Industry

The scientific industrial base across the Bristol city region is largely clustered around aerospace, ICT and creative technologies. Biomedical and environmental technologies also represent a significant part of the local economy. All sectors are well-established, supporting large, medium and small companies, as well as a thriving r&d sector. Spin-outs and start-ups are well supported by business services. A wealth of business networks, such as Bristol Enterprise Network and Business West , and sector-specific organisations exist to support and foster innovation across the region. 
 
 
Aerospace and Advanced Engineering 
 
The Aerospace industry in the South West is largely clustered around Bristol. 9 out of the 12 largest aerospace companies in the UK have major facilities here. They, in turn, are supported by upwards of 700 supply chain companies. 
 
The Airbus Composite Structures Development Centre is an excellent example of successful collaboration within the region, showcasing an alliance of companies, universities and colleges who together offer an accessible world-class capability in the field of composites technology. 
 
The West of England Aerospace Forum (WEAF) facilitates future competitiveness and growth of the aerospace industry in the South West, by championing the interests of all aerospace companies in the region. WEAF has 700 registered companies, including the major primes and SMEs, employee organisations, universities & colleges.  
 
ICT 
 
A strong legacy of innovation, excellent infrastructure, significant R&D capabilities and excellent skills availability are just some of the factors behind the thriving IT sector in the Bristol city region. It is a diverse sector whose strengths include wireless communications, semiconductors, photonics, super- / grid-computing and software.  
 
Large multinationals such as Orange, Toshiba and HP Labs all have bases here, as do many smaller world-leading specialist companies like Clearspeed, Picochip, and Apertio. 
 
The Bristol city region is the hub of the South West's silicon industry, Europe's largest concentration of silicon designers, second only to the USA. Silicon South West is active in supporting this cluster which is estimated to be 50% larger than the next largest silicon design cluster in Europe. 
 
Creative Industries 
 
Bristol city region's creative industries sector is growing more rapidly than anywhere else in the country and employs more creatives than any other area outside London. Businesses range from the world-renowned, such as the BBC's Natural History Unit and Oscar-winning Aardman Animations to small businesses and individuals. 
 
The city is also home to the nationally-recognised Watershed Media Centre. iShed, the Watershed digital sister organisation is leading the way in cross-sector collaboration between ICT and the creative industries. 
 
This dynamic sector is supported by the Creative Technology Network which brings together individuals and organisations from across computing, communications and the creative industries to share good practice, support innovation and enhance research.