The Growth Service
There is a free personal service for businesses associated with Enterprise M3 key and niche sectors, which aims to connect businesses with experts to help their growth plans.
Find out more about the Growth Service.
Priority Sectors
There is a high concentration of knowledge-based industries in the Enterprise M3 area, such as computing, digital media, aerospace, defence, pharmaceuticals, advanced engineering and professional services. Our four priority sectors are Aerospace and Defence, ICT and Digital Media, Pharmaceuticals and Professional and Business Services.
Aerospace and Defence
These are highly important sectors for the local economy with supply chains embracing a wide range of other sectors and are vital to generating business for knowledge-based, high value added industries as well as traditional sectors and services locally. The Aerospace sector has some of the best research and development facilities globally and has a concentration of employment that is double the national average.
ICT & Digital Media
The EM3 region has been highly successful in creating and nurturing computer, gaming, digital and creative technology businesses with 10,000 creative media technology businesses in the region. Employment in this sector, at around 8% of the labour market, is well above the national and regional average.
Pharmaceuticals
With 250 pharmaceutical businesses the region is home to some of the world's leading companies in pharmaceuticals, life sciences and health care. There are several centres of excellence in the region that give potential for high growth and innovative companies to gain competitive advantage from. Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare combined employ around 84,000 people locally making this the area's most significant sector in terms of employment.
Professional and Business Services
Many of the UK's major financial and professional services firms have a base in the Enterprise M3 area. In 2014 there were 13,500 professional services businesses and some 1,900 financial services firms in the region. The value of the sector is estimated at around £6 billion to the local economy and employs over 60,000 people.
Niche sectors
Investment into our niche sectors will provide Enterprise M3 the potential to lead the world and we have designed a number of EU funded interventions around this. These interventions focus around encouraging world-class research, commercialisation of this research, encouraging international trade and inward investment into the area's high value sectors and the scaling up of successful existing innovation models to support a wider number of SMEs.
5G Telecommunications
The 5G Innovation Centre based in Surrey is the world's first dedicated research centre for 5G telecommunications technology. As the technology is developed it will play a vital role in developing future technologies for the internet, ‘smart' cities, intelligent transportation and other applications bringing significant benefits to business innovation and productivity. The centre positions the UK as a global market leader in this technology.
Cyber security
The Information Security Group and the Institute for Cyber Security Innovation are based at Royal Holloway University, an internationally recognised centre of excellence in cyber security research. With cyber security becoming increasingly important to businesses, individuals and government, the research and technology being driven by this centre is delivering innovative solutions to global businesses data security needs.
Advanced materials and nano-technology
Nano technology is the study and application of extremely small things and is being used across other science fields to improve and develop new solutions in advanced manufacturing. Within the Enterprise M3 area, there is a wide cluster of businesses around Farnborough exploring the application of nano technology in the design of improved aerospace systems and applications for other manufacturing systems.
Satellite technologies
Guildford is the base of a strong space cluster, including Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (part of the Airbus Group), the world's most successful producer of small satellites. The Surrey Space Centre (University of Surrey, Guildford), is a world-leading research centre for small, low cost space missions, offering access to a ready made talent pool. The Space Centre is linked to the Surrey Space Incubator on Surrey Research Park.
Advanced aerospace and automotive manufacturing
Enterprise M3 has a growing reputationas a British centre of design, engineering and technology and embraces a collection of niche, hi-tech companies from OEM and supply chain to testing and development of EV.
Aerospace and defence is a high growth sector in the region, home to approximately one in five of all aerospace businesses in the South East. Farnborough in particular has an outstanding cluster of world class companies, Enterprise M3 is hosts Europe's largest aviation trade show, the Farnborough International Airshow which takes place biannually and resulted in $205 billion of business in 2014.
Animal health
This is a rapidly emerging sector in the region which is home to The Pirbright Institute, a world leading centre of excellence in research and surveillance of virus diseases off farm animals and viruses that spread from animals to humans. Coupled with the life science and biotech companies in the region, the technical advantages present business opportunities for growth companies to collaborate and innovate in bringing advanced health products and solutions to market.
Photonics
For Enterprise M3, photonics is associated with the development of optical communications systems. Alongside our core strength in ICT and digital media, a photonics specialism exists centred around the Sci:Tech corridor of Basingstoke, Farnborough, Guildford and Woking.
Computer games and entertainment technologies
The EM3 region has been highly successful in creating and nurturing computer, gaming, digital and creative technology businesses with 10,000 creative media technology businesses in the region.
