Cornwall's High-Tech Future(s): Miracle or Mirage?

Cornwall's mining sector is being revitalised; South Crofty is coming back to life, lithium is emerging in the Clay Country, and geothermal heat and power are being developed. Goonhilly is at the centre of a cluster of companies specialising in deep space and satellite communication. Culdrose is benefitting from increased defence spending and has the National Drone Centre as a neighbour. Floating Offshore Wind in the Celtic Sea is starting to emerge and is due to provide decades of high-tech opportunity off the Cornish coast.

But, over the last 200 years, Cornwall has mostly seen economic disappointment. Once the Copper and Tin booms peaked, there was little to take their place. Fishing and agriculture were not enough. Tourism provided low-paid, seasonal employment. Will this high-tech activity turn the tide?

In this talk, Louis Turner will explore recent developments and will explain what we can expect over the next decade. He will argue that we have a number of technological clusters in Cornwall - advanced mining round Redruth and the Clay Country; space communications and drones round Goonhilly and Culdrose; (potentially) floating wind round Falmouth. He will ask if any of these clusters is strong enough to provide the sustained high-paying growth that Cornwall needs if it is to close its wealth gap with the rest of the UK.

Louis is a long-serving Poly trustee. Before retiring, his career turned around Chatham House (Royal Institute of International Affairs) where he was a long-time researcher and Council Member. He wrote ten books on various aspects of the international economy. He also ran some 30 technology-focused conferences out in Japan, South Korea, Singapore and China (involving the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology). He is thus well qualified to assess the true potential of Cornwall's emerging high-tech scene.

There will be a panel of discussants who will represent the space, mining, maritime and university sectors. Names to follow.