Connecting the East: a region of innovation needs a regional plan

The East of England’s economic strength lies in its network of places. Cambridge and Norwich are global centre of research and enterprise but the region’s growth potential extends through its cities, market towns, research parks and industrial centres. Unlocking that potential requires a development model that recognises how these places work together.

The East of England's economic geography is clear. Four overlapping corridors connect Cambridge north towards Peterborough, west towards Oxford, east towards Norwich and south towards London. Across them, research institutions, specialist businesses, manufacturers and supply chains form an economy whose connections cross council boundaries.

This matters because too much UK economic development thinking has been shaped by an agglomeration orthodoxy: concentrate skilled workers, businesses and investment in larger urban centres and expect productivity gains to follow. Clustering certainly matters. Cambridge demonstrates the value of bringing research, talent and capital together. But the East’s geography calls for a broader approach: a polycentric model, in which several centres develop complementary strengths and become more productive through their connections.

Innovation needs room to grow

There are practical examples. Paragraf, a Cambridge University spin-out developing graphene electronics, has expanded in Huntingdonshire. CMR Surgical combines its Cambridge headquarters with a global manufacturing facility in Ely. Norwich Research Park provides another major concentration of scientific expertise, linking research in food, health and biotechnology with commercial opportunities.

These places perform different, connected roles. Discovery in one location can support product development, manufacturing and employment elsewhere. Growing businesses need access to specialist facilities, suitable premises, skilled workers and suppliers. Those requirements will not always be best met within the place where an idea originated.

The corridors widen these possibilities. The Cambridge–Norwich corridor connects life sciences and technology with agricultural innovation. Links towards Peterborough offer opportunities for production, logistics and business expansion. The Oxford–Cambridge corridor connects research and engineering centres with places able to accommodate growth, while the London–Cambridge corridor brings together biomedical institutions, investors and international gateways.

Cambridge’s success should therefore be understood as an asset for a wider regional economy. Strengthening other centres can also help Cambridge grow by creating more options for where businesses expand and people live and work.

Connections need direction

Transport is essential to making this model work. Reliable rail services, better east–west connections and local public transport can widen recruitment, enable collaboration and connect residents to opportunities beyond their immediate neighbourhood. East West Rail illustrates the strategic importance of linking centres across the region.

But connecting infrastructure extends beyond transport. Electricity networks, water supplies, digital connectivity and housing all shape whether an innovation cluster can expand. A research park with inadequate power, or a manufacturing site without accessible housing and transport, cannot realise its potential.

Infrastructure investment must therefore support a regional plan that identifies where development can deliver the greatest benefits. Better connections alone will not ensure that laboratories, factories, homes and training provision appear in the right places.

Such a plan should map complementary economic strengths, identify suitable locations for expansion and coordinate investment around them. It should connect universities and research institutes with further education colleges, employers and local supply chains, ensuring that innovation creates opportunities across different occupations and qualification levels.

This requires cooperation across mayoral, council and institutional boundaries. The economic relationships already exist; planning and investment need to catch up.

The East does not need every place to become another Cambridge. It needs its distinctive centres to succeed together. A regional plan, backed by connecting infrastructure, would turn that principle into a practical strategy for growth.