In 2000, then Chancellor of the ExchequerGordon Brown set up a research partnership between MIT and Cambridge University, the Cambridge–MIT Institute, in order to increase international collaboration between the two universities and strengthen the economic success of Silicon Fen.
In 2012, it was reported that strong employment growth in the Silicon Fen hub was hampered due to its significant concentration on research and development, which was limiting competition in manufacturing and costs.[3]
Cambridge Ahead, the business and academic membership organisation dedicated to the long-term growth of the city and its region, reported in 2015–16, that growth of Cambridge companies was approximately 7% over one, three, and five-year durations. Global turnover of Cambridge companies increased by 7.6% to £35.7bn, up from £33bn the previous year, and global employment grew by 7.6% to 210,292. The number of companies headquartered within 20 miles of Cambridge grew from 22,017 to 24,580.[4]
The Cambridge Network is an organization facilitating networking in the area.
Other possible factors include a high standard of living available in the county, and good transport links, for example to London and with Cambridge Airport having a full service business jet centre. Many graduates from the university choose to stay on in the area, giving local companies a rich pool of talent to draw upon.[5] The high-technology industry has little by way of competition, unlike say in Oxfordshire where many other competing industries exist. Cambridgeshire has only recently[when?] become a high-technology centre, which has meant that commercial rents were generally lower than in other parts of the UK and thus giving companies a head-start on those situated in other more expensive regions. However, the recent technology boom has changed the situation and Cambridgeshire now ranks as one of the highest costs of living in the UK outside London, which is home to an even bigger technology centre.[6][7]
People and companies associated with Silicon Fen[edit]
The Cambridge Phenomenon Revisited – a synopsis of the new report by Segal Quince Wicksteed, Segal Quince & Partners 2000, DownloadArchived 26 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine
The Cambridge Cluster Report 2003, Library House 2003, Download
The Cambridge Cluster Report 2004, Library House in association with Grant Thornton 2004, Download
The Cambridge Cluster Report 2006, Library House 2006, Download
The Cambridge Technopole Report 2006 An overview of the UK's leading high tech cluster, St John's Innovation Centre 2006, [1]
The Impact of the University of Cambridge on the UK Economy and Society A high-level study commissioned by EEDA and the Cambridge Network in 2006, [2]
INSIGHTS & RESEARCH | WHAT IS SILICON FEN? bidwells.co.uk, [3]
^ abJones, Kevin (1 December 1998). "US Report: Old Cambridge targets high-tech success". ZDNet. Retrieved 15 December 2011. The focus on technology in the so-called Silicon Fen started two decades ago with Acorn Computer PLC, which became the U.K.'s leading personal computer maker until the advent of Windows. The Fen also spawned a couple of successes, such as Advanced RISC Machines Ltd., a virtual chip designer; Cambridge Display Technologies Ltd., a monitor maker [...]
