As part of Knowledge Networks: London and the Ox-Cam Arc, NLA's education & health insight study published in June 2020, we explore the growth in knowledge-intensive industries across London, Oxford and Cambridge, known as the ‘Golden Triangle’, and examine how the knowledge economy can be strengthened across this region.

London, Oxford and Cambridge form one of the world's leading knowledge-intensive regions, sometimes known as the 'Golden Triangle'.

It's home to five of the world's top-ranking universities for life sciences and medicine. Hundreds of businesses seeking direct access to innovation, talent and commercial advantage have been attracted to this area, creating a unique eco-system or 'cluster' of knowledge-intensive companies. The knowledge economy is a key driver of economic growth in the UK. The Oxford and Cambridge Arc alone currently contributing £111 billion annually, with potential for generating an additional £80 billion per year by 2050. 

Until the onset of Covid-19 there has been considerable demand for life science laboratory and high tech office space, with a number of major developments coming to the fore in recent years. With the demand for office and lab space outstripping supply, we have seen a sharp increase in rental costs. This, coupled with shortage of housing and lack of transport infrastructure poses significant long-term structural challenges to the area. 

Today, the region's strength in life sciences have been at the forefront of the response to the unprecedented Covid-19 crisis. It is here that this sector will play a critical role in driving the post-covid economic recovery. And so, in order to fool-proof the success of the region, there should be more inter-city-regional planning, with emphasis on presenting the 'Golden Triangle' as a coordinated brand, allowing for the provision of the right mix of start-up, grow-on industrial an corporate space across the region as a whole and anchor institutions even more integrated into the local areas, supporting local communities on the one side, while being part of of the global knowledge networks on the other.