Government, businesses marketing UK IT

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The government and private sector supporters have teamed up to jointly market the UK's abilities in IT around the world.

At the launch of the new strategy in London, the minister of state for trade and investment Lord Digby Jones said that more than a million jobs depend on the success of the ICT sector, which generates six per cent of the country's gross domestic product.

"Its importance to our economy is unquestionable," he said. "It is no coincidence that many ICT firms have their European headquarters as well as their research and development operation based here. Our highly skilled workforce and R&D tax credits are huge incentives for choosing the UK."

The marketing strategy will be driven by a board made up of industry and government leaders, who will help market the sector globally by focusing on subsectors and technologies where the UK has the best comparative advantage.

Jones said: "Today's strategy is really the first step. It is a catalyst to stimulate discussion amongst Government and business about how we sell the UK ICT sector to the world. Globalisation has made competition much more fierce and so we must all work together to find the best way to meet the challenge."

UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) invited input from the private sector, stressing the importance of the IT sector to the UK economy as a whole.

Mike Short, vice president of O2 and chairman of UKTI's sector advisory group for ICT, said: "This is a strategy for the whole industry, not just parts of it, and the more people who take part in the consultation the better."

"The ICT industry will really benefit from having a strategy tailored to its needs. With a strong marketing background it will help generate more prosperity," Short added.

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