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Two or three clusters, read side by side across sectors, research, companies, capital, infrastructure, government designations and UKIZ relevance. There is no score and no ranking: British clusters are different from one another, not better or worse than one another.

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Side by side

Dimension	Leeds & West YorkshireYorkshire and the Humber	Cornwall & PlymouthSouth West	Nottingham & DerbyEast Midlands
Sectors	Life Sciences, Digital Technologies, Financial Technology Supporting: Artificial Intelligence, Advanced Manufacturing, Creative Industries	Space, Clean Energy, Robotics & Autonomous Systems Supporting: Advanced Materials, AgriTech & FoodTech, Digital Technologies	Advanced Manufacturing, Clean Energy, Mobility & Transport Technology Supporting: Advanced Materials, Digital Technologies, AgriTech & FoodTech
Research	University of Leeds	University of Plymouth Plymouth Marine Laboratory	University of Nottingham
Companies	Leeds health data and digital health cluster	Not recorded on the map.	Not recorded on the map.
Infrastructure	Not recorded on the map. Health data infrastructure, teaching hospitals and university research facilities.	Space and Earth observation capability, Cornwall Aerodrome and space capability, marine research and test facilities and naval infrastructure.	Not recorded on the map. Propulsion and nuclear engineering facilities, rail test capability and chemistry research centres.
Capital	Financial services depth locally, but early-stage health technology capital remains limited.	Public programmes and a small local investor base; almost all growth capital is external.	Corporate and supply chain finance; limited venture activity.
Government programmes	No place-based designation recorded.	No place-based designation recorded.	East Midlands Investment Zone — Investment Zones East Midlands Freeport — Freeports
What exists	National health data organisations, medical technology, a large financial and professional services base and a research university with data and materials strength.	Space launch and Earth observation capability, marine autonomy and ocean research, and a distinctive combination of coastline, test space and specialist facilities.	Aerospace propulsion and small modular reactor engineering, rail technology, sustainable chemistry research and one of Europe's busiest air freight hubs.
What's missing · UKIZ interpretation	A clear route for companies to work with health data at scale, and clinical adoption pathways that move faster than pilot projects.	Company density and connectivity. Excellent facilities sit a long way from capital, customers and complementary suppliers, and skilled people are hard to retain.	Diversification of the supply chain beyond a small number of large primes, and company formation from a strong engineering research base.
What could connect · UKIZ interpretation	Leeds health data capability connected to Manchester clinical research and to medical technology manufacturing, giving companies discovery, evidence and production in one region.	Launch and Earth observation connected to Glasgow satellite manufacture and Harwell applications, and marine autonomy connected to Solent defence and offshore energy demand.	Propulsion and nuclear engineering connected to Sheffield manufacturing research and Midlands electrification — one Midlands industrial mission rather than three sectors.
UKIZ relevance	Health data at population scale is a national asset. The proposed Manchester mission and Leeds capability are complementary rather than competing.	The proposed Cornwall & Devon mission treats the sea and the satellite economy as one system rather than two separate sectors.	Propulsion and nuclear capability sit alongside the Midlands mobility mission. The proposed Midlands zone connects them.
Last verified	15 August 2026	15 August 2026	15 August 2026

Proposed by UKIZ · independent · not a government designation

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