The Midlands has taken a major leap forward in unlocking its innovation potential with the launch of the Midlands Ecosystem Platform—a free, open-access digital gateway to the region’s £31bn innovation economy.
This dynamic data hub is designed to empower founders, investors, universities, industry leaders, and policymakers with real-time insights and actionable intelligence. It brings together data on nearly 6,000 startups in the Midlands, including 400 university spinouts, and connects users to 54 science and tech campuses, accelerators, corporates, and over 1,000 active investors.
Developed by a coalition of Midlands-based initiatives including Midlands Innovation, Forging Ahead, Midlands Mindforge, and the Invest in UK University R&D – Midlands Campaign, and powered by leading data intelligence firm Dealroom, the platform marks a major milestone in the Midlands’ journey to becoming a globally recognised innovation hub.
The platform offers tailored benefits for a wide range of users across the Midlands innovation ecosystem:
- Founders can claim and update company profiles, access global insights, and identify potential investors based on similar businesses.
- Investors can discover high-growth opportunities, conduct due diligence, and monitor company performance.
- Universities and Technology Transfer Offices (TTO’s) can showcase spinout and alumni success, track fundraising activity, and connect with strategic partners.
- Government bodies can identify growth businesses by sector and location, monitor investment trends, and inform policy development.
- Science parks and accelerators can track tenant and cohort performance, demonstrate impact, and attract new investment.
A region on the rise
The Midlands is the UK’s second-largest regional economy, valued at £352bn and home to 11 million people. With 54 science and tech campuses, a youthful population (31% under 25), and ambitious plans for 4,600 hectares of R&D-focused site development, the region is central to the UK’s innovation-led growth strategy.
Yet despite its strengths, the Midlands faces challenges in retaining and scaling its innovation. While universities produce an average of 15 spinouts annually, a significant proportion of their economic impact is felt outside the region. Since 2010, 77% of gross value added and 63.6% of investment in Midlands spinouts has occurred outside the region, with many companies relocating due to market demands.
To fully realise the region’s potential, the Midlands must not only generate innovation but ensure it thrives locally. This means strengthening the connections between research, entrepreneurship, and investment, and creating the conditions for ideas to scale within the region. The Midlands Ecosystem Platform is a key enabler of this ambition—bringing transparency, connectivity, and insight to a landscape that has long been rich in talent but fragmented in visibility.
Driving change through collaboration
The platform has been developed through a partnership between three Midlands Innovation-linked initiatives: Forging Ahead, Midlands Mindforge, and the Invest in UK University R&D – Midlands campaign. Together, these programmes are working to unlock the region’s full commercialisation potential by aligning investment, talent, and infrastructure around a shared vision for innovation-led growth.
- Forging Ahead, a collaboration of 15 Midlands universities, is focussed on nurturing entrepreneurial talent, boosting investment readiness, and strengthening the region’s innovation ecosystem—connecting people, programmes and research to turn ideas into high-growth businesses.
- Midlands Mindforge is an investment company created by eight Midlands Innovation universities. Its goal is to support innovative businesses by providing long-term funding and expert guidance.
- The Invest in UK University R&D – Midlands campaign promotes the region’s research strengths to national and international audiences, helping to attract investment and develop strategic partnerships.
Rajinder Bhuhi, Forging Ahead Manager, said: “This new platform gives us a powerful way to assess the strength of our innovation ecosystem and track the progress we’re making through initiatives like Forging Ahead. It’s an invaluable resource—helping us connect the dots, see the bigger picture, and engage more effectively with the people and organisations driving, supporting, and funding innovation across the region.”
Joshua Hawkins, Assistant Director of the Midlands Innovation partnership, said: “The Midlands Ecosystem Platform is already delivering valuable insights into the health of our regional innovation landscape. It’s proving to be a catalyst for collaboration—helping partners recognise the power of the data now at our fingertips and enabling more informed, connected decision-making across the ecosystem.”
Aoife Morrin, Head of Ecosystem Growth at Dealroom, added: “The Midlands is home to some of the UK’s most dynamic and innovative companies, yet its collective story has often been underrepresented. With the new Midlands platform, we’re bringing that story to life — combining high-quality data, local insight, and powerful analytics to make the region’s innovation economy visible and connected.”
Explore the Platform at: https://midlands.dealroom.co/
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