Investing in Urban Innovation - Beltech
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Investing in Urban Innovation
Our ambition Key strengths
Belfast is a city of creators and inventors. Belfast’s knowledge economy
Innovation is in our DNA. Down the generations sector is the engine of
we have demonstrated a resilience and an our ambition. Our fintech,
ingenuity firmly grounded in grass-roots cybersecurity, software and
entrepreneurship. IT sectors are amongst the
We are home to a vibrant and engaged community of fastest growing in the UK.
businesses, researchers, corporations, SMEs, start-ups
Across the region over 40,000 people
and incubators. Together, supported by a determined city
are employed in the knowledge
leadership, we are collaborating on shared global challenges
economy sector with 7,000 employed
such as healthy urban living, mobility and sustainable energy.
in research and development.
Our collaborative approach draws from a deep well of research
Data science is an important sub-
excellence and strong digital economy clusters in areas such
sector, with companies building
as fintech, cyber security, bioscience and artificial intelligence.
strengths in AI technologies. Between
We have exciting emerging clusters in life and health sciences
them, our two universities are home
focusing on data-driven and connected technologies that will
to six major clusters of AI research
transform the health of our citizens.
excellence including hardware, core
Smart Belfast is a statement of our collective intent to harness data science, medicine and robotics.
knowledge, assets and investments to drive a transformative
Our region’s life and health sciences
once-in-a-lifetime innovation and inclusive economic growth
sector generates more than £800
programme. This ambition will be greatly accelerated by a
million in sales each year. Our
forthcoming £1 billion Belfast Region City Deal investment in
universities are among the UK’s top ten
research excellence, digital connectivity, skills and economic
locations for bioscience research.
and regeneration initiatives.
By 2030, Belfast’s knowledge economy
sector has the potential to deliver
an additional £3 billion of GVA and
generate 80,000 new jobs.
02
#1 #1
#1 international
investment location #1 global destination
for USA cybersecurity for financial
development technology
projects investment
#1 European
city for new
medical software
development
One of the fastest 2nd fastest growing
growing creative knowledge economy
industry clusters in in the UK
the UK
03
Our foundations for
digital innovation
Belfast Digital Innovation
Partnership
A city leadership group established by
Belfast City Council, Queen’s University
Belfast, Ulster University, Belfast Harbour
and Catalyst, with a collective ambition to
weave digital innovation into all aspects
of our economy, our infrastructure and
urban and healthcare services for the
collective benefit of our citizens.
It is an action-orientated group focused on
decision-making and delivery. Belfast’s first
Digital Innovation Commissioner works with
the group to drive this ambition globally.
The Belfast Innovation Challenge
Fund
An initial £60 million fund aimed at industry
and researchers to help generate innovative
solutions to major urban challenges in areas
such as health, mobility and decarbonisation.
It will encourage new forms of collaboration
between industry, academia, government and
wider society.
04
Centres of Research Excellence Digital fabric
Queen’s University Belfast and Ulster University Industry has committed to making Belfast one
are establishing new centres of research of the first UK cities to offer 5G services. The city
excellence that build on their existing strengths is enhancing this with additional investments
and offer a unique resource to drive economic in gigabyte fibre and next generation wireless.
recovery and urban transformation. These Enhanced connectivity will include:
centres are in the heart of Smart Belfast:
• 10 Gbps fast fibre, additional LTE and WiFi
• The Global Innovation Institute: coverage
Offering co-innovation between research and • Internet of Things networks for urban services
industry, harnessing AI and big data research • 5G network densification to support Industry
expertise to deliver a One Health agenda. 4.0
• Centre for Digital Healthcare Technology: • A unique urban data platform for infrastructure
A world-class space for researchers, industry and data sharing.
and clinicians to innovate in Life and Health
Sciences solutions including connected
health and tele-medicine technologies.
• Institute of Research Excellence for Digital Innovation Office
Advanced Clinical Healthcare (iREACH):
Providing technical expertise to the partnership,
A unique ecosystem driven by researchers,
industry, researchers, start-ups and communities
industry, the NHS and government
to support the design and initiation of
to test new drugs and support their
programmes. It offers:
integration into health care pathways.
• An ‘Urban Sandbox’ to lower infrastructure,
• Screen and Media Innovation Lab: regulatory and other barriers to innovation.
Seeking to exploit and embed bleeding edge
• A Belfast Data Trust for ethical data sharing,
technologies in the creative industries.
analytics and routes to commercialisation.
• Advanced Manufacturing Innovation • Ready access to connectivity, research
Centre: Supporting industry to excellence, innovators, SME networks and
adopt rapidly maturing, disruptive industry.
technologies such as AI, robotics and • A vehicle for joint financing and investment.
next generation wireless networks.
05
Smart District
We have strategically selected The Innovation District
three initial locations that offer Built on the foundations of Belfast’s engineering
excellence, resiliency and creativity, the
particularly rich environments
Innovation District will be a flourishing
for our innovation community world-class hub for research, innovation and
to collaborate on research; for entrepreneurialism.
businesses to form and scale; for The district forms a sweeping arc from Ulster
investments to flourish; and for University’s new £250 million purpose-built
next generation urban services to campus, running through City Quays and
emerge. the Odyssey pavilion, and north along Titanic
Quarter to the Catalyst Campus where Queen’s
Collectively, these locations University’s proposed Global Innovation Institute
represent a global showcase of our will be located.
wider city ambition. It covers almost 400 acres of the city, with the
capacity to create homes for 10,000 people,
employment space for over 30,000 jobs and
educational space for 25,000 academics and
students.
This will be a community for creative innovation
where entrepreneurs, innovators, start-ups,
researchers and large enterprises collide in a
rich, mixed use, digitally connected waterfront
environment.
06
The Smart Core The Smart Port
Belfast’s city centre is undergoing a generational Belfast Harbour is the second largest port
transformation as partners look to create an on the island of Ireland, handling 70% of
integrated cultural, retail and living environment Northern Ireland’s trade and 20% of that of
for the coming decade. Major new investments are the entire island of Ireland.
planned by both the private and public sectors to
The 2,000 acre Harbour Estate is the
meet this ambition. The successful emergence of a
largest in the UK and is a key economic
transformed city centre is a key priority in the city’s
hub for the region. It is home to 760
recovery.
businesses across a vibrant sectoral mix
We have plans to greatly increase the area’s including a number of leading tourist
residential population, grow new businesses and attractions and the largest film studios in
deliver new forms of urban services. the UK, outside of Pinewood Studios.
As the world’s urban population grows, the demand With substantial investments in
for advanced urban services has created a rapidly infrastructure and digital technologies,
expanding market, worth an estimated £2.5 trillion Belfast Harbour aims to become a Smart
by 2025. Port and Green Port, as well as the world’s
best regional port.
The Smart District is an unique opportunity for
companies to design and deliver innovative urban
services in a supportive real-world environment;
one that offers an ‘urban sandbox’ that reduces the
complex barriers to in situ innovation.
07
Key Investments
Innovation District 7) W5’s Digital Skills Academy (P) 14) The Sixth 20) BT Ireland Innovation
1) Global Innovation Institute Microsoft is investing £1 million A £80m mixed-use scheme Centre
A £54m AI hub drawing together in a new academy, creating with 30,000m² of commercial A £28m R&D centre with Ulster
the leading-edge skills of three a DreamSpace digital skills space, including state-of- University, focused on advanced
research institutes: The Institute experience for school-age young the-art workspace and active research in IoT, AI, 5G and data
of Electronics, Communications people. ground floor uses such as cafés, analytics.
and Information Technology, restaurants and retail.
The Institute of Health Sciences 8) Advanced Manufacturing 21) Ulster Bank Accelerator Hub
and The Institute of Global Food Innovation Centre (P) 15) Screen and Media Based at Ulster Bank’s iconic
Security. The £86m AMIC will work Innovation Lab (P) Belfast headquarters, the
with industry to develop new A £40m world-leading hub is home to Entrepreneur
2) Catalyst manufacturing technologies, research and innovation centre Accelerator companies.
A 25-acre site providing 300,000 including design work at the to accelerate the creative
sq ft (with plans to increase to 1 Advanced Composites and industries sector in Belfast, 22) Ormeau Baths
million sq ft) of agile workspace Engineering Centre in Belfast. already one of the fastest Originally a Victorian bathhouse,
for 3,000 people and 130 growing creative clusters in now an award-winning co-
companies including Microsoft, 9) Belfast Waterside (P) the UK and home to over 1,600 working space for some of our
IBM, SAP, Philips and Citi Group. A £450 million development companies employing 20,000 brightest and best tech start-
Catalyst is a community of on 16 acres of prime riverfront people. ups. Supported by over 20 global
like-minded innovators in an land, providing places to live, partners and home to Ignite NI,
entrepreneurial ecosystem, play, work and stay. It will feature Smart Core Energia and Digital Catapult NI.
helping to drive the knowledge BEON, a space dedicated to 16) Belfast Destination Hub (P)
economy. training and generating talent, a A signature cultural visitor 23) Catalyst Belfast Fintech
destination in the heart of the Hub
place where ideas can be tested,
3) Titanic Film Studios city featuring: the Belfast Story A partnership with Danske Bank
developed and shaped.
One of Europe’s largest film contemporary visitor experience; and Catalyst, this co-working
studios, attracting producers the Belfast Film Centre; creative space is dedicated to our early
10) City Quays
such as HBO and Universal. and digital skills spaces; stage tech companies that have
A £275 million, eight hectare,
Main studio and post-production office-led waterfront inspirational architecture and ambitions to scale in the global
facility for HBO’s fantasy series, civic spaces. finance space.
regeneration project located on
Game of Thrones. former docklands.
17) Tribeca Belfast (P) 24) Weaver’s Cross (P)
4) Titanic Belfast A prime 12-acre city centre A £380m transport led
11) Belfast Harbour
The world’s largest Titanic visitor regeneration scheme, investing regeneration project which
Commissioners
experience, attracting over six £500m to deliver 1.5 million sq will link a new high capacity
Headquarters of Belfast Harbour
million visitors since it opened ft of residential, office, retail, transport hub with mixed-use
since 1847.
in 2012. hospitality and cultural space. development opportunities.
12) Ulster University campus
5) Belfast Metropolitan College 18) Belfast Streets Ahead 25) I-REACH (P)
£250m investment in Ulster
One of the largest colleges in the A major public realm £49m state-of-the-art,
University’s new Belfast campus,
UK, providing further and higher improvement scheme, including integrated clinical research
delivering a world-class facility
education for 40,000 students, surfacing, lighting, landscaping, facility, leading large scale
to 15,000 students and staff.
with qualifications in areas such street furniture and public art. clinical trials, supported by real-
as cybersecurity, immersive world, real-time data.
13) Centre for Digital Health
technology, visual effects and 19) Inner North West
Technologies (P)
computer games development. A 42 acre city centre site 26) King’s Hall Health and
A £45m Ulster University
incorporating residential, Wellbeing Park (P)
centre for digital healthcare
6) Olympic House (P) commercial, retail and leisure, A £100m project to create one of
and associated living labs in the
150,000ft2 of Grade A office together offering a sustainable the UK’s most innovative health
areas of cardiology, diabetes,
space offering a quality, efficient respiratory and stroke. and integrated urban living and wellbeing hubs, aiming
and sustainable working environment. to transform the provision of
environment. integrated healthcare.
08
8
1 2 The Belfast Dublin corridor
Dublin
Looking beyond the city, the
corridor with a population of
over three million can become
London
an internationally significant
3 hub for digital innovation,
research and trade.
4 5
6
9
7
27
10 20
11
Smart Port
27) Belfast Harbour
As part of a £245m investment,
Belfast Harbour aims to become a 15 12
E
Smart Port. 14 22
13 21
This includes: 16
Port Community Platform -
providing information to increase 19 18 N S
the efficiency of freight movements 17
and transactions.
23 W
Mobility solutions - empowering
personnel in the field with access to
information.
(P) = Planned development
IoT solutions - improving asset
management through sensors and Innovation District
information reporting
Digital Twin - a complete digital Smart Core
representation of the Harbour and
its assets. 24 Smart Port
26 25
09The Opportunities Global health care cluster
Drawing from the research excellence of our universities
and utilising the investments in the Global Innovation
As the city responds to the Institute, the Centre for Digital Health Care Technologies
challenges and opportunities and i-REACH, we aim to make Belfast a global
centre for AI-enabled healthcare technologies.
of the post-Covid period, we
Industry, government and our universities will work
believe the Smart District is
together to foster a dense cluster of 500 life and health
well-placed to be an innovation sciences companies employing over 20,000 people.
multiplier for the digital
transformation of our city.
Reimagining our Healthy urban living
high street
We aim to grow the
Major retail, residential residential population of
and public space our city centre with major
investments are planned investments in student
for the city centre over housing and multi-
the coming decade. As generational homes.
Accelerate our digital economy cluster online retail transactions As the city balances
continue to grow, the sustainable densification
The Innovation District is already part of Smart District will provide with post-Covid social
the success story that has made Belfast access to technological distancing challenges,
the number one centre for global FinTech innovations to support we have the opportunity
investments. Building on this success retailers, businesses to work with planners,
and our research excellence in cyber and city planners, to investors and our life and
security, coupled with our world-leading successfully navigate to healthcare innovators to
AI research, we now are ready to become a new form of high street. rethink the design of our
a world class digital economy cluster. urban neighbourhoods.
10Reskilling for the Gateway to Europe and beyond
AI economy
With the UK exiting the European and digital technologies, Belfast
Working with communities, Union, a successful Belfast Port is Harbour aims to become a Smart
our universities, colleges, a critical element of the Belfast and Port and Green Port, as well as
schools and industry regional economy. With substantial the world’s best regional port.
to deliver programmes investments in infrastructure
to prepare our citizens
for the challenges and
opportunities of an AI
Energy transition Active Belfast
economy. The recovery,
including the leap Northern Ireland has enviable Our city remains overly dependent
to remote-learning, levels of installed renewable on the private car, particularly for the
presents an opportunity energy generation, particularly work commute. The whole district,
to rethink how we design from wind and we have from City Hall and along the shores of
and deliver vehicles for potential for much more. Our the maritime mile to Titanic Quarter,
education and training. challenge is transmission, is ready to make the transition to
storage and better energy active modes of travel; last mile
AI is expected to impact management. We have the delivery solutions; and to prepare
on 70,000 jobs across the opportunity in the district for the large scale usage of EV.
region. The District, home to test and scale new
to Belfast Met - the regional technologies, including district Digitally-enabled urban mobility
college for digital skills and scale hydrogen networks. solutions can support the city
W5’s new DreamSpace - And to work with transport in this transition – whilst also
offers an opportunity to work agencies, water management offering opportunities for new
hand in glove with partners bodies, industry and planners businesses to develop services
to design, test and deliver to bake-in renewables for in a smart mobility market valued
courses that ensure growth a sustainable Belfast. at £20 billion globally by 2024.
is felt across communities.
Belfast Destination Hub
We are developing a new contemporary visitor to explore how we can tell our stories in new and
experience to complement the global success of innovative ways. Contemporary cultural tourism
Titanic Belfast. We have the opportunity to ignite expectations requires us to think deeply about
collaboration between state-of-the-art experience how digital innovation can help us tell the story of
designers, the Screen and Media Lab, the NI film Belfast to the world and improve the attractiveness
and screen industry and the city’s cultural sector and liveability of the city as a leading destination.
11BCC910 v9 Published June 2020
If you want to hear more or invest in
Belfast’s digital innovation ambition,
we would like to talk to you.
smartbelfast@belfastcity.gov.uk
www.smartbelfast.city
#smartbelfast
One of the major sources of funding for
the Belfast Digital Innovation ambition
is the Belfast Region City Deal which
aims to secure a transformational
change in the city region’s economy.
Read more: www.belfastcity.gov.uk/
belfastregioncitydealYou can also read
