The Spring 2008 issue of the Cambridge Technopole Report has just been published by St Johns Innovation Centre with support from the Cambridge Network and the Institute for Manufacturing.

This report provides an overview of the history, selected key organisations and their activities, and the challenges and opportunities facing the Cambridge high technology business cluster.

In this issue, in addition to the regular updates on investment, events and organisations, three particular questions are raised:

1. Should the Cambridge Technopole become part of a wider 'supercluster' linking Cambridge with Oxford and London?
   
   
2. What is the role of public support for the on-going growth of the Technopole? 
   
   
3. What are the core business and technological strengths within the Technopole, and are these changing?

Report co-author Dr Tim Minshall commented: "There have been some recent mixed messages about the performance of the Technopole. I think that there is now a real need to put in place mechanisms to help us understand and focus upon the core strengths of Cambridge to allow us to build on the successes achieved to date."

Walter Herriot noted: "This is a critical time in the development of the Cambridge Cluster. We need to invigorate ourselves by building on our strengths yet ensure that we support exciting new technologies and innovations that are emerging."

From the perspective of the report's sponsor, the Cambridge Network, Dr Peter Hewkin added: "Cambridge is acknowledged as a source of 'Ideas that Change the World' - in the 21st Century there will be new ideas and we need to make sure that the cluster can facilitate new ways to exploit these. I am confident that we will succeed in this endeavour."

The report is available for download here.