Oxford-Cambridge Corridor focus of university’s roundtable event
The Oxford-Cambridge Corridor was the focus of a roundtable event attended by business leaders and local authority representatives from Milton Keynes and Bedford.
It was held at Cranfield University and also featured a speech from Science Minister Sir Patrick Vallance.
Sir Patrick was a regular contributor to the UK Government’s coronavirus briefings during the pandemic, and during the roundtable yesterday he set out his vision and priorities for the Oxford-Cambridge Corridor.
“Joining the dots between hotbeds of innovation like Cranfield University, and the wealth of academic, business and investment opportunities across the Oxford-Cambridge Corridor, will unleash this region’s potential to create jobs and deliver growth, supporting our Plan for Change,” Sir Patrick told the event.
Representatives from Nissan, Lockheed Martin, Airbus, Marshall Aerospace, Luton Airport, Red Bull Advanced Technologies and ARC Universities Group took part in the discussion.
“The Oxford-Cambridge corridor has enormous potential to drive economic growth across the UK,” said Professor Dame Karen Holford, chief executive and vice-chancellor of Cranfield University.
“At the moment our region contributes over £40 billion to the UK economy, with the potential to add a further £78 billion by 2035.
“But we need to accelerate the translation of innovative research into commercial products, and the development of key skills; with universities having a key role to play.
“The clusters of knowledge that we have across the Oxford-Cambridge corridor have enormous potential, and I’m really pleased the Government is recognising this and engaging so directly to support our huge ambitions.”
During the visit, Lord Vallance opened a new space robotics facility, the ASTRA lab, and toured the university’s Aerospace Integration Research Centre.