The Recovery Roadmap Report 2020: Foreword

In the wake of the COVID-19 challenge, the government has delivered a series of unprecedented schemes to lessen the blow to the economy, and these are welcomed.

However, they are all broad-brush initiatives, and to continue an analogy, miss the detail and precision of a finer brush. Now is the time for focused support which truly understands and overcomes local problems which, when successfully delivered across the country, will provide a solution for true levelling-up. Understanding what this laser-guided support might look like was the rationale for the Roadmap to Recovery Summit. In less than three weeks, the UK Tech Cluster Group assembled over 400 people from more than 100 local, regional and national public sector organisations to participate in the event.

These decision-makers are best placed to influence and support an economic recovery across the UK at all levels of government. In inviting them to attend, we hoped to give them insights into how the tech sector can accelerate our economic recovery, both as a sector in its own right, as well as an enabler of productivity and growth across all other sectors.

This report summarises the dialogues that were held on the day, reflecting learning and ideas from grassroots ecosystems running the depth and breadth of the UK. It also makes a series of seven recommendations which we want all policy makers to understand, and action, to make a meaningful difference both nationally and locally.

More so now than ever, I heard at the event a clear ambition to utilise digital tech to bring about a step-change in our economies. But let me be blunt: national investment delivered at a local level is not a usual approach. It will be difficult to adapt and implement at the speed our economic recovery needs. Recognising this problem is one of the reasons the UK Tech Cluster Group formed. Understanding local ecosystems in near real-time is something we do every day.

We also recognise that working in partnership is key. All of the recommendations we present in this report acknowledge the current means of delivery, and are focused around adding value to these activities, not displacing them. We have laid the groundwork to understand the problems, and we have presented our ideas for solutions.

Now is the time for action. The UK Tech Cluster Group stands ready to work with government and local stakeholders to ensure that targeted support is delivered to our regions and nations, and to support the conditions necessary to ensure a rapid return on investment.