Deloitte research hails North West’s ‘incredibly buoyant’ tech, media and comms sector

The North West’s technology, media and telecommunications community is going from strength to strength, according to new data from Deloitte.

Six clusters identified by the professional services firm as ‘hotspots’ for the sector now house 755 of the region’s TMT enterprises.

New research has shown that MediaCityUK, the largest TMT hotspot in the North West, is home to 275 businesses working in the sector.

Fast-growing cluster Sci-Tech Daresbury, meanwhile, has 120 TMT businesses on site and The Sharp Project in east Manchester has 65.

Deloitte’s study also found that Manchester Science Partnerships now supports 1,400 TMT jobs via 60 businesses based at its city campus.

Over in Merseyside, Liverpool Science Park was highlighted as a growing hotspot. The site is home to 35 biomedical, advanced engineering, IT and digital businesses, while the city’s RopeWalks/Baltic Triangle area hosts 200 TMT companies.

Deloitte’s head of TMT in the North West, Claire Jolly, said: “Once again these numbers paint a positive picture and show that the region’s TMT sector is incredibly buoyant.

“MediaCityUK in particular has proven itself to be a major hub for technology, media and telecoms activity, while also becoming a destination in itself. The smaller clusters we’ve identified are also making impressive advances in a range of areas including medtech, biotech and engineering, which is encouraging to see.”

She continued: “The future is looking bright for these areas, and we hope devolution will also be used effectively in order to have a positive impact on the sector.”

Sir Howard Bernstein, former Manchester City Council chief exec and now strategic advisor for Deloitte in the North West, commented: “The TMT sector in [this region] is a key element of the Northern Powerhouse. These collaborative hubs of innovation and TMT expertise are vital to the economy in the region and the UK as a whole.

“With the right kind of encouragement and support from policy makers, I’d expect to see accelerated growth in these areas in the near future.”

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