UK Innovation Zones

Compare places

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.

Side by side

DimensionNewcastle & the North EastNorth EastNottingham & DerbyEast Midlands
Sectors

Clean Energy, Mobility & Transport Technology, Advanced Manufacturing

Supporting: Life Sciences, Digital Technologies, Robotics & Autonomous Systems

Advanced Manufacturing, Clean Energy, Mobility & Transport Technology

Supporting: Advanced Materials, Digital Technologies, AgriTech & FoodTech

Research
  • Newcastle University
  • Durham University
  • University of Nottingham
Companies

Not recorded on the map.

Not recorded on the map.

Infrastructure
  • Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult

Offshore renewable test facilities, battery production investment and university research centres.

Not recorded on the map.

Propulsion and nuclear engineering facilities, rail test capability and chemistry research centres.

Capital

Infrastructure and development finance, with limited venture capital relative to industrial scale.

Corporate and supply chain finance; limited venture activity.

Government programmes
  • North East Investment ZoneInvestment Zones
  • East Midlands Investment ZoneInvestment Zones
  • East Midlands FreeportFreeports
What existsOffshore renewable energy testing at national scale, battery and electrification investment, ageing and life sciences research and a strong engineering base.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 interpretationSupply chain retention. Britain builds offshore capacity while importing much of the equipment; local firms often serve as installers rather than manufacturers.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 interpretationOffshore testing capability connected to Teesside and Humber industrial land, Sheffield manufacturing research and domestic energy buyers — an energy supply chain rather than an energy market.Propulsion and nuclear engineering connected to Sheffield manufacturing research and Midlands electrification — one Midlands industrial mission rather than three sectors.
UKIZ relevanceThe region has the industrial land, the ports and the skills base. The proposed North East mission focuses on retaining the supply chain, not only the assembly.Propulsion and nuclear capability sit alongside the Midlands mobility mission. The proposed Midlands zone connects them.
Last verified15 August 202615 August 2026

Proposed by UKIZ · not a government designation