The Cambridge Technology Cluster - a blueprint for the future?
Interview with Dr Elizabeth Garnsey, discussing the strengths and weaknesses of Cambridge's high tech cluster of companies and the potential for Cambridge's Silicon Fen to provide an industrial blueprint for Britain as a whole.
Dr Elizabeth Garnsey, Reader in Innovation Studies, University of Cambridge Institute for Manufacturing.
Could the Cambridge hi-tech cluster offer a blueprint for the future of the UK economy? Cambridge firms have a much higher success rate than average and were more resilient to the technology downturn than California's Silicon Valley - but is a recent fall in the number of start-ups cause for concern? Dr Elizabeth Garnsey, Reader in Innovation Studies at Cambridge University, has been tracking the progress of Cambridge technology firms since the 1980s. She describes some of the innovative business models followed by Cambridge companies and discusses the strengths and weaknesses of the Cambridge model.
The interview is based around a seminar given by Dr Garnsey as part of the IfM's Manufacturing Thursdays seminars, a new series focused on manufacturing topics. The free weekly seminars offer presentations on all aspects of manufacturing – from management related issues, manufacturing processes and novel technologies, to industrial policy.
