Press Release

Monday 25th July 2016

New Cambridge Cluster Map data tool offers accurate

insight into growth of the sub-region

A new data tool that accurately maps the growth of the Cambridge sub-region over time and reveals the true extent of the success of the ‘Cambridge Phenomenon’ has been created and launched by Cambridge Ahead in partnership with Barclays, working with the Centre for Business Research (CBR) at the University of Cambridge.

The Cambridge Cluster Map will provide invaluable insight to a wide audience including Cambridge organisations, potential investors, journalists, economists, researchers, Think Tanks, and the general public.

The map is an updated version of the previous Cluster Map covering the Tech sector launched in 2012. This version uses a different methodology, covers all economic sectors and provides estimates for employment and turnover when these are not available from Companies House.

The new dataset identifies and locates companies and certain research facilities that are active within a 20-mile radius of the centre of the city and shows three types of organisations: Cambridge-based companies, Cambridge-active companies, and Non-corporate Knowledge-intensive (KI) organisations.

The data held on the 22,000 companies registered and based within the city includes the sector, principal trading address, turnover and employment record for the five years to April 2015. That held on those 900 companies trading but not based in the city includes their sector and postcode but not their employment or turnover.

Users of this free-to-access tool can view the data superimposed on a map of the city-region and can search down to street and postcode level. Data can also be filtered by sectors, and show trends in turnover and employees on a city or individual company level.

Matthew Bullock, Master of St Edmund’s College and Chairman of the Cambridge Ahead Growth Project, said, “This is an exciting, new data tool for everybody interested in Cambridge’s growth and businesses. Using the most recent, accurate financial data and the unique methodology we have employed, we are able to provide an unparalleled insight into the growth in the city region, including the Knowledge-intensive sector and Scale-up companies.”

cont…

The new Cluster Map highlights a record of remarkable growth during 2014/15 with Cambridge companies enjoying a 7.7% increase in turnover – which now stands at £33 billion – and a 7.5% increase in employment.

Jane Paterson-Todd, CEO of Cambridge Ahead, said, “I would like to congratulate Matthew Bullock, his Growth team, and Dr Andy Cosh of the CBR, for the hard work they have put in over the past few months to make the Cluster Map a reality. It is a marvellous asset for Cambridge and shows our commitment to providing insight that supports our growth agenda. This map brings it to life the size and importance of the Cambridge Region. I would also like to thank our partner, Barclays, for its support of, and interest in, High Growth businesses.”

Jane Galvin, Managing Director, Eastern Region, Corporate Banking at Barclays, said, “Our partnership with Cambridge Ahead on the Cambridge Cluster Map ensures that Barclays is positioned to support high growth businesses in Cambridge. We recently opened our first Barclays Eagle Lab Incubator in the city that will give entrepreneurs the space and opportunities to become part of the Cambridge Phenomenon.”

The Cluster Map can be accessed via the website www.camclustermap.com. Academic researchers will be able to gain access to the underlying data on request via a dedicated page on the Cambridge Ahead website.

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Notes to Editors:

·  The data includes turnover and global employment figures for all companies registered, or with a principal trading address, within a 20-mile radius from Cambridge, plus employment in the research laboratories and universities in the area. It does not include employment data for sole traders, some elements of the public sector, and employees of the national and international companies with trading and research offices in Cambridge.

·  Cambridge-based companies are those with their primary trading address within this area, or those that do not give a primary trading address but have a registered office in this area. We capture all companies that have filed accounts (newly registered companies will generally not appear until a year after being set up), which gives over 20,000 companies.

·  Cambridge-active companies are those who have neither their registered office, nor primary trading address in the Cambridge area but do have a trading address in the area that we have identified. In general these companies have provided an address within the area as one of their trading addresses, but others have been added once they are identified. Membership of this group is generally restricted to those with ten, or more, employees.

·  Non-corporate knowledge-intensive (KI) organisations are those research institutions that are located in the defined region which are neither companies, nor partnerships.

·  The principal source of the data is the FAME database produced by Bureau Van Dijk which includes over 3 million active UK-based companies. Since most companies do not provide employment and turnover figures, various methodologies have been employed to estimate them. See more background on the Cluster Map.

·  The Cambridge Cluster Map logo can be downloaded here

·  For further information and to arrange phone or 1:1 interviews with the creators of the new data, Dr Andy Cosh and Matthew Bullock, please contact: Richard Fullerton Tel: 07976 728 051

About Cambridge Ahead

Cambridge Ahead is a business and academic member group dedicated to the successful growth of Cambridge and its region in the long term. Our vision is for Cambridge to be the pre-eminent, small city in the world. The group now has 38 full Members who represent a current working population of over 36,000 people in Cambridge and a turnover of over £5 billion. For more information visit www.cambridgeahead.co.uk

About the Centre for Business Research

The Centre for Business Research (CBR) is a research institution within the University of Cambridge which conducts interdisciplinary research on enterprise, innovation and governance in contemporary market economies. Established in 1994, it is now one of the leading centres for social science research on economics, law and business in the UK, and has a growing European and global reputation. For more information, please visit www.cbr.cam.ac.uk

About Barclays

Barclays is a transatlantic consumer, corporate and investment bank offering products and services across personal, corporate and investment banking, credit cards and wealth management, with a strong presence in our two home markets of the UK and the US. With over 325 years of history and expertise in banking, Barclays operates in over 40 countries and employs approximately 130,000 people. Barclays moves, lends, invests and protects money for customers and clients worldwide.

For further information about Barclays, please visit www.home.barclays