Published: February 6, 2026 at 11:00 am
For all the discussion around the UK’s innovation economy, one reality is often missed.
Some of the most exciting, world-class technologies are emerging not from London, Oxford or Cambridge, but from universities across the North.
The real challenge is not the quality of the research. It is how that research is converted into scalable commercial ventures, and whether those businesses can stay rooted in the regions where they began.
Northern universities are producing extraordinary research. With the right mix of capital, commercial expertise and regional commitment, they can also produce the next wave of globally significant businesses, without those businesses having to leave home to succeed.