The city aims to leverage digital innovation to attract investment, enhance decision-making, and ensure economic growth benefits all communities. The conference, with pre-conference workshops on 10 November, will gather leaders from local government, universities, industry, and technology sectors.
Andrew Williams, Birmingham City Council's Director of Economy and Skills, will deliver a keynote address outlining Birmingham's strategy for using digital innovation to foster inclusive growth and regeneration across key areas such as Curzon, HS2, Digbeth, Smithfield, the Knowledge Quarter, Sports Quarter, East Birmingham, and Tyseley.
Digital Twin technology is seen as a vital tool for integrating data on development, transport, infrastructure, investment, skills, and communities. This integration aims to provide a clearer understanding of how decisions in one part of the city impact others, facilitating more effective planning and coordinated investment in major regeneration projects.
“"Growth cannot just be about new buildings, cranes on the skyline or investment announcements. It has to mean better jobs, new skills, improved transport and stronger neighbourhoods for the people who already call Birmingham home. Technology can help us get there, but technology is not the destination. We should use it to understand our city better, make smarter decisions and ensure investment reaches the communities that need to benefit from it. Birmingham has the scale and ambition to lead this conversation nationally. I want us working with our universities, businesses, investors and communities to show how innovation can help build a city where growth is not only bigger, but fairer and more inclusive."
The conference serves as an invitation for investors, universities, technology companies, and public sector partners to collaborate with Birmingham. The goal is to demonstrate the potential of digitally enabled, inclusive growth at a city scale, aligning with the city's ongoing regeneration and economic transformation.
