ICT

The Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector in South West England is one of the region's largest and most dynamic sectors. There are approximately 70,000 people working in the ICT sector in the South West, representing 3.4% of total employment in the region. 
 
Here are just some of the key statistics for ICT in South West England:

Please note that these are the latest figures available from the Office of National Statistics & the OECD International statistics from the OECD Information Technology Outlook 2000 
 
The Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector in South West England is one of the region's largest and most dynamic sectors. There are approximately 70,000 people working in the ICT sector in the South West, representing 3.4% of total employment in the region.  
 
The South West has attracted many of the of the world's leading ICT companies and is proving itself to be a fast growth, progressive region, more than ready to compete in the global markets of the 21st century. This growth is expected to increase, driven by developments in new technology. The region has particular strengths in the following sub sectors:

Wireless Communications

The region is well established as a major developer and supplier of GSM and UMTS mobile phone technology. Examples of these regional strengths can be seen in companies such as Toshiba, Motorola and Lucent Technologies, which have all located global headquarters for mobile technologies in the region. These global companies work alongside a raft of smaller companies engaged in R&D in many new areas of communications (HSDPA, Wi-max, SDR etc). The region's universities support the overall competitiveness of the telecommunications sub sector by working on 'leading-edge' collaborative projects with industry.

Optoelectronics

South West England has a long history as a centre for optoelectronics research and product development. Firms operating in the region include Bookham Technology, Qinetiq, Sifam and Thales Optronics. The region's key strengths in the field of optoelectronics include photonic crystal fibre technology, wavelength division multiplexers, optical wave guides, flat screen displays and microwave device technology. The Universities of Bath, Bristol, Exeter and Plymouth all have particular strengths in optoelectronics and have produced a number of spin-out businesses.

Semiconductor

South West England is now globally recognised as the European Centre for semiconductor design, with over 1/3 of the UK's designers in the region. The strength in this sub-sector is borne out by the global leaders such as ST Microelectronics, Lattice Semiconductors, Infineon and Broadcom, who work alongside smaller indigenous companies such as Clearspeed, Elixent, Icera Semiconductors and picoChip. The semi-conductor design sub-sector in the South West is supported by industry networks such as the Bristol Silicon Network (BSN), a networking and collective meeting arena for silicon designers.

Software

The region is particularly strong in the field of software, with more than 3,000 companies located across the South West. This encompasses all aspects of software including consultancy and supply encompassing applications, development, service and support. Companies that comprise this sub sector include Messagelabs, the leading provider of managed e-mail security services; Logica CMG, a global provider of IT consultancy, systems development and integration and Praxis Critical Systems Ltd, which specialises in advanced software engineering.

Information Storage

The South West has deep expertise in the Information Storage business, developing new, innovative ways to capture and access data. There is a strong tradition with Hewlett-Packard's Network Storage Solutions Bristol group having worldwide responsibility for the design and development of tape backup products. At the leading edge of development, Nanomagnetics increases the density of storage media by a factor of 200; its solutions represent the most dramatic media innovation in over a decade. The Universities of Plymouth and Exeter have the leading research departments in the UK for information Storage. They are currently working on new developments in PCRAM and MRAM. Elsewhere in the region, research into electrically-pumped blue-violet laser Diodes and new, ultra-high density storage techniques is being conducted at the Universities of Bath and Bristol.

Higher Education Expertise

The ability to develop next generation products is one of the key criteria for businesses choosing to locate in South West England. Many larger companies look to the region's universities for support on R&D, graduate and post-graduate training for continuous personal development of staff. Examples of specialist strengths at individual universities include: 
 
University of Bath 
Human Computer Interaction (HCI)  
 
Bath Spa University  
Interactive Multimedia 
International Centre for Digital and Interactive Audio 
 
Bournemouth University 
Human-Computer Systems Research Group  
Microelectronics and Multimedia Communications Research Centre 
National Centre for Computer Animation  
 
University of Bristol 
Department of Computer Science  
Advanced Computing Research Centre  
Centre for Communications Research  
Digital Media Group 
Mobile and Wearable Computing Group 
Software Languages and Architecture Group 
Software System Verification Group 
 
University of Exeter 
Department of Computer Science 
Exeter Advanced Technologies 
 
University of Plymouth 
Centre for Research in Information Storage Technology (CRIST)  
Institute for Digital Arts and Technology (IDAT) 
The Network Research Group (NRG) 
 
University of the West of England 
Centre for Complex Cooperative Systems  
Digital Media Research Centre  
Intelligent Autonomous Systems Laboratory 
Intelligent Computer Systems Centre 

Incubation Facilities and Science Parks

Creating an environment for small ICT focussed companies to grow is an important factor for a successful economy. ICT businesses need flexible working space in close proximity to research partners. South West England offers a wide range of options, including space at all its key university campuses. Other examples include Plymouth's Tamar Science Park, Bristol Science Park, Carpenter House Innovation Centre and SETsquared Centres in Bristol, Bath and Swindon.  
 
For more information on incubation and Science Parks please see (link to section on corporate website on Incubation - http://www.southwestrda.org.uk/what-we-do/business-growth/incubation.shtm) or visit the Business Incubation South West network (BISW) - A full list of incubators that are members of BISW are given on their website: http://www.bisw.co.uk/ 
 
For further information on the sub sectors detailed above please see the individual data sheets on the publications page of this site.