How is the West Midlands Region making its mark on the future of ICT?

• Operating costs in the Coventry, Solihull, Warwickshire 'Software Triangle' are 20-25% lower than those on M4 Corridor
• One third of ICT companies in the West Midlands Region are growing at over 20% per annum and over a third are exporting successfully to European markets [Source: PwC Survey Plant Location International 2002].
• Industry-recognised pay scales also indicate companies pay less for equivalent ICT employees in the West Midlands than the national average.
• The region is home to the UK's largest computing school, Staffordshire University

Sector Strengths:

The sector employs 53,000 people in over 8,000 firms, the majority of which are located in the south east of the region, delivering £4 billion turnover.

• Software - Many leading software companies are based in the West Midlands Region including the world's largest enterprise software company, The Oracle Corporation
• Hardware - Groundbreaking work that is taking place here is setting new standards in research and development.
• Telecommunications - One of the most advanced telecommunication networks in Europe. Birmingham is the only UK city with 100% coverage of a self-healing fibre optic network.

Business Support:

From expert advice, cutting edge facilities and training to new product development and excellent business support - the opportunities for growth in the West Midlands are endless.

• Centre of Excellence for Research in Computational Intelligence and Applications (CERCIA) - CERCIA works at the cutting-edge of Computational Intelligence (CI) research at the University of Birmingham.
• iCentrum -iCentrum provides members with access to the latest developments in new and emerging ICT related technologies.
• OpenAdvantage - The OpenAdvantage project provides the West Midlands Region with a centre of excellence focused entirely on open source software, the only one of its kind within the UK
• Photonics Cluster - Photonics Cluster (UK) is the fastest growing business network dedicated to supporting the photonics industry in the UK
• WMita - WMita is a membership organisation with local branches representing small and medium-sized businesses in the ICT sector
• West Midlands Mobile and Wireless - WMMW provides innovation, new product development and adoption support for companies involved in mobile and wireless technologies

Sector Research & Development:

• QinetiQ - QinetiQ has a wealth of RFID expertise and a track record of helping companies achieve 100% read rates in even the most challenging environments
• Neural Computing Research Group - Based at Aston University, NCRG has become one of the most influential research groups worldwide in the field of neural networks

Download the pdf for more details

Speak to a sector specialist about the West Midlands Region as a potential location for your business.

Call the Inward Investment Team at Advantage West Midlands on +44 (0) 121 380 3500 or email info@investwm.org

To request a copy of the latest West Midlands business brochure, email marketing@advantagewm.co.uk