Greater Birmingham Information Technology, Electronics & Communications 2015

GRE ATER BIRMINGHAM I N F O R M A T I O N T E C H N O L O G Y, E L E C T R O N I C S A ND COMMUNICATIONS MAKING IT HAPPEN

ENTERPRISING GRE ATER BIRMINGHAM The Greater Birmingham region is located at the very centre of the UK and is anchored

by Birmingham. The region provides an exceptional technological infrastructure and an excellent supply of skills and talent which create a perfect ecosystem for creative agencies, games companies and global technology giants alike.

With the presence of major players in the region and a young and diverse population, Greater Birmingham is quickly becoming a tech hub for the future.

Business Birmingham, Invest Black Country and Solihull for Success are inward investment agencies working together to attract foreign direct investment. They promote development in the area as part of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) City Region Project, on behalf of the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and the Black Country LEP. The region is going through an unprecedented period of transformation, and is leading post recession national growth and development trends. With record levels of infrastructure investment, increasing international recognition and countless opportunities for companies to thrive in the region, there has never been a better time to invest in Greater Birmingham.

The Information Technology Electronics and Communication (ITEC) sector is important to Greater Birmingham's economic development. This sector covers telecommunications across transmitting voice, data, text, sound and video and the internet.

It also includes digital content such as video, film and photography, music, publishing, radio and TV computer games, social media and software that supports these industries and the telecommunications sector.

33,000 EMPLOYED IN THE ITEC INDUSTRY

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KEY

STRENGTHS

ITEC IN THE UK ■■

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The UK is the largest European market for high-end consumer electronic products.

Mobile broadband usage is expected to increase by 80 times by 2030. The government has published an ambitious strategy that will put the UK at the forefront of the global telecommunications market and contribute an extra £50 billlion a year to the UK economy.

There are 21.7 million home broadband connections in the UK and 75% of adults have fixed or mobile broadband.

The UK has been ranked as the lowest-risk destination in Europe and second lowest in the world for businesses to locate their data centres.

GREATER BIRMINGHAM ■■

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The University of Birmingham was ranked number 1 UK university for Computer Sciences and IT in 2014 (The Guardian).

Centres of excellence include the Computer Science Research Group (CSRG) at Aston University and the Centre of Excellence for Research in Computational Intelligence and Applications (CERCIA) at the University of Birmingham.

Greater Birmingham has one of the largest tech clusters in the UK with over 30,000 employed in the sector.

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A £35 million Digital Plaza - iCentrum - will be one of the first developments within the City Centre Enterprise Zone.

The development will set the standard for fourth generation science parks and will include a software-development playground and a tech-incubation facility.

The New Technology Institute (NTI), part of Birmingham City University, produces graduates from super-vocational, industrybacked postgraduate degree courses in video games development (Gamer Camp), digital marketing (Future Media) and film marketing and distribution (Film Futures).

Birmingham was one of the first UK cities to roll out a Fourth Generation (4G) wireless network.

Three of the Top Ten locations for ecommerce Start Ups in the UK are in the West Midlands.

THE UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM WAS RANKED

NUMBER 1 UK UNIVERSITY FOR COMPUTER SCIENCES AND IT IN 2014 (THE GUARDIAN)

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KEY

SUBSECTORS

DIGITAL & CREATIVE

ICT

MEDIA

With creativity at the heart of the region Birmingham contains more digital and creative companies than any other regional city. The creative hubs surrounding Digbeth and the Jewellery Quarter have developed into the perfect ecosystem allowing digital creative firms, studios, and the agencies supporting those within the digital tech industries to thrive. Birmingham also hosts a number of Centres of Excellence within the film and animation industry including the Creative Skillset Media Academy and the Visual Communication Research Group.

Additionally, the BBC announced plans to develop its Digbeth presence with its innovative Digital Guerrilla Group creating experimental new forms of content for programmes and services.

The city of Birmingham is home to 2,065 ICT companies, more than any other core city. The breadth of creative talent and affordable and dynamic locations in the region have led to some of the country’s leading IT firms choosing to set up in Birmingham. This, coupled with a strong pedigree of local companies, make the region a melting pot for design and webbased firms and projects. The region is already home to several large data storage firms and has a well established graduate population in relevant data management courses. A number of Centres of Excellence can also be found within the region, including the Digital Image Centre of Excellence and the CRNI (Collaborative Research Network in Imaging and Visualisation) both based at the University of Birmingham. The CRNI acts as an interdisciplinary hub for this high growth sector ensuring their research continues to make an impact.

Greater Birmingham contains 380 media and broadcast companies, with 1,000 students currently studying film in the midlands, with 1,000 students currently studying film, TV, media and animation studies in Birmingham. Birmingham hosts a number of Centres of Excellence within the film and animation industry including the Creative Skillset Media Academy and the Visual Communication Research Group, both located at Birmingham City University. Significant players include Maverick TV, Comux (who provide the infrastructure for local television companies to broadcast on Freeview across the UK) and Product Resource Group (PRG) serves a range of markets, including concert touring, corporate events, trade shows, special events, theatre, television and film. As a supplier for entertainment and event technology, PRG provides integrated services and equipment, including audio, video, lighting, rigging, staging, and scenery and automation systems, to a wide range of markets. Additionally Birmingham City Council’s film institute, Film Birmingham, acts as a catalyst to the region’s film industry, enabling and facilitating the industry in Greater Birmingham.

Greater Birmingham’s reputation as a tech hub is growing. Already home to 6,800 tech firms employing over 40,000 people, with tech firms boosting the economy by £2.1 billion every year. Greater Birmingham benefits from both a dynamic startup scene with companies such as Whisk and Droplet making waves, alongside a solid representation from major tech firms such as SCC and Codemasters. Ranked number one University for Computer Science in 2014 by The Guardian, the University of Birmingham is a ‘leading light’ within the sector with particular strengths in the digital subsector of serious games, which relate to the defence and healthcare sectors.

The presence of leading online retail brand ASOS demonstrates the region’s growing influence within digital media and e-commerce. Opening a new office in the Custard Factory in Digbeth during 2013, the firm took advantage of several highgrowth clusters in the area providing talent, support and an ideal environment for both tech startups and digital arms of larger corporations.

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2,065

ITEC COMPANIES. MORE THAN ANY OTHER REGIONAL CITY

OVER

4,000 DIGITAL & CREATIVE COMPANIES. MORE THAN ANY OTHER REGIONAL CITY

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SCC

KEY COMPANIES

SCC, Europe's largest independent IT Group, is an information technology solutions firm, servicing medium and large-sized enterprises as well as public sector organisations. Set up in Birmingham by Sir Peter Rigby, Chairman of parent group Rigby Group PLC, the company has grown to become the 13th largest privately-owned business in the UK. SCC now has over 5,000 international employees in seven European countries and supports five-million users. The company chose to grow its presence in the region because of the exceptional technological infrastructure, critical mass of skills and talent as well as the excellent road, rail and air links.

ASOS This global online retailer set up an office in Birmingham’s Custard Factory, Digbeth in 2013.

The firm recruited 50 highly-skilled developers, with roles focused on creating new company websites tailored to the needs of consumers in growth markets including France and Germany. The firm took up residence in one of the region’s leading tech and creative centres, and plans to increase the size of the team exponentially over the coming years.

"As a place to start a tech company, Birmingham is brilliant.

The most important reason for us is that we've been able to find top talent, both experienced software engineers and graduates from Birmingham's many universities."

Nick Holzherr Whisk 5

VIRGIN MEDIA

FUJITSU

In early 2012, Virgin Media opened a 1,100 person-strong regional headquarters in East Birmingham. The operation hosts a customer-experience Centre of Excellence and also provides marketing and business support functions as part of a major shared service centre. The new site is also home to Virgin Media's Apprentice Training Centre, which will also be a base for over 1000 Virgin Media employees, offering comprehensive training in digital home entertainment and telecommunications.

Fujitsu’s operation in Solihull is the centre for the Company’s EMEA-wide (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) telecommunications activities, providing integrated, end-toend, next generation networks and system solutions from design, development and manufacture through to implementation, support, operation, repair and ongoing managed services. The 700+ Fujitsu employees in Solihull deliver product support and network management, with rapidresponse fault management and a dedicated Customer Contact Centre, providing round the clock monitoring and proactive fault management for customer networks both in the UK and globally.

SYNAPSE In 2012 Silicon Valley veteran Brian Donnelly swapped California for the West Midlands.

Donnelly is managing director of Synapse, a fast growing hi-tech business that helps large organisations improve the way they report, present and manage their data using spreadsheets. He set up Synapse in January 2012. The SME’s client list already includes a leading UK bank, a major European retailer and a large US conglomerate, all based within a 20-30-mile radius of the office at the Innovation Birmingham Campus.

From its beginnings as a one-man operation, Synapse now employs around 20 people and has exceeded all its growth targets. It also has small sales offices in London and also in Oregon, USA. Given the hi-tech nature of his business, Donnelly says that finding and recruiting the right people is vital. And here too, Birmingham comes up trumps.,Synapse recently received a £250,000 investment from the Government’s Technology Strategy Broad (TSB) to help fund its next stage of growth, including another 5-10 recruits in 2014. It has also secured a grant from Bournville College and plans to raise a further round of investment later this year.

Business Birmingham has supported Synapse by advising the firm in areas such as property and recruitment – and by raising its profile with potential clients and the media.

online. Its web-enabled capability integrates payment, bespoke marketing messaging and mobile loyalty in one user-friendly app.

In 2013 the company launched its mobile commerce platform, allowing merchants to turn Droplet into a remote ordering tool for anything from food to car parking. The region has been integral to the success of the company, and provided a broad range of industry sectors to test and trial the platform.

THE BEANS GROUP

Founded in Birmingham in 2004, Packt Publishing is a print on demand publishing company specialising in publishing books on technology and solutions. Packt Publishing has expanded its Jewellery Quarter based operation from 30 to 60 staff on the back of surging demand, and is producing up to 100 e-books a month.

Named Digital Business of the Year in 2013, the Beans Group was founded by two University of Birmingham students in 2005 and has recently opened up its first regional office in the Custard Factory in Digbeth.

A year later there is now a team of almost 50 employees working with clients such as Google, YouTube, Microsoft, The Economist, O2, Merlin Entertainment and more. The firm returned to their roots in Birmingham in 2014, recruiting software developers, front-end developers and web designers.

The Birmingham team will work closely with the London office to develop mobile and web products, which will provide an excellent platform for the company’s international ambitions.

JUMAR SOLUTIONS

WHISK

Jumar Solutions is a global IT solutions provider, with it's headquarters located in Solihull. It employs 40 people at this site as well as maintaining a worldwide pool of 150 contractors and an ever-expanding wider network of skilled IT resources.

The company provides a unique combination of IT modernisation solutions for blue chip organisations, complemented by an IT recruitment division which also provides services to clients across Solihull, the Greater Birmingham region and beyond.

Whisk.com, a smart grocery shopping list application enables users to send their lists into online grocery supermarket baskets with a few clicks. Since launching in June 2012, the company has won many of the UK's biggest retailers, FMCG brands and digital food publishers as clients. Whisk is continuing to grow and is a prime example of what Birmingham’s tech community can produce.

SME FOCUS PACKT PUBLISHING

DROPLET Droplet, founded and headquartered in Birmingham, is a revolutionary mobile app that is changing the way people pay

The Greater Birmingham region is a great place to do business. The ITEC case studies listed here are just a snapshot.

For more information, please go to businessbirmingham.com/itec

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A

GRE ATER BIRMINGHAM REGION OF OPPORTUNITY

The £1 billion Longbridge regeneration scheme is led by St Modwen’s and is the Midland’s largest mixeduse scheme being delivered outside Birmingham city centre. Guided by the Longbridge Area Action Plan, the ITEC Park lies at the heart of one of the largest urban regeneration programmes in the country.

St. Modwen, the UK’s leading specialist regeneration developer, is responsible for the delivery of the £1 billion Longbridge scheme, the Midland’s largest urban regeneration project which is fast becoming an established business, leisure and retail community and creating in the region of 10,000 jobs. Longbridge was granted ITEC Park status by Birmingham City Council in 2012 in recognition of its potential to attract millions of pounds of inward investment from ITEC companies.

At the heart of Longbridge is the £100 million Technology Park which has quickly become a hub for progressive technologies and services and is home to more than 60 local, national and international businesses.

St. Modwen has recently undertaken a comprehensive refurbishment of the Park’s Innovation Centre which is home to a number of data heavy operators. As part of the £8 million Longbridge Connectivity Package, hyperfast broadband has been rolled out, providing connections as fast as 1GB per second or higher. Improvements to rail, road and pedestrian links are also planned as part of the Connectivity Package investment.

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Covering five hectares within the wider 25 hectare Regional Investment Site, Longbridge Technology Park has a range of plot sizes and locations available for companies looking for large floor plates to deliver major ITEC operations.

Longbridge West, the site’s next employment phase, will also provide an ideal environment for fast growing, high tech manufacturing companies. Properties ranging from 50,000 sq ft to 500,000 sq ft can be tailor made to meet customer requirements.

The ITEC Park is particularly suited to the following sub-sectors: ■■

IT and Telecommunications

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Business process outsourcing

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Cloud computing

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Data mining

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e-Commerce

For more information on the Longbridge ITEC Park please contact us on 0121 202 5022 or email invest@marketingbirmingham.com

£100M

TECHNOLOGY PARK

to Manchester & Scotland

Proposed HS2 Route: Birmingham to Manchester in under 40 minutes M6 TOLL M6 M54 M6 TOLL

Proposed HS2 Route: Birmingham to Leeds in under 60 minutes

WALSALL WOLVERHAMPTON

M6 M42 Birmingham City University

SANDWELL

to Leeds

M1 Innovation Campus Digital Plaza

DUDLEY

New Street

M5

M6 Aston University Birmingham Science Park Aston

BIRMINGHAM University of Birmingham

OVER 140 HECTARES OF AVAILABLE LAND

to London

M6

BHX

Custard Factory

Birmingham Airport

SOLIHULL

Longbridge ITEC Park

Proposed HS2 Route: Birmingham to London in under 50 minutes

M5 M42 M40 to Wales & Bristol

to London & South East

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SUPPORTING YOUR BUSINESS NEEDS GBSLEP GROWTH HUB The Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP) is a partnership of businesses, local authorities and universities which supports private sector growth and job creation.

The GBSLEP Growth Hub helps local SMEs with big ambitions to put plans into action. Whether firms are looking to enter new markets, recruit more staff, access funding or introduce new products, the Growth Hub provides a wealth of advice for all aspects of business development.

Access to the GBSLEP Growth Hub website gives tailored business support information and will help you to connect with the wider business community, raise your company’s profile, keep you in touch with the latest news – and ultimately help make your firm become more efficient, effective and productive.

Find out more on how to start grow, run and finance your company by logging onto: www.gbslepgrowthhub.co.uk

WANT TO KNOW HOW WE CAN HELP YOUR BUSINESS? GET IN TOUCH T: +44 (0)121 202 5022 E: INVEST@MARKETINGBIRMINGHAM.COM W: BUSINESSBIRMINGHAM.COM @BUSINESS_BHAM

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Business Birmingham is the city's award winning inward investment agency for the UK’s second city, the link to establishing or growing a company’s presence in Greater Birmingham. We are the access point to Greater Birmingham’s business networks and to the numerous benefits from the region’s strong enterprise culture.

We strive to work with investing companies as a strategic partner to create relevant business solutions.

By working as a strategic partner and consultant with local, national and global businesses, we can provide relevant information and a comprehensive package of support services. Through us, companies will have direct access to an extensive network of skills, knowledge and assistance.

THE CUSTARD FACTORY & FAZELEY STUDIOS The Custard Factory in Birmingham is one of the largest hubs for digital, creative and technology businesses in the region. Upon opening, the hub attracted 130 companies before the marketing campaign for the building had even started. This agglomeration has now expanded into additional buildings currently home to around 400 businesses.

Fazeley Studios are 45 studio offices for 5 – 200 person businesses, ideal for the Digital and Creative sectors. The studios are at the heart of the burgeoning Digbeth creative quarter, which is redefining the city’s technology credentials.

Invest Black Country is the inward investment organisation for the Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton areas, providing strategic leadership and identifying global opportunities to promote investment in and export from the Black Country.

Invest Black Country works with businesses that are looking to expand or relocate and demonstrates why being in the Black Country makes business sense. Through Invest Black Country, businesses can access a bespoke range of services from market intelligence, property support and supply chain development to access to finance and innovation opportunities that will help them as they land, grow and thrive in the Black Country.

Supported by a highly-qualified skills base and strong track record in high-value business activities, Solihull continues to draw interest from global corporations and small entrepreneurial businesses alike, paving the way for innovation and growth.

INNOVATION CAMPUS BIRMINGHAM

Medium-sized enterprises and large corporates find engagement with the Tech entrepreneurs and businesses based at the Campus offer engagement opportunities for medium sized enterprises and large corporates. The partnership between these organisations provide a platform for new commercial opportunities.

Innovation Campus Birmingham is the base for Birmingham’s tech community. It is a place for innovators, entrepreneurs and investors looking to develop or fund tech startups with high-growth potential. Campus facilties include the Entrepreneurs for the Future (e4f) multi-occupancy startup centre with hot-desking facilities and a wide range of flexible office units. The Entrepreneurs for the Future centre (e4f) provides a flexible and collaborative environment to fast-track the growth and development of tech startups.

Startups in the e4f incubator benefit from an initial six months free access to a dynamic co-working centre, with full ICT support and meeting facilities.

UK Central (UKC) is a unique concentration of strategic economic assets and infrastructure at the heart of the UK’s transport network.

Comprising of Birmingham Airport, the NEC and the planned HS2 development, UKC is already a key driver of the regional economy, attracting investment and creating jobs.

UK Central is located in the centre of the UK, less than an hour from London and with direct air links to major European capitals, the United States, Asia and the Middle East.

SILICON CANAL Greater Birmingham's voice of the tech community, Silicon Canal is a non-profit organisation run and owned by the tech community. It is a movement that explores, showcases and supports the digital technology community in Greater Birmingham and is the 'go to' community for designers, developers and marketers, acting as the glue between all the great things already going on in the ecosystem.

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DIGITAL CROSS-FERTILISATION Greater Birmingham’s supply of digital talent, world-class institutions, first-rate facilities and entrepreneurial spirit is creating a melting pot of hybrid digital industries. As the rate of technological change and innovation continues, ‘tech’ is becoming increasingly integrated within every sector and industry. Greater Birmingham is home to centres of excellence and organisations that are developing technologies spanning many sectors and industries.

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SERIOUS GAMING

HEALTHCARE AND MED-TECH

Building on almost 30 years of experience in simulation, robotics and Human Factors for applications in aerospace, defence and healthcare, the University of Birmingham’s Human Interface Technologies (HIT) team has been pioneering the development, evaluation and uptake of Virtual Reality and telepresence/telerobotic technologies since its launch in 2003. Award-winning, multidisciplinary researchers within the school, focus on theoretical and practical human-centred research issues related to future interactive technologies, including task and usability analysis, human factors integration, ergonomics and the design, application and evaluation of advanced interfaces.

The region is at the epicentre of the UK’s medical technology industry. According to BIS 2014 (The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills) the region has the highest concentration of med-tech companies in the UK. With major competencies in key areas such as biotechnology and developing technologies for assisted living, the region provides excellent opportunities for SMEs in the sector. The region has a strong academic research base, access to clinical excellence, a developing culture of collaboration, and infrastructure to catalyse the further development of the medical technology sector.

The centre is also a beacon for applied technology in the armed forces, with studies being conducted for the Royal Navy including a desktop games engine-based demonstrator, supporting the training of Dillon Minigun aimers as well as a gaming solution to test navigational and spatial orientation skills of junior warfare officers. In addition, the region benefits from close proximity to the Serious Games Institute at Coventry University, an International Centre for Excellence in Serious Games Applied Research, Business Engagement and Study.

Birmingham-based Delcam, the world’s largest specialist supplier of Computer-Aided Machining (CAM) software, is an excellent example of the importance of technology in different industries. In its early years, Delcam was principally known as a supplier to the tool-making sector. Over the last decade, the company has diversified into many other areas of manufacturing, including aerospace, auto-sport, power generation, footwear and healthcare products.

ADVANCED ENGINEERING

Furthermore, this manufacturing expertise is complemented by the company’s work in specialist sectors such as jewellery making, where it manages the ‘Precious’ Project – an initiative run by Innovate UK (formerly the Technology Strategy Board) to help local jewellery manufacturers take advantage of advances in 3D printing.

“Birmingham has a vibrant jewellery industry.

The Precious Project aims to develop techniques specific to jewellery makers to enable them to take advantage of additive manufacturing, or 3D printing. It’s an excellent demonstration of our commitment to helping local SMEs make full use of our software to innovate and develop their businesses.

Peter Dickin, DELCAM

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GRE ATER BIRMINGHAM CONNECTED TO TECHNOLOGY

University of Birmingham – The Guardian’s Number 1 University for Computer Science & IT 2014

Greater Birmingham has one of the largest tech clusters in the UK with over 30,000+ employed in the sector

4,450 digital media companies

Birmingham is part of the SuperConnected Cities programme in which the Government has invested £150m to support the development of digital infrastructure

Over a quarter of FDI projects in 2013/14 came from creative, digital and tech firms – half from small-business expansions

£2.1 billion is the Gross Value Added (GVA) for the Digital sector in Greater Birmingham

£110 billion regional economy and the second-largest urban development outside of the capital

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Want to know how we can make Information Technology, Electronics and Communications happen?

Get in touch with our Invest Team quoting ‘Making it happen’ T: +44 (0)121 202 5022 E: invest@marketingbirmingham.com W: businessbirmingham.com Join in the conversation #Makingithappen business_bham BusinessBirmingham BusinessBirmingham To download a digital version of this brochure please log on to businessbirmingham.com/itec