The Bath area’s reputation as a centre for creativity and innovation has been recognised through a new technology partnership in the Middle East’s equivalent of Silicon Valley.
The UK Jordan Tech Hub was launched in Amman this week to help drive economic growth through a technology and innovation partnership between the two countries.
The goal is to create partnerships in which British companies help Jordanian innovation go global, and Jordanian innovation gives British companies a global competitive edge.
Jordan has more internet start-up companies than any other country in the Middle East and has been dubbed the Middle East’s Silicon Valley. 
The tech hub was unveiled at a reception hosted by King Abdullah of Jordan, attended by a trade delegation from Bristol and Bath along with London, Glasgow and Northern Ireland.
The multi-centre hub will be supported by both public and private sector bodies from all four areas, which will all work in collaboration with UKTI in Jordan.
The UK Jordan Tech Hub will help drive economic growth in both countries by helping British start-ups and SMEs partner with the best of Jordanian and wider Arab based innovation.
The goal is to create partnerships in which British companies help Jordanian innovation go global, and Jordanian innovation gives British companies a global competitive edge.
Jordan has more internet start-up companies than any other country in the Middle East and has been dubbed the region’s Silicon Valley.
Chair of Invest Bristol & Bath Prof Joe McGeehan said: “Bristol and Bath are widely recognised as one of the UK’s hotspots of creativity and innovation which is why this Tech Hub provides such an exciting opportunity for the region’s companies to partner with Jordan’s fast-growing technology sector.”
David Sproxton, co-founder and chairman of Bristol-based animation firm Aardman, added: “This Tech Hub will help further cement the region’s reputation for innovation, technology and creativity and set up new and exciting partnerships with companies in the Arab world.”
The UK Jordan Tech Hub will focus its activities in sectors where the UK and Jordan have complementary strengths, including digital, biomed, low carbon, ICT and finance.
Its activities will include sector-specific business delegations between the UK and Jordan; conferences, workshops and partnering events; bespoke programmes for leading companies and raising awareness to business opportunities.
The Bristol-Bath area is a global centre of excellence for factual TV production, natural history film making and animation, it is also a leading destination for aerospace, advanced engineering and microelectronic industries and is at the heart of one of the largest cluster of silicon designers in the world, outside Silicon Valley.
Invest Bristol & Bath is the inward investment agency for the Bristol and Bath area (formerly Avon). It supports foreign direct investment, UK national companies and companies already here as they grow and expand. Its aim is to secure as much investment for the region as possible by working collaboratively with investors helping them access opportunities, understand the market and make the right connections. It is supported by the private sector, Bath and North East Somerset council and three other local authorities in the area, the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership and Government.
Trade envoy to Jordan, Kuwait, Palestinian Territories, Baroness Morris of Bolton, described the Tech Hub as “a really exciting initiative which will enormously benefit both countries”.
She said: “The Tech Hub will open up new pathways between the UK and Jordan giving innovative start-ups and SMEs in both the chance to access new markets and learn and grow from each other.”
Trade minister Lord Green added: “Jordan’s education system and integration with world markets make it a real leader in technological innovation. The UK Jordan Tech Hub will serve as a beacon in the region, delivering the partnerships and investment that create the jobs of the future.”
