A week-long spotlight on Lancashire’s thriving digital and tech sectors has revealed a region brimming with talent, innovation and potential.
Prolific North, in association with Forbes Solicitors, hosted a Lancashire focus week centred around themes emerging from a roundtable discussion on 12 November that brought together key figures from the region’s tech and digital sectors.
The message was clear: growth across Lancashire is gathering real pace, and with the right focus and coordination, the county is well positioned to accelerate even further.
Identity, cohesion and skills
Leaders from Forbes Solicitors, Innovate Lancashire, early-stage investment initiative Fhunded, AI-driven customer intelligence platform Relative Insight, and agencies including ICG, 21 Digital, Workhouse Marketing, 3manfactory, Fifty2M and EXP, came together for a roundtable discussion at Forbes’ central Lancashire office.
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The wide-ranging conversation highlighted the county’s business successes, the strong sense of pride among Lancashire-based leaders, and the opportunities, challenges and long-term ambitions shaping the region’s next chapter.
With a “really strong creative sector” serving local or global clients and a growing deeptech scene powered by university spinouts, leaders agreed that Lancashire’s sector diversity is one of its greatest strengths.
And rather than forcing a single identity on a county spanning Lancaster, Preston, Blackburn, Burnley, Chorley, Blackpool and more, coordination — and stronger visibility — were seen as essential for growth to pull the region’s story together.
This point resurfaced during a debate about whether Lancashire needs a “figurehead” to champion the region. While there was a mix of opinions, there was agreement that the region could benefit from a visible champion who can unite the county’s story, lobby for long-term government investment and help raise Lancashire’s national profile.
Lancashire’s talent pool was also praised, with the conversation exploring how closer collaboration between education and industry could retain and attract the next generation of skilled workers across tech and digital.
Reflecting on the discussion and the wider focus week, Daniel Fletcher, senior associate at Forbes Solicitors, summarised his key takeaways: : “Strong legal foundations support every step of growth. Businesses that understand the rules, access support and feel confident in their decisions are best placed to scale, innovate and invest in Lancashire’s future.”
He added: “Collaboration creates opportunity. When businesses, education and media work together, Lancashire can make the most of its diversity and turn it into a real advantage for growth.
“Visibility and leadership are key. A figurehead, someone people can see and relate to, could bring cohesion across sectors and help Lancashire’s growth story reach further. People respond to people, and that personal connection matters.”
A county with major opportunity
With significant regional opportunities on the horizon, including the arrival of the National Cyber Force, the £13.2m Innovation Hub at Samlesbury, and Blackpool’s emerging Silicon Sands digital infrastructure project, Lancashire’s next chapter looks set to be shaped by collaboration.
As Graham Baldwin, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Central Lancashire and chair of the Lancashire Innovation Board, explained: “In terms of developing an innovation roadmap for the county’s future, Lancashire has come a very long way over the last few years. In 2023, the Innovation Board published the Lancashire Innovation Plan (LIP), a five-year programme focused on key economic drivers linked to the region’s innovation agenda.
“As a result, we’ve seen high impact business growth initiatives – such as Innovate Lancashire, Fhunded, Fraser House and the Lancashire Digital Hub – all flourish, as well the incredibly successful debut of the LIFT festival earlier this year.”
READ MORE: Unlocking growth in Lancashire: Why strong legal foundations matter
But Baldwin emphasised that the county’s future opportunities depend on something deeper.
“To maximise some of Lancashire’s truly transformational opportunities, like the innovation cluster planned for Samlesbury, Blackpool’s pioneering Silicon Sands project, the impact of the National Cyber Force’s arrival, and anticipated growth in high-value sectors such as defence, nuclear, and future flight, we need to continue to work together.”
In October, Lancashire Combined County Authority (LCCA) published a Growth Plan that sets out how the region can draw in more than £20bn of extra public and private investment, potentially leading to the creation of ‘thousands of jobs’.
He said it is “incredibly encouraging” that the Lancashire Combined County Authority’s new ten-year economic plan, which draws upon the LIP and is backed by the Lancashire Business Board, is “putting collaborative innovation at the heart of the county’s long-term growth.”
Looking ahead, Lancashire’s “growing” strengths across five high-growth business sectors, from national security, clean growth, digital and AI, advanced engineering and manufacturing to culture and tourism, give the region a unique position within the UK.
And as the county enters a new decade of innovation, it seems clear that its future will be shaped not just by a single sector or project, but by the people and partnerships driving it forward.
