Glasgow City Region, Greater Manchester, and the West Midlands will each receive a £20 million cash boost for new science and tech initiatives under government plans to kickstart local innovation for UK regions.

The UK Government is banking on the funding to spark ‘game-changing’ progress in diverse areas, in everything from robotics to drug discovery to the development of clean fuels, with local leaders across the three regions given access to a total funding package of £50 million each to invest in local projects.

The government hopes this funding boost will fuel the rise of more regional tech stars like Glasgow’s Chemify, and nurture emerging hotspots like Greater Manchester’s fast-growing AI scene.

Further bids of up to £20 million are also being invited from other high-potential innovation clusters across the UK, to support regional leaders in investing in local innovation strengths, and boost jobs in line with Labour’s new Industrial Strategy.

Announcing the plans, tech secretary Liz Kendall said: “By backing those with the knowledge to home in on local strengths and supporting valued businesses in building the facilities that can set our country apart, we can lead the next generation of life-changing discoveries.”

The plan marks a fresh commitment under the government’s £500m Local Innovation Partnerships Fund (LIPF), and builds on the initial £30 million earmarked for each region in June’s Spending Review, along with seven others across the UK, including Cardiff City Region, Belfast-Derry/Londonderry and West Yorkshire.

The announcement comes ahead of the Regional Investment Summit, where business leaders, investors, and policymakers will spotlight investment opportunities across UK nations and regions, with the Chancellor pledging that no area will be left behind.

“The world’s brightest talents and most innovative businesses can be found in every corner of the UK, but years of chronic underinvestment have held them back. Not anymore,” said the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves.

“We are putting a stop to this unfairness by investing in every part of the country. From Glasgow to Birmingham, we are fuelling innovation through our Plan for Change, delivering skilled jobs, and building an economy that works for, and rewards working people.”

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Earlier this year, the government released more details regarding two new investment zones in Scotland, situated in the Glasgow City Region and the North East, each backed by £160 million in public funding. 

As with this latest funding, the Investment Zones, which are joint projects between the UK and Scottish Governments alongside local partnerships, are designed to ‘turbo-charge’ each region’s innovation economy, taking advantage of the skills and business infrastructure already in place.

For example, the Glasgow site will focus on advanced manufacturing, specifically targeting innovation in the aerospace sector, and according to the Glasgow City Region might generate around £300 million of initial private investment and support up to 10,000 jobs in the region.