The UK has signed a first-ever ‘industrial tech corridor’ agreement with Germany.
The government said the deal – backed by leading German firms Allianz, Bosch, RWE and Siemens – will unlock investment, jobs and opportunity for British business by helping them to strike partnerships.
The flagship initiative under the Kensington Treaty – the UK-German bilateral friendship agreement – comes as Prime Minister Andy Burnham visits Berlin.
Both countries will share a pot of some €20 million (£17m) to help accelerate joint research on quantum – one of the defining technologies of the future which the government says has the potential to add more than £200 billion and some 100,000 jobs to the UK economy by 2045.
It will support projects in a range of areas – from the technology’s use in financial service to quantum sensors, which are already transforming our understanding of conditions like epilepsy and dementia.
Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science & Trade, Jonathan Reynolds, said: “Today’s agreements are great news for British tech, businesses, and workers. They mean more jobs, more investment, and more innovations that will change lives.
“We already work closely with Germany in key areas like AI and Quantum, and today lays a new foundation – combining the strengths of our businesses and innovators so people in both countries will benefit from for years to come.”
Some of Germany’s and UK’s biggest companies are already capitalising.
Germany-based tech firm MicroAGI – a robotics research company headquartered in Munich – will expand their footprint in London, creating 180 new, high-paid jobs. Energy company Proxima Fusion will also expand their base in Culham, with the potential to quadruple their workforce at the site by 2028.
Quantexa, the UK-based AI software company, is also committing to building a dedicated sovereign unit in Germany which will support the technology’s deployment in both countries.
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