Who We Are | ONE

We work with regional and national partners to co-create, develop and deliver transformational projects and enhance the entrepreneurial environment in the region’s key sectors of digital tech; food, drink, and agriculture; life sciences and tourism.

Through ONE, the private sector shapes the region’s future low-carbon economy and creates high-skill, high-value jobs.

More than 80 members drawn from the region's business community, its two universities and colleges, and regional and national partners sit on ONE’s main and sector boards. Their collective experience, insights and connections shape action and delivery with targets set for each of the industry sectors to build on regional opportunities and contribute to national economic goals:

• Deliver transformational projects to strengthen and diversify the economy and regional clusters.
• Enhance the entrepreneurial environment with sector specific innovation and incubation hubs delivering programmes for pre-starts, start-up and scaling companies and be a location of choice for entrepreneurs, founders and investors.
• Grow 10 to 20 digital companies with a turnover of circa £20m and international aspirations by 2028, increase the number of successful tech start-ups and drive digital transformation.
• Grow the food, drink, and agriculture sector by 5% per annum (real growth) by leading in low-carbon food production, advanced digital automated manufacturing and premium market development.
• Double the number of life sciences companies by 2027 by providing infrastructure and support for life sciences entrepreneurs: research spinouts, start-up and scaling businesses.
• Maximise the regions natural capital and sector strengths to develop adventure and food tourism market opportunities to drive longer-term growth.

We focus our activity on six themes across the sectors:

• Transformational projects
• Entrepreneurship
• Digital transformation
• Maximising market opportunities
• People and skills
• Strategic partnership working

ONE has a 10-year £64 million funding commitment from The Wood Foundation and uses its resources to secure match funding to deliver new projects – turning opportunity and ambition into action and investment. Over £30 million of committed ONE investment has secured partnership funding of £85 million into the region over the past six years.