Often referred to as the city of opportunity, Newcastle continues to live up to the title as, despite the challenges of the pandemic, the city welcomed a record level of investment over the past two years, creating valuable jobs, driving growth across key sectors, and demonstrating confidence in the future of the North East of England.

Newcastle first received devolved powers in 2019 and following the latest announcement around further devolution and the Levelling Up agenda, and having already laid out some impressive goals, the stage is set for the city to step forward and accelerate its position as a global destination.

The North of England’s economy is larger than the economies of most EU countries and it has a significant inheritance of economic assets. Newcastle has welcomed the further commitment set out in the Governments Levelling Up White Paper, which is said to be the largest devolution of power in modern history.

Recently named as the UK’s smartest city and one of the top ten most important tech hubs in the country, the city has experienced an influx of tech companies, feeding into Newcastle’s digital eco systems and is testament to the strength of the city’s tech and digital assets such as the National Innovation Centre for Data, quality tech networks and the proximity to two world-class universities.

Three transformational projects are in the pipeline for Newcastle, including the £350m investment into Newcastle United Football Club, £350m+ arena and conference centre development on Gateshead Quayside and the BBC announcing £25m investment into the region over the next five years. Each project will bolster the city region as a hotbed of innovation, urban sustainability, tangible social and economic impact and act as a catalyst for the growth of Newcastle as a global target for further investment.

Renowned for its open and transparent collaboration between the private and public sector, innovation is a crucial part of the DNA of Newcastle. It is a hub for smart, digital, and sustainable technologies that are helping businesses and people make more informed decisions, helping to tackle some of the world’s most pressing economic and social challenges, such as ageing and climate change, and supporting entrepreneurs, start-ups, and established business to scale.

Newcastle city region is at the forefront of worldwide trends and, thanks to world-leading assets across tech, digital, life sciences and corporate services, is poised to lead the conversation around healthy placemaking, climate-change, the longevity economy and social value.

Newcastle is at the heart of a region of fast growth, innovation and energy. It’s a place that makes history and shapes the future, with most of its knowledge-led industry sectors outpacing other UK regions for growth: in addition, it has been ranked as the third top UK city for scale-up tech investment and is one of the top 10 UK cities to start a business in in 2022.

The city will be taking these exciting opportunities for investment to UKREiiF this May with a regional delegation of public and private sector partners all coming together to shine a light on the region.