The government has unveiled 14 projects across the UK as part of its newly launched Regional Tech Booster programme.
The £1m programme aims to support regional tech-based businesses and encourage the growth of tech ecosystems on a local scale.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) said that this will be done via targeted training and expert guidance, help to build networks, and support for new tech businesses to scale their operations.
There will also be workshops on tech ecosystem planning and a series of investment events under a National Investment Corridors initiative.
These funding events will look to attract investment towards UK tech talent located outside London, with the first two taking place in Bristol and Leeds later this year.
The projects being supported by the programme range from early-stage gaming startups in Scotland to an AI innovation challenge in Wales and advanced connectivity technology in Suffolk.
DSIT said that some of the projects will also look to support greater diversity in the homegrown technology sector, by focusing on underrepresented tech company founders.
Tech for Growth Minister Kanishka Narayan said that supporting these projects was a “no brainer” as it will “catalyse our tech brilliance to boost economic growth and opportunities for communities nationwide”.
Specific projects will operate across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
Specific projects include ScotlandIS’s Future Ready In Scotland, which aims to improve opportunities for founders in rural or isolated communities, who may not have access to the same support or resources as those in big cities.
Game Space will provide tailored support for early-stage Scottish gaming startups, while Tramshed Tech is delivering the AI Innovation Challenge for Welsh businesses and entrepreneurs.
Tech East will deliver the ACT Catalyst project, which looks to boost Advanced Connectivity Technologies (ACTs) in the East of England.
AwakenHub Ltd’s Activate AI aims to improve AI adoption and productivity among women, minorities and rural entrepreneurs in Northern Ireland, while the Leeds Digital Startup Studio is a peer-to-peer learning model working in Leeds and West Yorkshire.
Dr David Dunn, UKTCG lead on Catalyst Pilot Projects, said that as projects take off, knowledge will be shared across other ecosystems.
“It is this multiplier effect of knowledge transfer that really makes the Regional Tech Booster initiative valuable,” he added.
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