Key Sectors

Advanced Manufacturing

This involves the use of innovative technology to improve products or processes. Businesses in this sector are likely to have the following characteristics:

Process driven, technically skilled and use innovative and new technology.
Creativity in Research & Development is important as is the intensive use of capital and knowledge.
Requires a flexible workforce with strong specialist skills in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics and design.
May require long term investment decisions to develop processes and buy equipment (that can take more than a year to manufacture).
Uses high levels of technology and R&D and intangible investments (training, improvements to business process) to support innovation.
Subject to government / regulatory compliance.
Can have high raw materials costs.
Exporting is significant to the sector.
Access to skills and training is important.

Aerospace

Aerospace engineering is concerned with the design, construction and science of aircraft or space craft, or any business that assists this process. Businesses in this sector are likely to be:

Process driven, technically skilled and innovative.
Creativity in Research & Development is important as is the intensive use of capital and knowledge.
Requires a flexible workforce with strong specialist skills in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics and design.
May require long term investment decisions to develop processes and buy equipment (that can take more than a year to manufacture).
Uses high levels of technology and R&D and intangible investments (training, improvements to business process) to support innovation.

Finance and Professional

In this sector, you will be an expert in your field and would also be expected to meet the following criteria:

Requires qualifications to do the work, for individuals.
Requires professional indemnity insurance for the business.
The business is likely to be part of a trade body or authorised to do certain types of business.
Examples include Solicitors, Accountants, Independent Financial Advisors, Dentists, Opticians, Architects, Chartered Surveyors etc.

Creative and Digital

Creative and digital industries' describes businesses with creativity at their heart - design, music, publishing, architecture, web and software, film and video, crafts, visual arts, fashion, TV and radio, advertising, literature, computer games and the performing arts. Other features of this sector include:

Creative Industries have their origin in individual creativity, skill and talent and have a potential for wealth and job creation through the generation and exploitation of intellectual property.
Businesses may be small or medium sized enterprises (SMEs), or even very small or 'micro-enterprises', including individual practitioners.
Creativity and digital expertise are essential to all other industries particularly in the areas of product design, graphic design web and software development, marketing and PR.

Energy and Environment

The environmental goods and services sector includes the areas of:

Waste management;
Environmental analysis;
Solutions to control pollution and contamination;
Resource efficiency;
Carbon capture and storage;
Carbon finance;
Renewable energy (hydro, wave and tidal power, geothermal, wind and biomass);
Nuclear;
Smart metering and smart grids;
Energy storage solutions.

Features of this sector:

SMES make up most of the supply chain;
Protection and commercialisation of intellectual property is key to sector growth, especially the export of knowledge based environmental solutions;
Higher level skills and knowledge based consultancy are critical to legislative compliance, development management and securing investment;
Large scale energy generation developers often use an international supply chain, require risk capital and must engage with a complex mix of stakeholders and end users.