'First of its kind' US tech deal for West of England

THE West of England has struck a landmark technology deal with the US aimed driving growth and investment in quantum businesses across the region.

- HANNAH BAKER

The agreement was signed by the West of England Combined Authority (Weca), the University of Bristol and the largest regional quantum consortium in America, Elevate Quantum, on Tuesday, November 4.

It is hoped the deal - the first of its kind in the UK - will lead to the creation of jobs across the West Country and the Mountain West region of the US (Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming).

Areas of cooperation to drive growth include aligning academic research with industry needs, integrating supply chains and supporting scale-up quantum businesses.

This transatlantic agreement follows the first ever Tech Prosperity Deal signed between the UK and US in September, which saw £280bn of new investment committed by British and North American firms.

Among them was NVIDIA, a key partner in developing the £225m Isambard-AI - the UK’s most powerful supercomputer - with the University of Bristol and HPE at the NCC and Bristol and Bath Science Park. It also builds on January's UK-Colorado deal to increase trade, strengthen business links, and enhance academic ties to boost research.