# Northern Arc Partners

> Northern Arc Partners is an independent, politically neutral organisation connecting six Northern England regions into one globally competitive innovation corridor representing over 10 million people and £290 billion in combined GVA.

## Mission

Northern Arc Partners exists to dismantle regional silos across Northern England and create a single, coordinated voice for international investors and national policy makers. The organisation connects Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, and Cheshire and Warrington into one unified innovation ecosystem.

The organisation is industry-led, non-political, and designed to complement existing regional bodies by providing cross-border connectivity. It does not replace Combined Authorities, Trade Organisations, or Growth Hubs: it connects them into one coherent offer for the global market.

## The Problem

Northern England's six regions have historically worked in silos, often competing for the same limited pots of funding. While global innovation regions like the Randstad (Netherlands), Ruhr Valley (Germany), and Silicon Valley operate as closely connected ecosystems, Northern England is perceived by international investors as a collection of separate, smaller cities rather than the global powerhouse it is.

Four critical gaps persist:
1. **Productivity Gap**: The North-South productivity divide continues to widen despite decades of regional policy.
2. **Coordination Gap**: Six regions make separate cases to the same investors, diluting impact.
3. **Visibility Gap**: World-class innovation assets remain invisible to international capital.
4. **Commercialisation Gap**: University research struggles to reach commercial scalability across regional boundaries.

## The Quadruple Helix Model

Northern Arc Partners operates on the Quadruple Helix framework, aligning four pillars:

1. **Academia & Research**: Connecting universities with industry for R&D commercialisation. The corridor contains 20+ universities with world-leading research groups.
2. **Industry & Business**: Providing dynamic visibility of innovation assets and coordinating cross-regional supply chains.
3. **Government & Public Sector**: Coordinating investment propositions across Combined Authorities and LEPs.
4. **Civil Society & Social Economy**: Embedding inclusive growth so innovation benefits all communities.

## Founder

Damian Mohammed is the founder of Northern Arc Partners. Born and raised in Leeds, his career spans Newcastle, London's global financial hubs, and across Northern England. He has over twenty years of experience in economic development, inward investment, and venture capital.

Prior to founding Northern Arc Partners, Damian served as Investment Director at GC Angels and led the expansion of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult across the North West. His background includes driving significant international investment from India, China, and the US during a tenure in London.

He currently holds advisory and board positions including membership of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Health and Life Science Cluster Board and the Growth Company Business Support and Finance Advisory Board.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/damianmohammed/

## Regions

### Lancashire (Population: 1.6M)
A global cornerstone of the aerospace industry and a national leader in the transition to clean, secure nuclear and hydrogen energy. Home to one of the UK's largest aerospace clusters, contributing around £6.4 billion to Lancashire's economy.
- Key assets: AMRC North West, Samlesbury Enterprise Zone, National Cyber Force (NCF)
- Standout industries: Aerospace, Advanced Manufacturing, Energy

### Greater Manchester (Population: 3.0M)
A global frontier for advanced materials and industrial re-industrialisation, powered by a high-growth AI and data economy. A global pioneer for advanced materials and the UK's leading AI and digital ecosystem outside of London.
- Key assets: Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC), Henry Royce Institute, Turing Innovation Catalyst
- Standout industries: Advanced Materials, AI & Digital, Health Innovation

### Liverpool City Region (Population: 1.6M)
Reshaping the future of health innovation through world-leading drug discovery, infectious disease research, and clinical trials infrastructure. Home to England's first Life Sciences Investment Zone, targeting up to £800m in public and private investment.
- Key assets: Liverpool Knowledge Quarter (KQ Liverpool), The Pandemic Institute, Sci-Tech Daresbury
- Standout industries: Life Sciences, Drug Discovery, Infectious Disease Research

### West Yorkshire (Population: 2.4M)
A global centre of excellence for health data innovation and creative technology, where healthcare research meets a thriving digital economy. Hosts over 300 HealthTech companies and a major hub of national health data infrastructure, including NHS England Digital's headquarters.
- Key assets: Nexus (University of Leeds), National Health Data Research Hubs, Leeds Innovation Partnership
- Standout industries: Health Tech, Digital Creativity, Financial Services

### South Yorkshire (Population: 1.4M)
Redefining modern production and clean energy through the UK's first Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District. Home to the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), anchoring a cluster of over 100 global industrial partners.
- Key assets: AMRC Sheffield, University of Sheffield Innovation District, Olympic Legacy Park
- Standout industries: Advanced Manufacturing, Clean Energy, Logistics

### Cheshire and Warrington (Population: 1.0M)
At the forefront of the UK's Net Zero transition, combining global leadership in hydrogen energy with high-value pharmaceutical R&D. Leading the UK's first industrial Net Zero cluster through the HyNet North West project.
- Key assets: Alderley Park (Life Sciences), Thornton Science Park, North West Hydrogen Alliance
- Standout industries: Life Sciences, Hydrogen Energy, Clean Energy

## Key Statistics

- Combined population: 10M+ people
- Combined GVA: £290 billion
- Unlockable GVA by 2040: £90 billion
- Number of regions: 6 interconnected clusters
- Geographic proximity: Every region within one hour of each other

## Global Competitive Context

The Northern Arc competes with established global innovation regions:
- **Randstad, Netherlands**: €600B GDP, closely connected urban network
- **Ruhr Valley, Germany**: €190B GDP, transformed industrial corridor
- **Silicon Valley, USA**: $35T combined market capitalisation, world's leading tech hub

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Who are Northern Arc Partners?
Northern Arc Partners is an independent, politically neutral organisation connecting six regions across Northern England: Lancashire, Greater Manchester, the Liverpool City Region, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, and Cheshire and Warrington. We function as a non-competitive framework designed to foster pan-regional collaboration rather than internal rivalry. By unifying these areas into a single, globally competitive innovation corridor, the organisation represents an economic powerhouse of over 10 million people and a combined GVA of £290 billion.

### What is the Quadruple Helix model?
The Quadruple Helix is an operational framework for systemic collaboration across four essential pillars: Academia and Research, Industry and Business, Government and Public Sector, and Civil Society. Unlike traditional top-down models, these pillars are treated as interconnected strands that amplify collective impact.

### How is Northern Arc different from existing regional bodies?
Northern Arc Partners is a strictly independent, industry-led, and non-political development body. It operates as a strategic bridge that complements the work of existing organisations. While bodies such as the Northern Powerhouse focus on essential pan-regional policy, Northern Arc Partners functions as the connective tissue at the implementation and commercialisation level.

### What regions does Northern Arc cover?
The Northern Arc spans six interconnected regions: Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, and Cheshire and Warrington. Each region is within an hour of the others, creating a dense network of shared sector strengths.

## Links

- Website: https://northernarc.partners
- About: https://northernarc.partners/about
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/northern-arc-partners/
- Founder LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/damianmohammed/

## Contact

Email: hello@northernarc.partners