42 | Tees Business
TECH
A LOOK
At THIS
CITY-SCALE
DIGITAL AMBITION
HIGHLIGHTED IN TECH
NATION REPORT
M
IDDLESBROUGH’S thriving digital
sector is one of the rising stars of the
UK’s burgeoning hi-tech economy.
That’s the verdict of the influential Tech
Nation 2018 report which singles the town
out as being in the vanguard of the UK’s
burgeoning digital and hi-tech economy.
The report gives an upbeat overview of the
strength, depth and breadth of a vital sector
that continues to expand at a faster rate than
the wider economy.
And Middlesbrough is highlighted as one
of 16 booming ‘digital suburbs and tech
towns’ with a higher proportion of digital tech
employment than the UK average.
The online report is a snapshot of the
tech sector across the UK, and features
recommendations for tech businesses,
policymakers and corporates looking to
accelerate growth.
And the picture in Middlesbrough shows
healthy growth in digital tech jobs of 19.5%
to nearly 7,200 in 2016-17, with a total
business turnover of just under £190m.
Digital GVA has increased locally by 44%
from £211m in the 2017 report to £304m in
the latest edition.
The town’s worldwide reputation in digital
animation is highlighted, including Teesside
University’s specialist degrees in the field
and its hosting of Animex, the UK’s largest
festival of animation and computer games.
Other case studies include co-working
space Studio 109, whose 6,500 sq ft of
renovated space includes studio offices as
well as co-working and hot-desking spaces,
bringing together creative minds and fuelling
innovation and growth.
Teesside University plays a key role,
placing major emphasis on graduate
enterprise and spearheading a number of
Drive - Dan Watson.
initiatives to encourage the growth of digital
businesses.
DigitalCity, led by the university in
partnership with the Tees Valley Combined
Authority and funded by the European
Regional Development Fund (ERDF), works
to drive digital innovation and growth and is
acknowledged as a key economic driver for
the region.
Since DigitalCity’s launch in 2004, it
has supported more than 650 digital and
creative businesses as well as over 100
Unique - Launchpad.
SMEs in other industries. It has also had a
direct impact on the creation of nearly 300
businesses and 700 jobs.
The 2018 Tech Nation report showcases
14 tech companies from across the region
that have recently completed DigitalCity’s
three-month SCALE programme, which pairs
entrepreneurs with a dedicated business
mentor, with a cohort of another 13 currently
underway.
The DigitalCity Fellowship Accelerator
provides funding and mentoring to accelerate