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Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly

Cornish entrepreneurs and engineers helped kick-start Britain's first industrial revolution, but the decline of industries such as mining and fishing brought severe challenges during the 1990s.  As a result, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly were classified as an 'Objective One' region within the EU during the period from 2000 until the end of 2007, enabling it to benefit from major structural funding to improve its competitiveness.

Between 2000 and 2003, Cornwall's economic growth outstripped most comparable EU regions, with GDP (gross domestic product) per head rising by over 10%.  The regeneration of parts of Cornwall and the focused investment from the RDA have all contributed towards this area’s next phase of development through the EU 'Convergence' funding (European Regional Development Fund) award of £445 million.  The South West RDA is the managing authority for the ERDF programme.

Major projects driven by the South West RDA in Cornwall include:

The South West RDA's Area Director for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly is Theo Leijser. The Area Team is based at the RDA's Truro Office.

wave hub

CUC Innovation Greenfield Site, Cornwall