Representatives from Cambridge organisations and the visiting JSAST delegation at the Innovate Cambridge office, following the roundtable exchange hosted at The Glasshouse.
Facilitated by Excellence First Enterprise Consultancy (EFEC)
14 November 2025 – Cambridge
The Glasshouse Boardroom at Botanic House hosted a formal roundtable bringing together representatives from Innovate Cambridge, Cambridge Ahead, the Department for Business & Trade, Anglia Ruskin University, Medilink Midlands, and EFEC, alongside a visiting delegation from Jiangsu Province. Facilitated by Excellence First Enterprise Consultancy (EFEC), the session enabled open, structured dialogue on how regional innovation ecosystems operate, evolve, and support scientific and technological development.
Visit from Jiangsu Province
The delegation from the Jiangsu Province Association for Science and Technology (JSAST), led by Deputy Director General Wenxin Yang, visited Cambridge as part of a broader learning trip. They shared that Jiangsu is regarded within China as one of the country’s strongest innovation regions, with leading performance in R&D investment, enterprise development, and applied industrial innovation.
The delegation expressed their appreciation for the clear overview provided by Cambridge colleagues, and in turn offered insights into Jiangsu’s own innovation system and its contribution to China’s national science and technology landscape.
Members of the Jiangsu Province Association for Science and Technology (JSAST) delegation during the discussion at The Glasshouse.
Innovate Cambridge: A Regional Model with Global Relevance
The discussion opened with an overview from Pashiini Supramaniam, Head of Ecosystem & Operations at Innovate Cambridge, who outlined the initiative’s role as a coordinating platform for region’s innovation. Key points included:
- Cambridge’s position as a single entry point to two world-class universities, a mature industrial cluster, and local government.
- A tripartite ecosystem model—academia, industry, and government—that fosters shared strategy and decision-making.
- Strengthening national ties, with Cambridge increasingly connected to other UK innovation regions such as Manchester and the Midlands.
- A growing commitment to inclusive innovation, focusing on widening access, social impact, and talent mobility.
For the visiting delegation, this provided a clear overview of how Cambridge structures and strengths its innovation capacity. For the Cambridge stakeholders, it reinforced the value of articulating the region’s unique model to international audiences.
Perspectives from Cambridge: Ambition and Regional Priorities
Duncan McCunn, Founding Director at Cambridge Ahead, outlined several long-term ambitions for Cambridge’s innovation economy:
- Doubling the number of Cambridge-based unicorns.
- Increasing equity investment in the region towards a long-term ambition of £20 billion.
- Ensuring that Cambridge continues to play a significant role in shaping the UK’s innovation future.
These points reflected themes that are also increasingly relevant in innovation-driven regions globally, including Jiangsu, offering helpful context for the wider conversation.
Bob Damms, Senior Life Science Investment Advisor at the Department for Business & Trade, shared national context. He noted that:
- Life sciences remain the highest-impact innovation sector in the Cambridge region.
- Cambridge attracts 24% of the UK’s life sciences venture capital.
- Corporate investment into the region’s life sciences sector far exceeds equity investment, signalling strong maturity.
- Government attention is expanding towards sectors such as semiconductors, digital technology, and AI, all of which are increasingly significant in global innovation discussions.
This reinforced Cambridge’s standing within the global innovation landscape and provided a useful reference point for the delegation.
University–Industry Collaboration: ARU’s Applied Innovation Role
Dr Beverley Vaughan, Director of ARU’s Arise Innovation Hubs, offered insight into how Anglia Ruskin University supports early-stage enterprises and research commercialisation. She highlighted:
- The importance of accessible innovation support for SMEs developing health, med-tech, and technology solutions.
- The value of applied research and translational science in strengthening regional innovation capacity.
- Previous international engagement, including programmes that enabled innovators from Cambridge to gain market insights in Shanghai.
Her contribution helped present a fuller picture of Cambridge’s diverse innovation infrastructure beyond the university–industry relationships traditionally associated with the region.
Dr Beverley Vaughan (Director, ARU Arise Innovation Hubs) presenting Cambridge’s approach to applied research and innovation to the visiting JSAST delegation.
Shared Themes and Areas of Synergy
Despite differences in scale and context, the discussion revealed natural areas of resonance between Cambridge and Jiangsu—from research translation and high-value technology development to university–industry collaboration. Participants noted that ongoing dialogue could help both regions develop a clearer understanding of how each defines and measures innovation significance, creating opportunities for complementary development rooted in mutual insight.
This exchange demonstrated how EFEC’s facilitation can help bridge innovation systems, enabling safe, structured, and meaningful conversations that support long-term, ecosystem-level understanding—an approach that aligns with the mission behind EFEC’s emerging UK–China Life Sciences Innovation Hub.
Purpose and Outcomes of the Exchange
The session was designed as an exploratory conversation, giving participants space to share perspectives on ecosystem structures, talent pathways, research commercialisation, and the evolving roles of universities, businesses, and local networks.
Chaired by Costa Philippou (Medilink Midlands) and facilitated by EFEC, the discussion reflected Cambridge’s ability to engage international visitors thoughtfully and constructively.
For Cambridge colleagues, the roundtable offered an opportunity to articulate the region’s strengths and understand how innovation is organised elsewhere.
For the Jiangsu delegation, it provided a meaningful introduction to Cambridge’s distinctive approach to innovation governance and collaboration.
