The UK government has launched the £1 million Regional Tech Booster programme, unveiling 14 regional tech projects aimed at fostering innovation, supporting startups, and creating jobs outside London. These initiatives are designed to provide tailored support, including training, mentorship, and networking opportunities, to strengthen local tech ecosystems across the UK. (IT Pro)
🇬🇧 Overview of the 14 Regional Tech Projects
The selected projects span various regions, each addressing specific local needs and opportunities:
- Scotland: Support for early-stage gaming startups, focusing on community building and sustainable business growth. (IT Pro)
- Northern Ireland: The Activate AI project aims to boost AI adoption among underrepresented groups, including women, minorities, and rural entrepreneurs, through masterclasses and peer collaboration. (IT Pro)
- Wales: Tramshed Tech’s AI Innovation Challenge will provide businesses with practical AI skills through workshops and mentorship, positioning Wales as a hub for AI-driven growth. (IT Pro)
- Lancashire: Creating pathways from further education to entrepreneurship, connecting students with the tech industry. (IT Pro)
- Yorkshire: Unlocking growth for tech businesses ready to scale, providing resources and support for expansion. (IT Pro)
- Suffolk: Accelerating the growth of advanced connectivity technology industries, enhancing infrastructure and innovation. (IT Pro)
- West Midlands: Supporting underrepresented founders by helping them build networks and access resources to grow their tech businesses. (IT Pro)
- East Midlands: A pilot program offering a structured support pipeline, from rapid prototyping to scale-up and funding readiness, through workshops, mentoring, and showcase events. (IT Pro)
- South East: Digital Birmingham and Tech Nation initiatives aim to enhance digital infrastructure and support tech startups. (IT Pro)
- South West: Focus on developing a sustainable tech ecosystem through community engagement and support for local startups. (IT Pro)
- North East: Initiatives to foster innovation in sectors like digital health and smart manufacturing. (IT Pro)
- North West: Programs aimed at enhancing digital skills and supporting tech entrepreneurship. (IT Pro)
- East of England: Projects focusing on agri-tech and environmental sustainability innovations. (IT Pro)
- London: While not part of this program, London’s tech initiatives continue to receive separate support through other government programs. (IT Pro)
Objectives and Impact
The Regional Tech Booster programme aims to:
- Empower Local Communities: By providing resources and support to regional tech ecosystems, fostering local innovation and entrepreneurship. (IT Pro)
- Create Jobs: Supporting the growth of tech businesses leads to job creation in various regions, contributing to economic development. (IT Pro)
- Enhance Skills: Offering training and mentorship to individuals, particularly from underrepresented groups, to develop digital and entrepreneurial skills. (IT Pro)
- Promote Inclusive Growth: Ensuring that the benefits of the UK’s tech sector are distributed across all regions, not just concentrated in London. (IT Pro)
Upcoming Investment Events
As part of the programme, the government is organizing a series of investment events to connect UK tech talent with investors:
- Bristol: The first event will take place later this year, aiming to attract investment and showcase regional tech innovations. (IT Pro)
- Leeds: Following the Bristol event, Leeds will host another investment event to further promote regional tech ecosystems. (IT Pro)
Upcoming Investment Events
As part of the programme, the government is organizing a series of investment events to connect UK tech talent with investors:
- Bristol: The first event will take place later this year, aiming to attract investment and showcase regional tech innovations.
- Leeds: Following the Bristol event, Leeds will host another investment event to further promote regional tech ecosystems.
These initiatives reflect the government’s commitment to fostering a more balanced and inclusive tech landscape across the UK, ensuring that innovation and economic growth are accessible to all regions.
The UK government unveiled 14 regional tech projects under its £1 million Regional Tech Booster programme to support local innovation, create jobs, and ensure the benefits of the tech economy spread across the UK, not just in London.
The projects provide targeted training, expert guidance, and scaling support to businesses and entrepreneurs, with delivery managed by the UK Tech Cluster Group (UKTCG).2
Featured Case Studies (Regional Projects)
The projects are tailored to the specific needs and strengths of each region, with a strong focus on emerging technologies like AI and on promoting diversity.3
| Region | Project & Lead Organisation | Focus/Goal |
| Wales | T[ai]th Start ~ AI Venture Building Challenges (Tramshed Tech) | Driving AI capability and innovation by equipping businesses with practical AI skills through workshops, mentorship, and venture-building challenges. |
| Scotland | ‘Levelling-Up Scottish Games Startups for Global Success’ (Game Space) | Providing bespoke support for early-stage gaming startups, focusing on community building, peer learning, and sustainable business growth. |
| Scotland | Future Ready In Scotland (ScotlandIS) | Breaking down barriers for tech founders in rural or remote communities by creating peer networks and connecting isolated founders to national opportunities. |
| Northern Ireland | Activate AI (AwakenHub Ltd) | Boosting AI adoption and productivity among underrepresented founders (women, minorities, rural entrepreneurs) through masterclasses and regional showcases. |
| East Midlands | Tech for Good Pipeline (Allia Impact) | Creating a structured support pipeline to help “tech for good” startups grow from idea to scale-up stage. |
| Lancashire (North West) | FE-led Innovation Initiative | Creating pathways from Further Education (FE) to entrepreneurship, encouraging college students to start tech businesses. |
| Yorkshire & The Humber | Scale-Up Support & Peer Learning (Sheffield Digital & Leeds Digital) | Focusing on both early-stage and plateaued companies: one project supports peer learning for startups, while another helps scale-ups overcome growth barriers. |
Key Comments and Industry Reaction
Government and Programme Aims
The programme is a central part of the government’s broader strategy to decentralise the tech economy and is complemented by the National Investment Corridors initiative, which will hold investment events in regions like Bristol and Leeds to connect local talent with national and international investors.4
Tech for Growth Minister Kanishka Narayan MP commented on the strategy:
“We want UK tech to grow and succeed from any and every corner of the country. It’s a no-brainer that supporting projects like these, and encouraging more investment across the UK, will catalyse our tech brilliance to boost economic growth and opportunities for communities nationwide.”
Dr. David Dunn, UKTCG lead on Catalyst Pilot Projects highlighted the value of shared learning:
“The sheer volume of strong applications we received shows there is a huge desire to grow tech ecosystems across the whole of the UK. As the projects are delivered, we are excited to share learning across other ecosystems – it is this multiplier effect of knowledge transfer that really makes the Regional Tech Booster initiative val5uable.”
Industry Perspective (Data and AI Focus)
Industry leaders welcomed the regional focus, particularly the investment in AI skills, but stressed the need for robust foundations for long-term success.6
Stuart Harvey, CEO of Datactics, provided a critical comment on the necessity of data quality:
“The government’s move to fund regional tech projects is a welcome one, particularly the investment in AI skills for tech founders… Many initiatives will fail to move beyond pilots if they don’t embed data quality, governance, and structured training at their core.7 These regional projects present a tremendous opportunity to elevate communities, by not only giving them tools and capital, but by instilling the data management practices that make innovation reliable, trustworthy, and resilien8t.”9