West Midlands Investment Zone

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For general enquiries on the Investment Zone as a whole, please contact: WMInvestmentzone@wmca.org.uk

For all investor enquiries, please visit: West Midlands Investment Zone | Invest West Midlands

Introducing the West Midlands Investment Zone

Having been the home of the first industrial revolution, manufacturing remains the beating heart of the West Midlands and is key to our region’s economic success. But now we’re looking to the future of industry: from electric vehicles and alternative fuel technologies to low carbon buildings, from cutting-edge digital platforms to smart health-tech solutions. The West Midlands is host to a multitude of world-class companies and research institutions at the forefront of this new industrial revolution – a revolution powered by technology, skills and enterprise that will make the world a better place for future generations.

The West Midlands Investment Zone will draw on an unprecedented range of tools to support growth in the region’s Advanced Manufacturing sector – broadly defined to encompass electric vehicle and battery technology, green industries, health-tech and the critical underpinning digital platforms. These sub-sectors intersect and overlap with each other, creating a fertile ecosystem for new investors to land in the region and flourish: creating new jobs and skills opportunities for all our communities, and securing the West Midlands’ position as a key driver of national economic success.

The West Midlands Investment Zone will transform our regional economy:

Over 30,000 jobs created
£5.5bn private sector investment catalysed
£1.5bn business rate growth retained for reinvestment into sites and wider economic growth across the region

West Midlands Investment Zone - Sites and Programmes

The West Midlands Investment Zone will be driven by 3 key sites – each focusing on areas of strength, but each coming together to present compelling investment propositions across the region. Each site will be catalysed by an unprecedented combination of public capital investment, and in some instances, tax incentives.

Birmingham Knowledge Quarter

The Birmingham Knowledge Quarter (BKQ) will develop research institutes and advanced manufacturing facilities to boost innovation and economic growth.

Coventry & Warwick Gigapark

The GigaPark aims to establish a large-scale facility for commercial battery manufacture, recycling, and reuse to become the UK's largest cluster for battery technology and manufacturing.

Wolverhampton Green Innovation Corridor

The Wolverhampton Green Innovation Corridor, will invigorate the region's advanced manufacturing sector by supporting the supply chain adaptation and to address constraints in the local labour market.

Enabled by a collaborative regional governance model, as well as a set of interventions and tools empowered by Government:

25-year Business Rate Retention for two sites
10-year Tax Incentives across two sites
Regional Business Support, Skills and R&D Programmes and Delivery Capacity Funding
Site Unlocking Capital and Revenue Funding