Local tech ready for take-off as 14 projects supporting businesses unveiled

Local projects to boost tech entrepreneurship.

• Government’s £1 million Regional Tech Booster programme gets underway to support tech businesses and founders, and grow local tech ecosystems
• The projects across Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and England will boost tech growth, and create more jobs and opportunities for people and communities outside London
• A series of investment events will also take place, connecting UK tech brilliance with investors, with the first in Bristol and Leeds

The projects – funded under the government’s Regional Tech Booster programme – will provide businesses and entrepreneurs with targeted training, expert guidance, help to build networks, and support to scale their operations from within their communities. This is to ensure that the jobs and benefits of a thriving tech sector are available to people right across the UK, not just in London, as part of the government’s Plan for Change.

These projects launch right off the back of UK-wide opportunities opening up for tech following the recent announcement of another AI Growth Zone, this time in the North East, and a suite of major tech investments across the UK, following the UK US Tech Prosperity Deal.

The Regional Tech Booster was first announced in July 2025 and will be delivered through partnership with UK Tech Cluster Group unlocking growth for tech businesses ready to scale in Yorkshire. Investment corridor events will expand to additional regions throughout 2025 and 2026.

This comes as government’s commitment to promoting diversity in tech takes a leap forward, following the Tech Secretary’s announcement of an advisory group to be established to champion diversity across the sector and tech policy development.

Government is partnering with UK Tech Cluster Group to deliver the £1 million Regional Tech Booster programme, ensuring local expertise is driving the work on the ground in these communities. The programme also includes a series of investment events, through a National Investment Corridors initiative, with the first 2 taking place in Bristol and Leeds later this year. The National Investment Corridors will put local tech centre-stage, boosting investment into the UK’s tech talent from beyond the capital.

 

Tech for Growth Minister, Kanishka Narayan MP said: 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 said: 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 valuable.

The Regional Tech Booster programme will also include workshops on tech ecosystem planning and sharing best practice for ecosystem development with authorities across the country.

Further Regional Tech Booster programme details, including investment event dates and venues, will be available via delivery partners, UK Tech Cluster Group, as they are confirmed.

 

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