digital west midlands
London
We are pleased to share that WMCA have now launched the West Midlands Digital
Roadmap, which was unveiled recently at WM Venturefest. Please see the official
press release below: WMCA unveils plan for region’s digital future The West
Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has launched its plan to give the region a
digital reboot, with an aim to tackle digital exclusion, reach net zero and
support a post-Covid recovery. The WMCA Digital Roadmap was presented at
Venturefest West Midlands, one of the region’s top business events for digital
entrepreneurs. This year’s keynote speaker was Ben Francis, the West
Midlands-based founder of billion-dollar sportswear brand Gymshark. The plan
outlines five missions to digitise the region, including becoming the UK’s best
digitally connected region and increasing access to digital opportunities by
tackling digital exclusion. The plan will build on the successes of the region’s
5G testbed and its innovation in transport, and make the most unique regional
opportunities like HS2, the Commonwealth Games, and Coventry City of Culture.
The Digital Roadmap was launched at Venturefest by Andy Street, Mayor of the
West Midlands. He said: “This Roadmap sets out an ambitious plan for the West
Midlands – to become a technologically advanced, forward looking digital
economy, where everybody has access to the internet and data is used to improve
our public services. Imbedding the latest technology into our economy will also
help us reach net zero, where innovation still has a huge role to play in
reducing the burden on us to change the way we live our lives. “Growth has been
impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, but despite the adversity, there is also
opportunity. The pandemic has accelerated the switch to digital and highlighted
the need for a better-connected economy. To bounce back, we must weave digital
into the way we do business. This means more digital bootcamps to train us for
the jobs of the future; more digital devices to connect our residents to
opportunities; and more innovation to help us reduce our carbon footprint and
save the planet.” The Roadmap has been developed over the last six months and
has been approved by the WMCA Board. As well as aiming to make the West Midlands
the most digitally connected region in the UK, the roadmap aims to address the
issue of the ‘digital divide’. Since the start of the pandemic many firms have
quickly adapted to their employees working from home and communicating online.
However, lots of small business have struggled to adopt technology fast enough
and some families have struggled with home schooling due to a lack of devices or
unaffordable connections. The plan sets out to ensure the region remains number
one in leadership on 5G, there will be an accelerated full fibre rollout, and 4G
connectivity will be boosted. The roadmap highlights key sectors to support
where the region is already globally competitive: Connected and Autonomous
Vehicles (CAV) in Coventry; data-driven healthcare in Birmingham and Solihull,
and the gaming industry’s ‘Silicon Spa’ in Warwickshire. Venturefest West
Midlands was founded to provides entrepreneurs, investors and innovators to
meet, engage and exchange ideas for co-operation and collaboration, particularly
in the fields of science and emerging technologies. It is led by the WMCA along
with local enterprise partnerships, universities and business organisations.
Also speaking at the event was Kari Lawler who launched a start-up at the age of
14 and is also a member of the Young Combined Authority said: “Through my AI
youth initiative, YOUTH4AI I have been able to communicate to young people the
importance and possibilities of AI. “The West Midlands has a young population
which will benefit from a decrease in the digital divide and an increase in
digital connectivity.” Cllr Patrick Harley, WMCA portfolio lead for Culture and
Digital and leader of Dudley Council said: “Digital connectivity is going to be
vital to our economic recovery and harnessing digital innovation will enable
economic growth for the next decade and beyond. “This roadmap will help us
realise the potential of digital to transform our economy and build economic
resilience, firmly putting the West Midlands on the map as the most digitally
connected region.”
