From breakthrough science to the jobs of the future, the Liverpool City Region’s Innovation Zone takes centre stage this week at its first major public showcase.
A flagship event in the Innovation Investment Fortnight, the 9 June showcase will highlight how bold ambitions are being turned into action—accelerating innovation, attracting investment and creating high-value jobs across one of the UK’s fastest-growing life sciences clusters.
Taking place at The Spine in Paddington Village, the event will demonstrate how the Innovation Zone is already delivering impact-from advances in infection control to developing the workforce of the future-cementing the City Region’s position at the forefront of UK life sciences.
The Innovation Zone brings together two significant national programmes, the LCR Freeport and the Life Sciences Investment Zone, which support investment, business growth and international trade.
Backed by £185m of Government funding, the Innovation Zone programme is set to unlock a further £800m in investment and create up to 8,000 jobs over the next decade, alongside new state-of-the-art facilities, business support and skills programmes.
The Liverpool City Region Freeport acts as a gateway to global trade and a catalyst for investment, innovation and sustainable growth, complementing the Life Science Investment Zone that is taking the cluster to the next level though delivery of new state-of-the-art facilities, business and innovation support, alongside training a new generation of talent.
The showcase is being held just a week after Science and Technology Secretary Liz Kendall revealed that Mayors like Steve Rotheram will be handed control of Local Innovation Partnership funding, after the next Spending Review, to decide on how and where to target regional R&D investment.
And in a further boost to innovation in the City Region, the Combined Authority announced that two ground-breaking science projects at the University of Liverpool are set to receive £23.7m, including the establishment of the world’s first AI centre of excellence to revolutionise chemical materials research.
A packed programme of sessions will bring all of this work to life, including…
- Driving the commercialisation of innovation, led by LYVA Labs and the Science and Technology Facilities Council
- Inspiring and upskilling the workforce of the future, with Knowledge Quarter Liverpool, Inovus Medical and St Helens College
- Place matters, how science Parks, clusters and places of innovation are delivering the UK’s economic ambition, led by Ruth Hall, Chief Executive of the UK Science Park Association
- Leveraging world-class research and innovation expertise, opened by Professor Louise Kenny, Executive Pro Vice Chancellor, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, and featuring Infection Innovation Consortium (iiCON), Alder Hey Innovation and Liverpool John Moores University,
Together, these sessions will demonstrate how the Innovation Zone is not only generating world-leading research, but converting it into real-world impact, fuelling innovation, strengthening the ecosystem and building a pipeline of talent, opportunity and investment.
Ruth Hall, Chief Executive of the UK Science Park Association, will also share insights on how developing state-of-the-art science and innovation facilities is fuelling innovation and unlocking growth.
The event will also feature insights from guest speakers at the forefront of the innovation economy. Dr Samantha Perona of Spotlight Pathology will share her experience of building and scaling a successful life sciences business, offering a first-hand perspective on the strength of the region’s innovation ecosystem.
Additional contributions from FINSA UK and Glass Futures will highlight how Freeport incentives, including tax benefits, infrastructure and strategic support, are enabling businesses to grow, invest and thrive.
As a cornerstone of the region’s economic strategy, the Innovation Zone is positioning itself at the forefront of UK innovation, backed by more than £2 billion in wider investment opportunities and a clear ambition to lead in place-based, high-impact growth.
Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said:
“Innovation only really matters if it improves people’s lives. That’s why we’re making sure the incredible research, talent and creativity we have here in the Liverpool City Region translates into better health, new opportunities and a stronger future for local people.
“We’re already seeing that happen. Whether it’s attracting major investment into our life sciences sector, supporting world-leading research or backing groundbreaking projects like AIM-HI, the University of Liverpool’s new AI centre for materials chemistry, we’re building on our strengths and showing what can be achieved when we back our innovators and give them the tools to succeed.
“The Liverpool City Region has always been a place of pioneers. The Innovation Zone is helping us write the next chapter of that story – bringing together researchers, businesses and local talent to solve some of the biggest challenges we face, attract investment from around the world and create the opportunities that will keep our region thriving for decades to come.”
