DSIT’s East Midlands Cyber Lead joined a group of experts at Charnwood Campus life sciences summit to set out a bold vision for how tech can power regional growth. 

Speaking to an audience of life sciences leaders, Gwilym Williams outlined how the Government’s £187 million tech skills programme TechFirst will help embed digital capabilities like AI, cybersecurity and advanced connectivity into real-world labs, manufacturing lines and clinical environments.

​Mr Williams explained that the TechFirst programme is designed to boost skills in areas – from AI and cybersecurity to advanced connectivity, semiconductors and quantum computing – but with a focus on sectors such as life sciences, clean energy and aerospace. 

It builds on the earlier CyberFirst programme and uses several “pillars” to do this: regional outreach via local partners, undergraduate bursaries with paid placements, PhD top‑up funding, and local grants to match skilled people with regional industry needs.

The East Midlands, with its strong life sciences presence, is highlighted as a prime example where tech skills can be embedded for regional economic benefit.

This is where TechLocal comes in, with local grants available to fund initiatives that connect skilled individuals with local tech-related jobs and tackle specific regional labour market and recruitment challenges. Projects are expected to reflect local strengths, for example, life sciences in the East Midlands, and to experiment with new models for talent matching and workforce development, with Innovate UK running the competition and grant process.

“What we’re trying to do is learn from the Cyber First programme which was run by the National Cyber Security Centre and was trying to get more people working in the cyber sector,” Mr Williams told the event, which was staged on Day Two of Leicestershire Innovation Festival.

“We found that was really impactful and we engaged 400,000 students. So now we’ve got more money and more technology we’re going to more regions, growing the scale to reach that target of engaging 1 million young people across the UK.”

Rather than building isolated “tech islands”, Mr Williams said the goal is to embed these skills in labs, factories and clinical settings, turning existing strengths into long‑term productivity gains.​

Addressing delegates, Mr Williams called for industry to get involved: offering paid placements, speaking at careers events, and showcasing how technologies like AI, data science and cybersecurity are already being used in drug discovery and regulated environments. 

For East Midlands‑based companies, that means providing opportunities to host students, shape careers activity in schools and colleges, and bid for funding to solve real recruitment challenges.​

Mr Williams urged life sciences firms to come forward with ideas that reflect the East Midlands’ distinctive mix of research, manufacturing and clinical innovation – arguing that keeping talent in the region is critical to its future growth.​