UK Department for International Trade

Climate change, growing aging populations, and rapid technological change have transformed the world in which we live, and revolutionary innovation is necessary to design a brighter future.

Manchester—Manchester is a robust tech hub with world-class universities, the largest number of digital workers outside London, and significant business opportunities in healthcare and manufacturing.

The UK is rising to the challenge and opportunity of this new world by putting innovation and the policy ecosystem it needs to prosper at the heart of our economy. By enabling research, diverse talent, and cutting-edge developments in artificial intelligence, big data, low-carbon technologies and automation, UK companies and institutions are at the forefront of creating new technology providing solutions to society’s greatest challenges.

British organizations have found ways to use AI and data to make old age less lonely, improve prediction accuracy for heart disease diagnosis, neutralize cyber attacks before they take hold of a company’s systems and data, and develop transport that is cleaner, smarter and safer than ever before.  However, transatlantic collaboration is central to these efforts, and partnerships between British and American companies, research communities, and government are vital.

Edinburgh—In 2019, Edinburgh was named the cleantech capital of the world for attracting the largest percentage of financial support for eco-friendly companies.

Forging these partnerships is the role of the UK’s Department for International Trade (DIT), which helps British businesses export, drives inward and outward investment, negotiates market access and trade deals, and champions free trade. DIT helps thousands of US companies set up or expand in the UK every year with expert assistance and advice, and helps connect them with UK products and services that can streamline and enhance their business.

There’s never been a better time to connect with DIT to find out how partnering with the UK can help your company innovate and grow …

• The UK is one of the world’s fastest-growing tech hubs with more than 60,000 tech companies and 30 industry clusters.
• 2019 was a record-breaking year for the UK tech industry – venture capital investment outpaced that of the US and China, growing 44% to approximately $13 billion. This investment resulted in 8 new unicorns—twice as many as Germany and three times as many as France.
• The UK ranked 4th globally in the 2018 Global Innovation Index, the highest of the G7 industrialized economies of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the US, and the UK.
• The UK government invests $21 billion each year in R&D, offers 230% tax relief on R&D costs, and has the lowest corporation tax in the G20.
• The country is a magnet for highly skilled talent—it’s home to 4 of the top 10 global universities and is the #1 destination for tech talent, attracting 1 in 5 of all international movers. London alone has 240,000 digital technology employees.
• The UK has become a center for low-carbon innovation. We have the largest offshore wind capability of any country in the world and since 1990, have cut carbon emissions by more than 40% while growing our economy by more than two-thirds.

Belfast—Belfast and wider Northern Ireland is a center of excellence for cyber security, with the highest percentage of cyber jobs in Europe.

As the #1 destination in Europe for inward investment and home to more fast-growth companies than any other European country, the UK has a lot to offer to US companies seeking global growth.

DIT helps thousands of overseas businesses set up or expand in the UK every year with expert assistance and advice, providing tailored information to de-risk market entry, including market research, legal and accounting introductions, recruitment support, policy insight, and partnership-building opportunities. We work with all companies, from start-ups/scale-ups through to the Fortune 500.

To find out more about “Why UK,” visit great.gov.uk, and contact your local DIT team for advice on growing your business internationally.

Bristol—Bristol has the most productive tech output in Britain and in 2018 was voted by CBRE as one of Europe’s top ten tech “super clusters.”