Regional Investment Summit Delivers £800m Boost for the West Midlands
Global investors confirmed nearly £800 million of new commitments to the West Midlands at the UK’s first Regional Investment Summit, reaffirming the region’s position at the forefront of the UK’s growth agenda.
The investments, a blend of public and private funding, will further empower a region already devoted to supporting businesses aligning with the West Midlands Growth Plan set out earlier this year by the Mayor and the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA).
The landmark investments driving growth in the West Midlands:
£400 million investment by Hines into the Birmingham Knowledge Quarter, supporting the £4 billion Birmingham Knowledge Quarter, a cornerstone of the West Midlands Investment Zone and the epicentre of the West Midlands’ tech sector.
£200 million committed by Blackstone to modernise the NEC and expand the NEC Group’s live events and venue portfolio, bringing more visitors to the region.
£75 million skills package by the WMCA to train over 12,000 in construction-sector skills over the next three years, helping to keep pace with the West Midlands’ demand for real estate regeneration.
£40 million Social Housing Accelerator Fund created by the WMCA to deliver 1,000 new social rent homes.
A share of the £30 million Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund to support Sterling Pharmaceuticals’ new Birmingham facility, giving local companies access to yet another high-end R&D asset.
£25 million investment by Freshways to create a dairy hub in West Bromwich, which has benefitted from the UK-India Free Trade Agreement signed in July.
£10 million investment by Atos to open two technology centres, boosting the region’s role at the heart of the UK’s AI-led digital future.
These announcements form part of a broader national uplift, with £10 billion in new investments announced for UK regions at the Summit. The event was held at Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham and made possible by sponsorships from IBM, HSBC, KPMG, Lloyds Banking Group, and E.ON with further support from Lendlease and OneAdvanced.
The West Midlands is a powerhouse for foreign direct investment, and today’s announcements at the Summit cements the region’s position as a top destination to do business.
Our modern Industrial Strategy is giving investors the confidence they need to plan not just for the next year, but for the next 10 years and beyond – helping to create economic growth as part of our Plan for Change.
Long-term investor confidence in the West Midlands
These financial commitments are not only poised to empower growth across the West Midlands, they are engines of opportunity transforming the vision of the West Midlands Growth Plan into reality.
They demonstrate long-term confidence for investors in the region. They show belief in the local economy as a catalyst turning opportunity into delivery. They show the potential of programmes like the UK Investment Zone with its three major sites in the region.
A standout example is Hines’ £400 million investment in the Birmingham Knowledge Quarter, a flagship city-centre site forming a core part of the West Midlands Investment Zone.
The district is a collaboration engine, an exemplar of the region’s ethos of bringing university R&D and private companies together to achieve more. STEAMhouse blurs the line between working and learning to supercharge companies with students’ fresh thinking and their approach to market.
Across the Knowledge Quarter, technological transformation in digital, health and advanced manufacturing is accelerated at pace and scale. It’s a dynamic R&D ecosystem supported by tax incentives and university collaboration in a £15 billion tech sector.
Atos’s plans to expand in the West Midlands by opening two new technology centres – including a Sovereign Orchestration Hub at Birmingham Business Park – further reinforce the region’s position as a national centre of tech and innovation.
This investment by Atos shows that global tech leaders see the West Midlands as being at the heart of the UK’s AI revolution.
I’ve already set out plans to give every adult free training in AI and to build the technical skills needed for the jobs of the future.
The new centre will anchor a wider network of digital infrastructure, delivering advanced services from the purpose-built, sustainable facility. It reinforces the UK’s status as a global leader with an end-to-end technology ecosystem and strengthens the West Midlands’ role in that success.
Across the pipeline of West Midlands investments, a consistent message is emerging: the West Midlands is the place to turn opportunity into success. From new centres being constructed and infrastructure upgraded, to jobs created and skills developed, investor confidence in the region is translating into real-world impact on an unprecedented scale.
Investment-ready portfolio of £19 billion opportunities
The West Midlands Investment Prospectus – launched alongside the Regional Investment Summit – showcases an investment-ready portfolio with £19 billion of opportunities spanning high-growth sectors and strategic locations across the region.
From large-scale brownfield regeneration to cutting-edge innovation districts, investors are seizing the momentum and exploring a new wave of partnerships, projects, and sites that are shaping the region’s future.
