New UK defence cluster launches in Yorkshire

A new Regional Defence and Security Cluster has been launched in Yorkshire, UK to champion the region's defence technology and manufacturing sectors and support its SMEs. 

The official establishment of the Yorkshire Regional Defence & Security Cluster (YRDSC) on 10 June in Wakefield was attended by key figures from local government, academia, and the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD).

The YRDSC will be owned and operated by the Yorkshire Combined Authorities, a collection of four consortiums made up of local councils, with the backing of UK Defence Innovation (UKDI), an MoD organisation that seeks to accelerate defence technology development. The launch follows the announcement of a new GPB50 million Defence Growth Deal, which will provide targeted support to the defence sector in South Yorkshire. 

According to the YRDSC, it is designed to provide SMEs with “alternative” routes to collaborate and build relationships with other companies, as well as offer business development support. 

At the launch, Andy Butt, the interim chair of the YRDSC, highlighted the importance of small companies to the region’s defence industry. Unlike other areas dominated by larger aerospace or naval primes, Yorkshire’s defence economy is largely led by SMEs and mid-tier businesses. Butt said that the cluster will also help to make defence contracts "more accessible to smaller companies". 

Regional and national growth  

In a recorded address to attendees, Luke Pollard, the UK Minister of State for Defence Readiness and Industry, welcomed the launch of the cluster. "Our national security depends on the strength of our regions, their industries, their skill, and their innovation," Pollard emphasised. He noted that defence spending in Yorkshire and the Humber already reaches around GBP1 billion a year, supporting thousands of jobs. 

He added that the new cluster will bring stakeholders together "in a true partnership, helping to unlock regional capability to develop technologies relevant to defence". 

Butt echoed this sentiment, arguing that the global landscape has fundamentally shifted. "Defence and security are no longer narrow, sector-focused issues. They are national resilience issues," he stated, noting that modern warfare requires rapid adaptability, data agility, and advanced manufacturing. 

To pinpoint its precise local strengths, the YRDSC has commissioned a data-driven report across the region's authorities to map workforce numbers and revenue in critical sub-sectors like AI. This will be used to facilitate conversations and work between local companies and national organisations like UKDI, Butt added.  

The new YRDSC is number 13 of a total 16 regional clusters planned across the UK. Over the next 12 months, the YRDSC will collaborate with neighbouring clusters in the North East and North West to deliver joint events and streamline pathways for regional suppliers, the cluster’s organisers said.