Showcasing innovation at the heart of the West of England

This week, we were pleased to welcome the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Steve Reed OBE MP, alongside the West of England Mayor, Helen Godwin, and the Mayoral Council to NCC.

Bringing together ministers and regional mayors to the West of England for the first time, the visit offered an opportunity to demonstrate how innovation is delivered in practice. Delegates were given a tour of NCC by Katy Riddington, Chief Portfolio Officer, showcasing how our facilities, people and regional and national partnerships are directly benefitting industry.

“It was great to welcome ministers and regional mayors to NCC and show them first-hand how we are delivering for some of the UK’s most important growth sectors. What they saw is a connected innovation ecosystem, where universities, businesses and organisations like NCC work together to turn ideas into real-world impact.” –Katy Riddington - Chief Portfolio Officer, NCC

From capability to application

At NCC, we support businesses to move from research into application, providing access to advanced equipment, engineering expertise and collaborative programmes that help ideas scale.

During the visit, delegates saw how our teams are helping companies improve productivity, reduce risk and bring new products and processes to market across sectors including aerospace, energy and defence.

With nearly 400 engineers and an extensive technology portfolio, NCC provides industry with the equipment, deep technical leadership and environment needed to develop and industrialise new solutions.

“It was a pleasure to welcome ministers and regional mayors to NCC and share how we support UK industry. By connecting research with industrial capability, we help businesses innovate, scale and compete, delivering impact both regionally and nationally.” – Dr Jo Dally, Chief Business Officer, NCC

As part of the visit, delegates were also introduced to Isambard-AI, the UK’s most powerful supercomputer, hosted by the University of Bristol’s Bristol Centre for Supercomputing and located at NCC.

A region delivering growth

The visit comes at a time of strong momentum for the West of England. Since 2019, the regional economy has grown four times faster than the national average and is now worth more than £54 billion, with over 100,000 jobs created in the past decade.

With plans for the UK’s first AI Supercluster and 72,000 new jobs over the coming years, the region is well placed to build on this progress, supported by closer collaboration and increased regional decision-making.

Working together to make a difference

By bringing together government, industry and academia, it demonstrated how organisations like NCC help connect capability with opportunity, supporting businesses, strengthening supply chains and contributing to long-term growth.

This kind of collaboration doesn’t always make headlines, but it drives industrial impact today.