How innovation flows in Exeter
Primary bottleneck: Foundational Inputs to System Dynamics
How Innovation Flows in Exeter
The University of Exeter is successfully seeding the region with the core elements of a high-tech economy, with new ventures based on proprietary technology rated a full 5/5. The city has also cultivated an environment where this can take root, with affordability for young talent (4/5) and deliberate urban planning creating the physical spaces for innovation to occur. Exeter is a knowledge-intensive city, home to the Met Office and a growing cluster of firms in clean energy and life sciences. Yet for all its foundational strength, the diagnostic reveals a critical blockage: the valuable, hard-won knowledge being created within its institutions is not flowing effectively into the local industrial base, preventing the region from reaching its full potential for creating complex, hard-to-replicate products and services.
How diverse and accessible are the pathways to success in the ecosystem—whether through startups, small business growth, skilled trades, or climbing within established firms?