Leeds City Region is the largest English city region outside London, with a £51 billion economy that generates 5% of UK GVA. It is home to a resident population of 3 million, over 100,000 businesses and one of the largest groupings of research-intensive universities in Europe.

Covering an area the size of a small European country, Leeds City Region is at the geographic centre of the UK, with strategic road, rail, air and sea links to London, Edinburgh, mainland Europe and beyond. From vibrant urban centres such as Bradford, Wakefield and Leeds, to historic York and the high-quality rural environments of the Dales and Pennine Yorkshire, Leeds City Region combines business competitiveness with affordability and an unrivalled quality of life.

KEY ASSETS

A diverse and growing business base, with major strengths in global growth sectors:

Leeds City Region is the largest manufacturing centre outside London and has the third largest financial and business services sector in Europe. It is a leader in healthcare and medical technologies, low carbon technologies and bioscience, and a dynamic hub for the creative and digital industries.

World-leading research:

Leeds City Region boasts eight universities and is the destination of choice for students outside London, producing more than 36,000 graduates each year. Two of our universities - Leeds and York - appear in The Times HES/ QES Top 100 World Universities rankings, and we also have two of the FT's World Top 100 Business Schools - Bradford and Leeds. 36% of our universities' combined research is considered world-class and a further 10% is world-leading.

An innovation capital in the north of England:

Leeds City Region is home to 11 Centres of Industrial Collaboration, which drive innovation in key growth sectors by bringing together research expertise in industry and higher education to develop new ideas, new materials, new products and services. It is also home to Science City York, the UK's most successful science city.

CREATING THE ENVIRONMENT FOR GROWTH

Driving the Leeds City Region economy is its new local enterprise partnership (LEP): a private-public partnership, responsible for creating a globally competitive business environment.

The LEP is one of the first such partnerships in the country, continuing Leeds City Region's pioneering approach to public-private collaboration over the past decade.

The LEP's vision is a bold one: working across the private, public and university sectors, it will develop the Leeds City Region as the natural alternative to London for investors. Its work will focus on developing the innovation, skills, housing, transport and green infrastructure to make the city region a world-leading economy.