Native Digital Capital Index: A framework for levelling up

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How can the tech sector be particular digital equality across the UK in toughen of the authorities’s levelling-up agenda? TechUK is making an strive to self-discipline the benchmarks

Julian David

Julian David,
TechUK

Printed: 01 Oct 2021

The opinion that of “levelling up” has been on the prime of the authorities’s agenda for years now, with the Ministry of Housing Communities and Native Government only in the near previous renamed the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities because the most neatly-liked label of the authorities’s plans.

The authorities has ambitious options to power the levelling-up agenda across the UK, and with technology innovation radically encompassing all areas of society and industry operations, it may be vital that extra learn is completed on the tech ecosystem of every nation and space in the UK.

In 2020, on the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, TechUK started a series of digital dialogues to own factual that. We sat down with over 260 representatives from the tech sector, industry, native and national authorities from all UK regions to teach about how the tech sector can motivate the industrial recovery across the UK and create insurance policies that match native needs, and to worship how levelling up would perchance perhaps explore in our sector.

It became determined from those discussions that the tech sector became thinking no longer factual relating to the pandemic and the procedure the industry would perchance perhaps well continue to motivate play our fragment, but previous that, we wished to take dangle of what the building blocks of a sturdy, resilient and modern tech ecosystem explore handle.

It became from those discussions that the opinion that of “native digital capital” became born. Made up of eight parts – digital talents, digital adoption, recordsdata ecosystems, digital infrastructure, finance and funding, learn and innovation, alternate toughen and collaboration and co-operation – native digital capital appears at how these pieces will motivate originate our sector, financial system and society stronger when slotted collectively and invested in.

But identifying the building blocks that originate up native digital capital became no longer the tip of the dialogue. It became determined that we wished a framework to measure this across all nations and regions of the UK to title the strengths and weaknesses of our tech ecosystem and the procedure we are in a position to create them.

Right here is how the Native Digital Capital Index (LDC Index) came to be. Launched alongside West Midlands mayor Andy Avenue on the Evolved place of job in the coronary heart of Birmingham, the LDC Index affords that framework and starts the ability of building the image of our diverse UK digital landscape.

The LDC Index can no longer – in actual fact, it must no longer – be a mode to play one space off against yet any other. That route leads us down a path of simplest having a explore at who’s prime total or focusing in on a particular ingredient. As a change, we must explore on the failings as a full and comprise a former dialog. We must create collaboration to learn from simplest practice and motivate toughen folks that need it.

The LDC Index is a utility to motivate policymakers to originate the case for funding in our nations and regions as fragment of levelling up and to create the dialogue and actions we all know must happen.

The index is a piece in progress, and we’re consistently having a explore at systems to toughen and create it so that it measures what’s wished to circulate in direction of our national and regional aims. Now we comprise launched the creation of a brand unique native digital capital working team made up of representatives from the sector to motivate strengthen the LDC Index, but also to create the dialogue and thinking in the abet of its diverse parts. Whilst you happen to handle to need to get eager with this, then we would welcome your thoughts, feedback and time.

To make particular we create native digital capital across the UK, we must place a question to of ourselves questions that will push us previous our most neatly-liked region. If Wakefield is no longer seeing the advantages of technology and digital innovation that Wandsworth is, to illustrate, then now we comprise a state. If there may be wide practice taking assign in Bristol or Birmingham, how can it be shared with Bangor or Belfast? That’s our scenario, but it’s also our motivation.

While the area and the UK would perchance perhaps well be getting smaller thanks to digital innovation, the gaps between our nations and regions danger changing into bigger and wider if we fail to act. The LDC Index presentations we must make investments in our regions to forestall them being left in the abet of. Levelling up must be extra than a political soundbite, and if those in authorities, across the UK, act upon it and make investments, then the tech sector stands willing and willing to manual the procedure.