Engine Shed was delighted to host a visit by the Minister for Science, Research and Innovation, George Freeman MP, on Thursday 10th February.
The Minister held a roundtable discussion on the region’s science, research and innovation challenges at the University of Bristol’s enterprise hub, before visiting Bristol-based startup Open Bionics, and Science Creates, a deep tech ecosystem.
The roundtable was joined by Professor Dame Otteline Leyser, CEO of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), Indro Mukerjee, CEO at Innovate UK, Jo Shanmugalingam, Director General for Science, Innovation and Growth at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and the Mayor of Bristol, Marvin Rees, together with colleagues from regional industry, charities, universities and government.
It was a highly productive session that acknowledged Bristol and the West of England region as one of the UK’s foremost places for research and innovation.
Science Minister George Freeman said: “Our Science Superpower and Innovation Nation mission is about supporting world class science and innovative businesses developing world class innovation.
“It was fantastic to visit the Bristol cluster, seeing first-hand the excellent work being done in quantum computing, robotics, artificial intelligence and bionics.
“The depth and breadth of UK research excellence, coupled with our financing ecosystem for high growth companies, makes the UK a global powerhouse in innovation.”
Marvin Rees, Mayor of Bristol, said: “I was delighted to welcome the minister to Bristol and showcase our world-leading science and tech cluster. Our city region has a huge amount to offer in this sector and is already generating exciting innovations, such as those we saw at Open Bionics and Science Creates.
“It was fantastic to bring together our world-class universities, major employers and innovative start-ups to demonstrate our region’s strengths and highlight areas where further government support would accelerate innovation.”
Marty Reid, Director of Engine Shed said: “The event was a wonderful opportunity to showcase the vibrant start-up ecosystem of our region and to highlight areas where the Government can support businesses further to grow for global impact.”
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For further information, interviews and images, please contact:
Tamsin Denbigh, Engine Shed
tamsin.denbigh@engine-shed.co.uk
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