On 17 November 2020, business leaders, community groups, education representatives and the general public heard directly from – and submitted questions to – key figures on a bold vision to create a global hub for innovation and green development that will inspire communities worldwide.
Speakers at this event explained more on the ambition to unlock the potential of the Oxford-Cambridge Arc’s key assets to create a world-leading innovation economy. Already home to nearly four million people and two million jobs, generating over £111bn of economic output each year (pre COVID-19), forecasts show that increased productivity resulting from intensifying the Arc’s global strengths in science, technology and high value manufacturing could double economic output to over £200bn by 2050.
Key speakers at this event included:
- Cllr Barry Wood – Chair of Arc Leadership Group and Leader of Cherwell District Council
- Sir Peter Gregson – Chair of the Arc Universities Group and Vice Chancellor of Cranfield University
- Cllr Bridget Smith – Leader of South Cambridgeshire District Council
- Jeremy Long – Chair of the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (OxLEP)
- Bev Hindle – Executive Director of the Oxford-Cambridge Arc Leadership Group.
This event was the first in a series which, in the future, will explore different aspects of the Arc’s development, including; how investment might be unlocked, promoting the Arc’s world-class research, driving innovation-led growth, defining how the region can become a ‘Green Arc’ and transforming the Arc’s approach to sustainable development.
