Read the full report to explore the evidence, case studies, and policy recommendations in detail.
The UK’s innovation economy is often described as a series of world-leading places, from the Oxford–Cambridge Growth Corridor to major city regions across the country. But new research from the Growing Together Alliance shows a more connected reality: these places do not operate in isolation, but as part of an interconnected system of innovation clusters linked by flows of capital, firms, and collaboration.
The report, Accelerating the UK-wide benefits of Ox-Cam, finds that at least £154 million of investment from Ox-Cam organisations has supported businesses outside the Corridor, helping to unlock over £1 billion in total co-investment. It also shows that around 3,800 Cambridge-origin companies have relocated across the UK, and that around half of Innovate UK projects involving Ox-Cam partners include organisations from other regions.
Taken together, these patterns highlight how innovation-led growth spreads through real economic “desire lines” between places — where firms scale, investors follow opportunity, and knowledge is shared across regional boundaries. The findings reinforce a central message: UK growth is not a zero-sum game, and strengthening the connections between clusters can help unlock more balanced and productive national growth.
Authors:
Dr. Kieron Owen (Researcher, Futures West & The Brunel Centre)
Dan Thorp (Chief Executive, Cambridge Ahead)
Research shows two growth corridors are better than one, and it’s not a zero sum game as innovation flows across cities and regions
Research shows Ox-Cam Growth Corridor’s connections to other UK clusters is propelling innovation well beyond its borders
- More than £150 million of private investment from the Ox-Cam Growth Corridor has flowed into regions outside the Greater South East, unlocking £1 billion in total investment in high-potential firms
- 3,800 Cambridge-origin businesses have relocated to other parts of the UK, 75% of these outside London
- The Ox-Cam Corridor, Northern Corridor and the Capital were central elements of the Chancellor’s Mais lecture last month. This research reinforces their role as intrinsically connected city- and region-level clusters within the UK’s innovation economy
- Report shows the “spillover” benefits of the Ox-Cam Growth Corridor for the UK economy, propelling innovation beyond borders, and a series of recommendations for government and industry to bolster these.
Today, the Growing Together Alliance (GTA), a coalition of seven leading employers’ groups representing leading city regions of England, reveals the Oxford to Cambridge Growth Corridor’s innovation links with other UK regions and the UK-wide benefits of connected clusters.
The GTA’s report ‘Accelerating the UK-wide benefits of Ox-Cam’, commissioned by Science Minister Lord Vallance, and supported by the Oxford to Cambridge Growth Unit, reveals more than £150 million of private investment from the Corridor has flowed into regions outside the Greater South East, unlocking £1 billion in total investment in high-potential firms. The report also shows that 3,800 Cambridge-origin businesses have relocated to other parts of the UK.
The report, which sources previously unseen data from capital investors in Ox-Cam, shows how the UK innovation economy is neither a single entity nor a landscape of isolated hotspots; it is a network of connected clusters.
The GTA views Government’s focus on Ox-Cam as an opportunity for innovation-led growth that forms economic connections between UK clusters, cities, and regions.
The report sets-out the benefits of the Corridor for the UK economy, and a series of recommendations for government to accelerate these. Through these measures, Ox-Cam can be utilised as a catalyst for connected growth rather than a competitor to other regions.
These findings show how innovators and investors in the Corridor draw ‘desire lines’; organic pathways to places where strong economic connections can be formed through capital and business relationships.
The GTA argues that with greater focus on these connections, policymakers can do more to make meaningful progress on two national missions; boosting UK productivity and reducing regional inequalities.
The findings provide three key policy pillars:
- UK-wide clusters can be activated through government and private sector support for place-based investment, and the recognition of cluster management as a long-term growth intervention.
- Strong relationships between Ox-Cam and Northern corridors highlight how the prioritisation of cluster and infrastructural support between these areas can accelerate growth.
- To unlock the proximate spillover benefits of Ox-Cam, the Corridor can be expanded through improved physical connectivity and integrated planning that utilises space for outward growth to the East and West.
The Growing Together Alliance brings together seven of the UK’s leading business representative organisations: Advanced Oxford, BusinessLDN, Business South, Business West, Cambridge Ahead, Northern Powerhouse Partnership, and North West Business Leadership Team. Together the alliance is united by a shared belief that the success of the UK economy is a shared endeavour, with connections across innovation clusters as a core component.
Andy Williams, Chair, Oxford-Cambridge Supercluster Board, said: “The Ox-Cam growth corridor has the potential to directly deliver an additional £78 billion of GVA to the UK economy by 2035. This report confirms the significant additional impact the Ox-Cam supercluster has across the country, illustrated by the new data on private investment and flow of innovation companies uncovered in this report. The Oxford-Cambridge Supercluster Board remains focused on continuing to build collaborations with other vibrant, knowledge intensive regions.”
Dan Thorp, Chief Executive of Cambridge Ahead, and Oxford to Cambridge Supercluster Board national cluster engagement lead, said: “This report brings to life, with real economic data, that local growth is not a zero sum game. This research shows the paths that innovators – both business leaders and investors – are forging across UK regions and between UK cities. These innovation “desire lines” are gold dust for policymakers looking to stimulate innovation clusters and create high-value jobs in all corners of the UK.”
Dr Kieron Owen, Lead Author, and Researcher at Futures West and the Brunel Centre, said: “Whether through nearby developing clusters like Swindon and Ipswich, or distant but complimentary hubs like Bristol, Leeds and Edinburgh, innovation depends on collaboration with, and connections to, the diverse range of expertise across the UK.”
“We welcome the government’s renewed commitment to investing in the Corridor. Our research gives policymakers the evidence they need to build on the opportunities identified by innovators, and direct support where it will have the greatest impact.”
Douglas Ure, CEO of Business West, said: “We welcome the findings that show strong opportunities from the Ox-Cam Corridor to the West, including Bristol, Bath and Swindon. For business, these connections really matter; stronger clusters attract investment and help create conditions for long-term prosperity. Working together with our Growing Together Alliance peers, we are committed to making the case to government to further connect clusters. In early summer, we look forward to publishing more analysis on the benefits of these connections.”
