Local Digital Index 2023

Really good to see the latest Local Digital Index from techUK showing the East of England tech ecosystem doing well on many fronts and ranked 3rd overall in the UK. East Anglia (Cambridge, Norfolk, and Suffolk) performing well in innovation and investment. Great to see recognition of real advances in digital skills in Essex. But lots more work is needed on better infrastructure to underpin further success. Tim Robinson COO Tech East

Local Digital Index 2023

The Local Digital Index, which has expanded significantly since its inception in response to the evolving tech landscape, offers valuable insights into key aspects of the UK’s tech ecosystem. This is a guide that describes the impact and value technology can bring to a region, showcasing its strengths and providing direction for development. It can be used by policy makers to address the challenges faced by each nation and region in the UK more confidently using data that shows where investment should be directed. The Index helps build a strong tech ecosystem between sectors, policy makers, companies and government by providing data that encourages collaboration between regions.

Three years on, the Local Digital Index still presents a varied picture of the UK’s tech sector across the nations and regions amidst challenging economic conditions, both domestically and internationally. While the digital ecosystems across the UK have overall improved since 2020 thanks to government and business intervention, a concern emerges that technological innovation may be outpacing the speed at which the UK is embracing these transformative changes.

techUK’s Local Digital Index shows there are great examples of innovation, funding, skills, connectivity and more across the UK. To track and monitor this in the future there must be a move to improve the data captured, shared and analysed. Making more of this data publicly available helps to see the true picture of our digital sector and economy.