Digital Leeds

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Digital now underpins our economy, driving transformation and innovation across every sector and fuelling growth in new digital businesses.

The pace of change is accelerating and we will continue to be proactive as we capitalise on new digital technologies, use of data, Artificial Intelligence and automation, to improve productivity and increase competitiveness.

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Digital Leeds

Digital now underpins our economy, driving transformation and innovation across every sector and fuelling growth in new digital businesses, with the number of FinTech businesses in the region alone trebling from 2020 - 2023. In Leeds we have embraced the digital revolution, focusing as a city on delivering the talent and skills, infrastructure, business support and community necessary to support people and businesses to thrive. That’s why we’ve gained a reputation as the digital capital of the North.

 

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Leeds Digital Strategy

Leeds is working together to ensure that the opportunities arising from the advancements in digital technology are inclusive and accessible to all.  To help encapsulate its work the city has collaborated on a Leeds Digital Strategy (also available is the accessible version of the strategy). The Leeds Digital Strategy involved extensive engagement as part of its development and has been written from a ‘whole city and person’ perspective, encouraging organisations and individuals across the city to adopt it and participate in delivering it. 

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Digital Community

Our digital community is the most collaborative in the UK. In Leeds entrepreneurs, corporates, public sector, skills providers and talent come together through regular meet ups and events from FinTech North and Legal Tech in Leeds, to WILD Digital, No Code Labs and our Data Ethics forum. The Leeds Digital Festival, supported by Leeds City Council from the outset is now the largest ‘open’ tech event in the UK. The community is actively engaged in ensuring the sector is inclusive and diverse and is fundamental to our success. Our investment in the Innovation Arc, Ingenuity at White Rose, along with co working spaces across the city will provide the spaces and places to incubate and apply new technologies, supporting the delivery of our ambitions as a city and growing our economy.

An artistic impression of the new Ingenuity Innovation Hub at the White Rose

Case study: Ingenuity

Aiming to become the UK’s leading smart cities innovation community - White Rose Ingenuity Innovation Hub.  A purpose-built hub will launch in 2025 to run smart cities challenges, test and trial new technology, and host workshops and events. Ingenuity at White Rose Park will provide a real world testbed environment for smart technology.