Stepping onto the global stage

Over 50 leaders from business, academia and government came together in Paris to learn from one of Europe's finest innovation ecosystems. The visit was delivered by the Oxford Cambridge Supercluster Board and the Ox-Cam Growth Corridor team in HM Treasury, and is part of the aim to strengthen the Growth Corridor’s position as a globally leading innovation region and the UK’s global innovation gateway.

Professor Irene Tracey, Vice-Chancellor, University of Oxford and several other key members of the Oxford innovation ecosystem including Ed Bussey, Anna Strongman, Olga Kozlova, Sarah Haywood, Lisa Flaschner, David Ford and Mina Bekheet visited Station F, whose sheer scale can be described as “breath taking, a cathedral built for innovative companies where 1,000 start-ups enter every year, under one extraordinary roof.”  Then on to PariSanté Campus, a brilliant co-location of funders, researchers and companies working in health innovation. The kind of environment where “breakthroughs don't just happen by chance - they're designed to”.

After her visit Dr Kozlova said, “What struck me most wasn't just the innovation infrastructure; it was the joy of it. Paris reminds you that world-class ambition and genuine human warmth aren't mutually exclusive. I am proud to be part of building something that could do the same for the UK.”

At Equinox, we know that partnership, connectivity, and creating the right environment are essential to innovation that delivers impact, locally, nationally, and globally. Being part of this delegation represents our commitment to the Growth Corridor and building purposeful collaborations that accelerate growth.

The day concluded at the British Embassy in Paris, with contributions from Professor Deborah Prentice, Dr Andy Williams, Jess Glover, and a particularly inspiring speech from Professor Irene Tracey. Her remarks reinforced the importance of collaboration to solve global challenges and ensure innovation benefits as many people as possible.

This aligns closely with Oxford’s wider approach to international partnership, demonstrated by initiatives like the Oxford–Berlin Research Partnership, which brings together leading institutions to “research without borders in Europe and beyond”.

The clear message from the Paris visit was this: the OxCam Growth Corridor is stepping onto the global stage and is open to collaboration. At Equinox, and throughout Oxford we support that vision wholeheartedly.