Tweet

Strengthening ties between San Diego and the U.K., Congressman Scott Peters (CA-52) and World Trade Center San Diego led a delegation to London and Cambridge, United Kingdom from October 16 – 19. Check out #SDinUK for the inside scoop.

Rep. Peters and World Trade Center San Diego were joined by more than two dozen San Diego delegates from Cubic Transportation Systems, Qualcomm, San Diego Gas & Electric, Edico Genome, Takeda California, NuVasive, Forge Therapeutics, BioMed Realty, Alexandria Real Estate, Biocom, UC San Diego, San Diego State University and others. 

Over the course of the three-day trade mission, two significant announcements, representing both the smart cities and life sciences space, were made.

San Diego became the first west coast city to enter London’s Business Welcome Programme. As part of the agreement inked between World Trade Center San Diego and London & Partners, London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s official economic development and tourism agency, London-based companies will have access to up to three months of free space at WeWork San Diego, as well as a suite of other services designed to accelerate their ability to grow in San Diego.

Continually, San Diego-based Forge Therapeutics announced the launch of BLACKSMITH, a new platform being developed in partnership with Evotec AG’s U.K. team. With more than 23,000 people dying in the U.S. annually due to resistance to anti-biotic superbugs, Forge’s new platform will aid in bringing lifesaving drugs to the market. The partnership will also enable Forge to create additional jobs in San Diego.

Additionally, Rep. Scott Peters and the delegation met with and spotlighted the following companies and held additional meetings and panels to expand on the following topics:

• San Diego-based Cubic Transportation Systems (CTS) and its partnership with Transport for London (TfL). During this event, leaders heard from CTS’ president Matt Cole and TfL’s CTO Shashi Verma on how the collaboration moves millions of people across London daily.
• An MOU signing between Biocom and OneNucleus, both trade organizations that represent the life sciences sector in their respective locations, to strengthen partnerships.
• A conversation about leveraging electric vehicle technology as a key platform for smart cities in the U.K. with Qualcomm and SDG&E. During the panel, it was announced that Chargemaster, a licensee of Qualcomm’s wireless electric vehicle charging technology, has just opened the world’s first EV Experience Centre in Milton Keynes in the U.K. and is looking to expand elsewhere around the world.
• A partnership agreement in Cambridge for a ground-up development project by San Diego-based BioMed Realty, comprising 100,000 square feet of laboratory and office space for growing life sciences companies. The partnership launch was attended by newly-elected Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Mayor James Palmer.
• A tour and best practices exchange with Knowledge Quarter, a one mile area of London comprised of eight higher education institutions, 22 museums and galleries, 34 libraries and archives, 580 research centers, 3,000 scientists, 13,700 academics, 57,000 staff and 98,500 students. Knowledge Quarter is home to companies including The British Library, Google, The Guardian, University of London and others.
• San Diego-based Edico Genome and a partnership with U.K.-based Congenica. Simultaneously, Edico Genome, in partnership with Amazon Web Services and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, set a GUINNESS WORLD RECORD title for “Fastest time to analyze 1,000 human genomes.” The award was presented at the American Society of Human Genetics 2017 Annual Meeting in Orlando.

The U.K. is one of San Diego’s most vital trading partners. U.K.-based companies directly support more than 10,000 local jobs and have poured more than $3.9 billion in greenfield investment (2003-2015) into San Diego’s economy. The U.K. is also one of the top 10 largest export markets for San Diego-produced goods and services.

The trade mission was organized by WTC San Diego, with assistance and support provided by the U.K. Department of International Trade.

Tweet

As part of the official agreement between World Trade Center San Diego (WTC San Diego) and London & Partners, companies will have access to a suite of services. London-based companies looking to open shop in San Diego and vice versa can access reduced co-working spaces, legal consulting and access to a venture capital network and angels, facilitated by WTC San Diego.

“London and San Diego are two cities that share a strong culture of business and innovation. We see a great opportunity to work with San Diego to establish greater trade and investment links and to help high-flying companies maximise the opportunities on both sides of the pond," said Tony Margiotta, project manager, city-to-city, London & Partners.  "The city-to-city Business Welcome programme is already helping businesses in cities all over the world to build their networks and expand internationally. We look forward to helping more San Diego companies make London their launchpad for growth into Europe and beyond.”

The announcement was made as part of trade mission, led by World Trade Center San Diego and Congressman Scott Peters (CA-52), to London and Cambridge from Oct. 16 -19. More than 20 senior level San Diego executives representing business, academia and government will be in the U.K. spur economic activity by creating new partnerships and opportunities. 

London businesses interested in setting up shop in San Diego can visit here to learn more.

San Diego businesses looking to tap into London’s network can learn more here or contact Jesse Gipe at jg@sandiegobusiness.org.

By Mark Cafferty, president & CEO, San Diego Regional EDC

Each time I have the opportunity to travel and represent our binational economy in foreign markets, I leave with new ideas, opportunities and connections that I see pay off for our region. My trip to London this past week will no doubt yield similar results. But I also can't help but feel like I was part of something bigger this time.

I began the trip as a proud member of the ProMexico Pavilion at the Farnborough International Airshow and Trade Show. Reminding the world's aerospace community of how actively San Diego supports Baja's robust aerospace/manufacturing economy is a role I am always excited to play. And while the legendary English rains put quite a damper on the first day of the show (flooding the trade show floors and completely knocking out electrical power), we still managed to pack in a lot of important meetings.

Returning bright and early for day two, we started off meeting with global manufacturer, Esterline to get an update on the status of their expansion efforts within Baja. Our mega region was out in full force as Baja Governor Francisco A. Vega de Lamadrid brought the newly elected mayors from Tijuana, Mexicali and Tecate together, along with Cristina Hermosillo (President of the Tijuana EDC) and I to talk about how we can continue to support the company from both sides of the border. The respect and support the delegation was able to convey to Esterline, and the company's clear appreciation and enthusiasm were worth the cost of the trip.

After this meeting, Cristina and I were able to get additional time with mayor-elect, Juan Manuel Gastelum of Tijuana, to develop a strategy to position the city as a software support hub and a key asset for San Diego's innovation economy. This meeting proved to be timely and important as well.

Between meetings and ceremonies at the Mexico Pavilion, I ventured out through the acres of trade show space to link up with representatives from the U.S. Department of Commerce, economic development colleagues from the State of Washington and local industry giants, Cubic and General Atomics. And as is often the case at Farnborough, a chance encounter on the ride back to London led to a new business relationship between an Italian-based supplier who Cristina and I stood next to on the train and a Baja-based manufacturer who was part of our delegation. Tri-national economic development at its best!

Days three and four were a whirlwind of walks, black cabs and tube rides through London. We were meeting with and feeling out various businesses and political leaders for the potential of a San Diego trade and investment mission in early 2017, led by Mayor Kevin Faulconer. The reception and feedback was overwhelmingly positive.

Despite the rather historic backdrop of both the Brexit and the appointment of a new female Prime Minister, the political and economic leadership in London is clearly not breaking stride. We met with representatives from Mayor Sadiq Khan's office and learned that climate change, economic inclusion and cross-border relationships—all hallmarks of our Mayor's administration in San Diego—are at the top of their London agenda. These items combined with a broader dialogue around data, open government and other "smart cities" topics will clearly make for a strong and timely series of meetings between the mayors.

The leaders at super-agency, London and Partners, pledged to work closely with our team at EDC to ensure that a potential visit in 2017 is mutually beneficial and showcases both long-term opportunities and measurable results. Additional meetings with Tech London Advocates (a large Connect-like network that supports London's start-up community), OneNucleus (a small BIOCOM-like entity that brings together London's life sciences companies) and MedCity London (a large network of well-funded life sciences incubators that have been spinning out new biotechnology and medical technology companies for almost a decade) confirmed that the interest in San Diego's biotech, high-tech and startup communities has never been higher.

We had a final meeting with a fascinating NGO called Nesta, where we explored the opportunity for San Diego to be included in some of their research and benchmarking efforts with other major global cities. It turns out they have been looking to engage more with cities in North America...sometimes timing is everything.

Looking back at my week overseas, my key takeaway is just how much our geographic proximity to Mexico and our strong regional collaboration with our partners in Tijuana/Baja have become key to our global identity. And at a time when the world is hearing international news reports of divisive and hateful rhetoric coming from one of our nation's Presidential candidates, the realities of Tijuana and San Diego working together and supporting each other have never meant more to our region and our nation's reputation abroad. We were told as much at the end of just about every meeting we had.

So I truly hope we will be returning to London in 2017 to see our two mayors open up a new connectedness between our highly innovative cities. I hope that business and university leaders from throughout our region will be there with us to generate new investment, trade and strategic partnerships. And I also hope that our partners and friends from Mexico will be right there by our sides—as always—continuing to show the world what binational leadership and collaboration looks like. I believe this can be one of the most important overseas missions our region will ever embark on. And I am certain that the results will pay off in more ways than we can possibly measure.

So as our #GlobalSD campaign marches on, we want to once again thank all of our partners and investors who are continuing to make it all possible. And if you see Mayor Faulconer, don't forget to remind him how much you appreciate, support and encourage his leadership in these efforts.

In an effort to further the region’s global competitiveness, a delegation of San Diego business leaders will be heading to London next week to increase existing synergies between one of San Diego’s most important international partners.  Building on existing relationships, the delegation will host the London premiere of National Geographic’s “World’s Smart Cities: San Diego” documentary, meet with key companies with San Diego ties, and promote opportunities in industries that matter most to San Diego’s competitiveness such as life sciences and connected health.

The San Diego – London ties run deep. Findings from the Go Global San Diego Initiative, released in March 2015, confirmed just how intertwined the two regions' economies are.  Collectively, the U.K. accounts form 25 percent of all foreign employment, or 12,340 jobs in San Diego. Some of these major London-based companies with San Diego ties include BAE Systems, Cobham, GlaxoSmithKline and Mirum. San Diego is also home to Cubic, a transportation innovator that powers London’s OysterCard system.

Key agenda highlights from the mission include a UC Alumni Event Showcase, where UC San Diego Dean Al Pisano will lead a discussion with UC alumni working and living in London to activate stronger ties in the life sciences, telecommunications, cybersecurity and software engineering sectors. The delegation will participate on a joint panel about driving down the cost of healthcare (arranged by Biocom and its UK counterpart, OneNucleus) and visit “The Catapult,” London’s urban innovation lab that aims to strengthen quality of life, economies and the environment in cities around the globe. While overseas, the delegation will also meet with key partners and companies including the U.S. Embassy in London, British Airways, BAE and Ebsta.

The trip builds off exciting exchanges between the two regions. London is the first international city to join the Global Cities Initiative (GCI), a joint project between the Brookings Institution and JPMorgan Chase, which works to help leaders reorient their economies towards greater engagement in world markets. San Diego has been a member of the GCI since Fall 2012. This affiliation has incubated a strong relationship with London + Partners, the economic development arm of the city of London. In February, Mayor Faulconer joined London Mayor Boris Johnson at the Brookings Institution  in D.C. to discuss how these two regions can strengthen their global connections.

The delegation includes:

• Al Pisano, Dean, Jacobs School of Engineering, UC San Diego
• Andrew Lee, President & CEO, ESET
• Diane Law, Parachute Marketing
• George Guerra, Vice President, HALE Enterprise Strategic Ventures, Northrop Grumman
• Hampton Brown, Director, Air Service Development, San Diego County Regional Airport Authority
• Iris Magid, Director of Industry Engagement and University Relations, UC San Diego
• Jennifer Landress, Senior Vice President & COO, Biocom
• Joe Terzi, President & CEO, San Diego Tourism Authority
• Joe Timko, Director of Public Relations, San Diego Tourism Authority
• Julian Parra, Senior Vice President & Market Executive, Global Commercial Banking, Bank of America Merrill Lynch
• Kerri Kapich, Senior Vice President of Marketing, San Diego Tourism Authority
• Lauree Sahba, COO, San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation
• Neva Parker, Head of Laboratory Operations, WhiteLabs
• Phil Blair, President & CEO, Manpower San Diego & Chair, San Diego Convention Center
• Robert Brownlie, Managing Partner, DLA Piper & Vice President, UC San Diego Alumni Board of Directors
• Robert Gleason, Chairman of the Board, San Diego County Regional Airport Authority
• The Honorable Scott Peters, Congressman (CA 52)
• Sean Barr, Vice President, San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation
• Shelley Lyford, COO, West Health Institute & President, Gary & Mary West Foundation
• Thella Bowens, President & CEO, San Diego County Regional Airport Authority
• Vince Mudd, Chair, San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation
• William Burfitt, Executive Director of Development, UC San Diego

If you’re a company that wants to increase its engagement with foreign markets – such as London – apply for the MetroConnect prize. Thanks to the generosity of JPMorgan Chase, EDC is providing select San Diego-based companies with up to $10,000 in matching funds to help with each company’s next steps in going global. The deadline is Monday at noon.  

Follow the conversation at

Tweet