’re lucky living and working in Oxford.  Without those accidental moments it’s become harder and we have to work on it much more. 

Llewelyn Morgan, Head of Innovation, Oxfordshire County Council

Watch the roundtable discussion

In the UKTCG’s third roundtable event, a panel of experts explore how digital skills and capabilities will be essential in the new normal enabling the UK’s economic recovery.

1. Ben Shorrock, UK Tech Cluster Group Director
2. Ian Owen, General Manager Public Sector, TechnologyOne 
3. Claire Main, Economic Development Officer, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council
4. Rachel Burdis, Inward Investment Manager, Invest North East England 
5. Sarah Talbot, Head of Innovation, Swindon Borough Council 
6. David Henderson, Head of Transformation, Hargreaves Lansdown 
7. Llewelyn Morgan, Head of Innovation, Oxfordshire County Council 
8. Declan Murphy, Economic Development Projects Officer, Bristol City Council 
9.  Ethan Wroe, Policy Support Officer at Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Covid-19 has accelerated and amplified, digital transformation in universities. With universities shifting their entire workforce and ways of working from on-campus to home to enable remote teaching, it’s had a significant impact on student wellbeing, and with that, an unprecedented change in roles and responsibilities of the educator.

In this session, we discuss how technology providers, educators and stakeholders can closely work with institutions to combine technological innovation that delivers healthier and safer digital learning spaces.Covid-19 has accelerated and amplified, digital transformation in universities. With universities shifting their entire workforce and ways of working from on-campus to home to enable remote teaching, it’s had a significant impact on student wellbeing, and with that, an unprecedented change in roles and responsibilities of the educator.

We did a pulse survey and we found an enormous number of students, about 60% were, registering that they had some kind of digital poverty implications.

Jackie Potter, Professor of HE Learning, Oxford Brookes University

Watch the roundtable discussion

In the UKTCG’s forth roundtable event, a panel of experts gather higher education and university organisations to discuss best practises, solutions and strategies to develop better service provisions.

Panel speakers

1. Peter Nikoletatos, Education Industry Manager, TechnologyOne 
2. Ben Shorrock, UKTCG Steering Board
3. Jackie Potter, Professor of HE Learning, Oxford Brookes University 
4. James Gardiner, Associate of Innovation, University of East Anglia 
5. Laura Stevens, Centre Director, Future Space University West of England 
6. Siobain Hone, Graduate Enterprise Manager, University of Bath and SETsquared Student Enterprise Practice Group Chair (SETsquared is the enterprise collaboration of the Universities of Bath, Bristol, Surrey, Southampton and Exeter) 
7. Simon Chutter, Sussex Innovation & Education
8. Therese Reinheimer-Jones, Associate Director Student Engagement and Achievement, University of Sussex 
9. Robyn Guillaume-Smith, Programme Manager, Mentally Healthy Universities Programme, MIND

Digital skills and capabilities will be essential in the new normal enabling the UK’s economic recovery. However, digital skills are broad, wide ranging and dispersed. COVID-19 gives an opportunity to reflect and change outmoded structures and ensure the workforce has the chance to have the right skills at the right time through a robust data-driven approach.

Something that we’re touching on is also the impact of having a diverse group with different backgrounds and different experiences. Having a diverse group leads to the most fruitful economy, collaborations and creativity. It brings new ideas to the table. And it’s something that I think we really need to be striving towards as we respond to this crisis.

Georgina Phillipson, Enterprise Support Coordinator, Oxford Brookes University

Watch the roundtable discussion

In the UKTCG’s third roundtable event, a panel of experts explore how digital skills and capabilities will be essential in the new normal enabling the UK’s economic recovery.

Panel speakers

1. Ben Shorrock, MD TechSPARK, Director UK Tech Cluster Group
2. Katie Gallagher, Managing Director, Manchester Digital, UKTCG Steering Board
3. Johnathan Williamson, Director, TechnologyOne
4. Andy Salmon, PVC, Bath Spa University
5. Diane Milne, Senior Funding Officer, Dundee City Council
6. Alastair Irons, Dean of Computing, University of Sunderland
7. Ben Atha, CEO, The Developer Academy
8. Michelle Gordon, Corporate Manager, Economy & Business, Babergh & Mid Suffolk District Councils
9. Mick Westman, Founder at Digital Innovators Ltd & Vice President at the Solihull Chamber of Commerce
10. Georgina Phillipson, Enterprise Support Coordinator, Oxford Brookes University
11. Rob Passmore, North Devon UNESCO Biosphere Reserve

Connecting start ups and large organisations is nothing new – for many years it has been recognised as something that can be a great way to drive diverse new ideas, projects and ways of thinking. But what are the key facets that make for successful collaboration?

The value of collaboration

Connecting start ups and large organisations is nothing new – for many years it has been recognised as something that can be a great way to drive diverse new ideas, projects and ways of thinking. But what are the key facets that make for successful collaboration?

One size doesn’t fit all

Building successful relationships with organisations is  not something that can be established through the same approach every time. Different organisations and start ups have varied needs, cultures and ways of working, which means successful collaboration requires a level of tailoring to achieve the best results.

Each larger organisation has its own culture, needs, and ways of doing things. And, of course, the SME community, is not a generic community. So, inevitably, you have to bespoke relationships if you want to see something that works.

Nick Sturge, MBE, Adviser – Cyber Central, Cheltenham Borough Council

Watch the roundtable discussion

In the UKTCG’s second roundtable event, speakers with experience in everything from corporate transformation, to world- class accelerators and bleeding-edge start ups discuss practical ways to build systems that allow companies to work together and how COVID-19 has changed their approach.

Panel speakers

1. Ben Shorrock, Managing Director TechSPARK, UKTCG Steering Board
2. Mark John, Founder, TramShed Tech, UKTCG Steering Board
3. Nick Gibson, Industry Director – Education, TechnologyOne
4. David Henderson, Head of Transformation, Hargreaves Lansdown
5. Nick Sturge, Adviser – Cyber Central, Cheltenham Borough Council
6. Penny Day, Innovation Specialist, Sunderland Software City
7. Matt Cooling, Head of Innovation, Manchester Science Park

Testbeds have traditionally been important in driving innovation and allow for risk mitigation in developing new technologies and products. They also serve as a useful connector between corporate, public sector, university and innovative SME organisations.

However, there have been challenges with testbeds in the past. They can suffer from a lack of clear objectives, or unstable funding which can result in ‘Orphaned’ testbeds. To add value they are going to have to develop and adapt to support the tech and digital sector in facing the unique challenges presented by Brexit and COVID-19.

We want to see new, federated testbeds connected through industry verticals within a common infrastructure.

Paul Wilson, Founder, UK5G

Watch the roundtable discussion

In the UKTCG’s first roundtable event, a panel of experts explore how giving tech businesses more opportunities to test, trial and showcase their ideas will provide a gateway to help the public and higher education sector innovate quicker.

Panel speakers

1. Ben Shorrock, MD TechSPARK, Director UK Tech Cluster Group
2. David Dunn, CEO Sunderland Software City, Chair UK Tech Cluster Group
3. Vish Mathur, Global Head of Engagement, Telecoms Infra Project
4. Nick Sturge MBE, Adviser to Cyber Central, Cheltenham Borough Council
5. Paul Willson, Co- Founder, UK5G
6. Martin Reid, CEO, Engine Shed
7. Anwen Robinson, TechnologyOne