The Chamber is proud to host the Thames Valley’s only, business led, curated, defence & security working group.
Our industry-led group serves as a vital platform for collaboration, convening global corporates, innovative SMEs, academic institutions and educational establishments, defence and security industry leaders, government stakeholders, professional bodies and pre-eminent thought leaders.
Please note that this working group is invitation only. Please contact the Business Representation & Policy team for more information.
Upcoming Defence and Security Working Group Meetings:
Purpose and Ambition
The sector’s business community have invited the Chamber to bring together and convene this group as a triple helix model of collaboration between industry, academia, research and wider key stakeholders and growth hubs to share information, knowledge and best practice.
Through both the working group and the workforce development partnership of the LSIP, the group seeks to harness the collective capabilities that drive innovation and identify market opportunities, address skills development and training and strengthen the links between industry primes and small and medium sized enterprises.
Through partnership, we aim to elevate the importance of the region as a significant contributor to the government delivering its growth ambitions outlined in the Industrial Strategy and accompanying Defence Industrial Strategy.
The purpose of this group is to create a coordinated, connected and confident regional cluster that:
- Strengthens collaboration between primes, SMEs, academia and government
- Raises the Thames Valley’s profile as a trusted, capable contributor to the UK’s Defence Industrial Strategy
- Supports organisations to navigate policy, procurement and skills development
Our ambition is to champion the Thames Valley’s global reputation as a business location of choice for defence companies. This includes positioning the region as a centre of excellence for defence innovation, advanced technologies and future talent.
This ambition is shared with key regional champions such as
Tan Dhesi MP, Slough;
“The defence capabilities of the Thames Valley, especially its leadership in technology and AI, are of significant national importance. In a challenging geopolitical environment, investment in the defence sector is essential, and this region is uniquely equipped to help meet the country’s security needs. As Chair of the Defence Select Committee, I commend TVCC for its efforts in convening industry across the Thames Valley and look forward to this valuable collaboration continuing long into the future.”
Will Stone MP, Swindon North;
“In response to global instability and the government increasing Defence Spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 it is imperative that the Thames Valley region rises to meet this modern challenge. I have been focused on bringing investments in advanced drone manufacturing to Swindon and am pleased at the progress we’ve been making to support the nation’s defence. However, investment in defence is about much more than just keeping the United Kingdom and our allies safe, it is about providing long term, sustainable, high-skilled jobs to the people and places that need them most. Therefore, I commend the Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce for tackling this head on and bringing together those willing to grasp the opportunity defence investments can bring to the whole region.”
Key Strengths of the region
The Thames Valley region is home to a dynamic, and growing, cluster of specialist defence and security technology firms:
We see the Thames Valley as a critical contributor to the UK’s effort to build a resilient, innovation-led defence industrial base – helping deliver the agility, autonomy, and high-tech capabilities central to the UK’s future warfighting model.
Benefits of Participation
By participating in the Thames Valley Defence & Security Roundtable, organisations can:
Find Out More
We welcome organisations with expertise in defence, security, cyber, aerospace, advanced engineering and related sectors with an operational link to the Thames Valley, to express interest in participating. This invitation extends to businesses not currently members of the Chamber.
Please contact the Business Representation & Policy team for more information.
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