Local tech ready for take-off as 14 projects supporting businesses and jobs unveiled
Communities set to benefit from better jobs and more opportunities in tech as 14 government-backed projects to support local tech sectors across the UK are 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.
Regional Tech Booster projects will include a support scheme for early-stage gaming startups in Scotland, create pathways from further education to entrepreneurship in Lancashire, unlock growth for tech businesses ready to scale in Yorkshire, launch an AI innovation challenge in Wales, and accelerate the growth of the advanced connectivity technology industry in Suffolk.
Alongside the localised focus, some of the projects will also support greater diversity within the sector, with a focus on underrepresented founders. One in Northern Ireland will focus on boosting AI adoption amongst founders, and a West Midlands project will help underrepresented founders build up the networks and support they need to succeed in tech.
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.
Notes to editors
The Regional Tech Booster was first announced in July 2025, and will be delivered through partnership with UK Tech Cluster Group.
Investment corridor events will expand to additional regions throughout 2025 and 2026.
Projects were selected for their ability to deliver high-impact, local innovation that will support at least 30 tech businesses over a 6-month period. Each proposal was assessed against 4 core criteria:
- understanding local ecosystem challenges
- fostering an inclusive tech community
- demonstrating measurable and sustainable impact
- driving innovation
List of projects receiving funding
Wales
Tramshed Tech: T[ai]th Start ~ AI Venture Building Challenges in Wales - Tramshed Tech’s AI Innovation Challenge is driving AI capability and innovation across Wales. The programme will equip Welsh talent and businesses with practical AI skills through workshops, mentorship, and hands-on learning, while helping start-ups and scale-ups integrate AI solutions. Alongside this, a series of high-energy sprints and a final showcase will spark new ventures, connecting participants with global tech sponsors, local networks, and investors. This initiative aims to position Wales as a hub for AI-driven growth and entrepreneurship.
Scotland
ScotlandIS: Future Ready In Scotland. This project aims to break down the barriers that often prevent tech founders in rural or remote communities from accessing opportunities typically available in more urban or connected areas through creating peer networks, fostering collaboration, providing targeted training, and connecting isolated founders to national support and organisations.
Game Space: ‘Levelling-Up Scottish Games Startups for Global Success’. Game Space will deliver a bespoke support programme for early-stage Scottish games startups, going beyond traditional accelerators by focusing on community building, peer learning, ethical strategy, and sustainable business growth.
Northern Ireland
AwakenHub Ltd: Activate AI: Bridging Gaps, Boosting Productivity and Growth. Activate AI is a pilot programme by AwakenHub and Tech NI Advocates aimed at boosting AI adoption and productivity among underrepresented founders and SMEs in Northern Ireland. Combining AI-powered tools with hands-on support, the initiative targets women, minorities, and rural entrepreneurs through masterclasses, peer collaboration, and regional showcases.
East Midlands
Allia Impact: Building a tech 4 good ecosystem across East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) - The pilot will offer a structured support pipeline - from rapid prototyping and pre-launch programmes to scale-up and funding readiness - delivered through workshops, mentoring, tech tours, and showcase events. The pilot also aims to address fragmented business support, limited community engagement, and underrepresentation by fostering inclusive entrepreneurship and regional collaboration.
East of England
Tech East: ACT Catalyst: Boosting Advanced Connectivity Technologies (ACT) in the East of England. The pilot will target startups, scaleups, and non-tech SMEs through events, cross-sector panels, and tailored support including funding access, talent pathways, and sector engagement. It aims to raise awareness of ACT (encompassing 5G, 6G, AI integration, and quantum communications) while bridging gaps in visibility, investment, and cross-sector collaboration.
South West
Digital Plymouth: The Digital Plymouth Beyond Boundaries Pilot. The Digital Plymouth Beyond Boundaries Pilot is a pre-accelerator programme designed to address systemic gaps in early-stage support in Plymouth’s tech ecosystem. The pilot aims to provide a direct pathway for creating the next generation of founders through delivering meet ups and events for students and aspiring founders.
South East
Plus X Brighton and the Sussex Innovation Centre: Brighton and Sussex Innovation Partnership for Scale Up Growth. This combined initiative will help early-stage ventures overcome scaling barriers through targeted workshops, expert mentoring, and access to advanced prototyping facilities, while also supporting established “potential scaleups” with tailored interventions to boost AI adoption, quantum awareness, and scale-up readiness. By pooling resources and expertise, the partnership will strengthen the region’s innovation ecosystem and unlock growth across diverse sectors, from CreativeTech to Healthtech.
North West
Cooperative Network Infrastructure Limited: Silicon Sands Ecosystem Catalyst Pilot Project. The programme is designed to attract businesses that rely on high-performance computing and value sustainable infrastructure. Through the pilot project Silicon Sands will look to deliver direct FTE support to the startup and scale up community, combined with creating ‘foundations for growth’, which will put in place the building blocks for success.
Idea to MVP - Tackling Lancashire’s Startup Shortage Through FE-Led Innovation - Northern Reach, in partnership with Blackburn College, is launching Idea to MVP - a targeted initiative to help build a culture of enterprise within Lancashire’s further education (FE) college network and the wider community.
Yorkshire and the Humber
Leeds Digital: Leeds Digital Startup Studio. A peer-to-peer learning model to support at least 30 early-stage and scaling tech businesses across Leeds and West Yorkshire. Unlike traditional accelerators, the Studio is a place-based growth community where founders learn directly from each other, with expert input only where gaps are identified.
Sheffield Digital Limited: Pathways off the Plateau - Scale Up Programme. A programme that will provide targeted support, whether through growth diagnostics, curated introductions, bespoke action plans etc, to at least 30 plateaued digital businesses in Sheffield and South Yorkshire, unlocking their further growth potential. Plateaued businesses are established firms with proven products, services, and revenues, but where growth has stalled due to barriers mainstream accelerators rarely address.
North East
Prepare to Land Ltd: Founder Commons. This pilot addresses the challenges of a lack of experienced founders and global scaling expertise in the region, through intentional community building, led by founders with first-hand experience of growing and scaling tech companies.
West Midlands
TN Naija Ltd: Build Here, Bridge Beyond. Supporting immigrant founders in the West Midlands to scale locally and globally. Many immigrant and first-generation founders in the West Midlands face a unique set of challenges: limited access to trusted professional networks, underrepresentation in high-growth incubators, and a lack of culturally responsive programming. This pilot aims to address these gaps, directly supporting 30+ tech startups in Birmingham, Coventry, and surrounding areas through a structured but flexible learning experience.
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