Monday 29 April 2013
Leading figures within Tech City will debate the role of government in technology on the inaugural day of Digital Shoreditch 2013. The two week festival kicks off on Monday 20th May, with ‘What Tech City?’ which will focus on finding new ways to grow global engagement and improving the UK’s digital economy and society.
Gordon Innes, CEO of London Partners will be joined by Kyle Kimball, Executive Director at New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYEDC), Mark O’Neill, Head of Innovation and Delivery at Government Digital Service and Daniel Glazer, IP Technology Transactions partner at Fried Frank. Together they will be discussing the role of government in supporting a tech ecosystem and discussing various initiatives in both New York and London. The two cities have experienced a massive tech-boom in the last few years and are now serious competitors with Silicon Valley.
Mark O’Neill, Head of Innovation and Delivery at Government Digital Service stated, “The world is changing – a UK government website has won the Design of the Year Award; a website built on open source, using agile techniques, by a team bringing together a range of skills and experience all committed to delivering world class services to users. We are going to keep iterating and we want to build closer, smarter ties with the kind of companies here at Digital Shoreditch.”
Additionally, further cross-border collaboration to boost the UK’s economy is just as important. As the UK Trade Investment maintains, the USA has the largest and most technologically powerful economy in the world and is Britain’s largest single export market. The sheer size of the USA and vast cultural differences across the regions mean that it should often be treated as a series of regional markets with varying characteristics, making the U.S. market a fascinating and diverse place for UK exporters.
In March this year, the Mayor of London pledged to boost tech investment through a £22m Technology start-up fund focused on financing tech startups, and leisure, education, healthcare and financial projects, as well as helping other creative industries beyond technology.
Gordon Innes, CEO, London Partners added “The amazing growth that has taken place in east London over the last few years has been significant to the city’s economy and reputation. Without a doubt London’s success is being driven by centres of excellence such as Tech City, and forms a key part of London’s business future. London Partners are committed to ensuring London is the leading world city in science, technology and innovation; and events like Digital Shoreditch provide the perfect opportunity to bring together tomorrow’s innovators.”
The two week event which is due to attract an estimated 15,000 UK and international visitors will provide a platform to showcase the most innovative projects happening in the UK today, across eight key sectors including digital, space, transport and health. The event aims to drive economic growth by stimulating business-led innovation and opening up international trade opportunities for the UK’s brightest technological innovators.
Follow the conversation at #DS13 or to find out more about Digital Shoreditch festival 2013 follow @DigiShoreditch and visit the website here http://2013.digitalshoreditch.com.
