Assessing the role of UK Science Parks in foreign TMT firm site-selection

: exploratory firm-level evidence from the M4 Corridor, Oxfordshire and Cambridgeshire

Abstract

Technology, Media and Telecommunications firms (TMTF) constantly search for sites in locations that provide best access to talent, customers, markets and suppliers. The UK is a 'most favoured destination for European FDI and the world’, with a full complement of sites, including Science Parks (SPs), Business Parks and specialist properties. This research analyses site selection in foreign TMTF that ‘landed’ in the UK in 2011/2012, and settled in the M4 Corridor (M4C), Oxfordshire or Cambridgeshire, three of the UKs most technology-intensive sub-regions. With contrasting economic geographies and histories as poles of political, economic and institutional activity, and differing levels of SP penetration, the sub-regions present classic cases in how to attract technology. Oxfordshire and Cambridgeshire are well defined as discrete geographical areas, with world-renowned centres of basic and applied research excellence, successful innovations and a history of policy interventions, inter alia. The M4C is less well defined geographically, with less evidence of research and innovation but a more recent history of inward migration and growing reputation for mature Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs). This exploratory research examined site selection issues from a new perspective to engage with all key stakeholders to uncover the role played by science parks. The research makes several new contributions to science park research, including a conceptual framework that captures the nexus of issues around TMT site selection and UK science parks (including unfamiliarity with a key SP construct (development strategy); a clear typology of TMT firms based on a priori knowledge of SPs (suggesting a disconnect between SP additionality and claims, and TMTF initial siting preferences); the SP strategy most commonly deployed; the most popular reason(s) for siting in SPs and for not siting in SPs); and a differentiated and improved understanding and explanation of the settlement pattern of foreign TMTF in the target sub-regions.

Date of Award	Jan 2016
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Coventry University
Supervisor	David Jarvis (Supervisor), Nigel Berkeley (Supervisor) & Clive Winters (Supervisor)