How techUK uses The Data City to power the UK’s Local Digital Index

techUK represents over 1,000 technology companies across the UK, driving innovation in AI, cybersecurity, software, and digital infrastructure. Matt Robinson and his team work to ensure businesses, policymakers, and investors have the insights they need to support regional and national digital growth.

Since 2023, techUK has partnered with The Data City to deliver real-time, data-driven intelligence on the UK’s evolving digital economy. This collaboration provides granular insights into digital clusters, investment flows, and workforce trends, helping decision-makers shape smarter local and national policies.

A key part of this partnership is the Local Digital Index, an interactive tool that maps the UK’s digital economy in unprecedented detail.

The Local Digital Index was created to help policymakers and industry leaders understand the strength of digital economies across the UK. As the pace of digital transformation accelerates, techUK needed to ensure the Index remained granular, relevant, and actionable.

Building on the 2023 Index, which introduced insights from The Data City, techUK worked with The Data City in 2024 to refine the methodology and expand the dataset.

New workforce insights from Lightcast job market data tracked in-work digital skills, while deeper regional analysis revealed previously overlooked areas of growth. The partnership continues to evolve, ensuring the Index remains a real-time tool for shaping digital policy, investment, and economic strategy.

Using The Data City’s real-time data and working collaboratively with the Data Services team, techUK has evolved the Local Digital Index into a real-time decision-making tool.

The integration of Real-Time Industrial Classifications (RTICs) allowed techUK to map emerging innovation clusters across AI, Life Sciences, Advanced Manufacturing, and other key sectors. Granular finance and investment mapping provided a clearer picture of funding flows, while Lightcast job market data enabled tracking of in-demand digital skills across regions.

Crucially, the Index shifted from a static report to an interactive microsite, giving users a dynamic way to explore, compare, and analyse local and national digital economies. This data infrastructure, built with The Data City and Open Innovations, allows for new updates and adaptability for future versions of the Index.

• Shaping regional digital strategies: Used by Glasgow, Greater Manchester, and the West Midlands to guide economic policy and investment decisions.
• Driving national policy discussions: Informed engagement with the Scottish Government, devolved administrations, and UK policymakers.
• Enabling real-time analysis: Matt Robinson and his team now use The Data City platform daily for company searches, regional insights, and investment tracking.
• Long-term influence: The Index has become a key tool for understanding the UK’s digital economy, with further expansion planned for 2025-2026.

The Local Digital Index provides an unprecedented view of the UK’s digital economy, helping policymakers, businesses, and investors unlock opportunities, shape policy, and drive growth at local and national levels