Central location and a high-tech industrial base have produced rapid growth for the East Midlands.

	Area:	15,628 sq km
	Population:	4.2m
	Regional GDP³	£51.0bn
	Exports to EU³	£5.4bn
	Exports outside EU³	£5.1bn
	Unemployment‡	4.9%
	Industrial property cost*	79.3
	Office rental cost**	55.2
	% of exports to Asia/Oceania³	11.9%
	Foreign manufacturing investment²	£500m
	UK manufacturing investment²	£1162m
	R&D expenditure³	£838m
	Gross Value Added per employee¹	£33,700
	Export value per employee³	£6207
	Average earnings per hour³ (male)	£9.70
	Average earnings per hour³ (female)	£8.00
	³=2000; ‡=Q1,2001; ²=1997; *index: UK=100 (type 3 industrial property Q1 2001); ¹=manufacturing; ** index: UK=100 (type 1 office accommodation Q1 2001)

The East Midlands is the fourth largest region in the UK, with a highly diverse industrial base and one of the fastest rates of economic growth. Modern, high-tech industries are well represented in the region, from engineering, electronics, food processing and pharmaceuticals, to automotive components and the clothing and footwear industries. Many companies in these strong industrial sectors are small enterprises able to respond quickly to market needs.

Comprehensive access
The central location of the East Midlands, together with a comprehensive network of road, rail, air and sea links, provides the region with excellent communications and accessibility. Both of the UK’s major north-south roads – the M1 and A1 – pass through the region, putting 99% of the UK market within one day by road.
East Midlands Airport is well located beside the M1 and within 15 miles of Nottingham, Derby and Leicester. The airport is one of the UK’s largest air cargo gateways and benefits from excellent air freight facilities.

Passenger and rail freight networks give easy access to the UK and mainland Europe, while the major East of England coastal sea ports provide links to the Continent and beyond.

World-renowned companies like Boots and Rolls-Royce are based in the East Midlands, while 650 foreign-owned businesses employ more than 40,000 people. Companies like Toyota, Caterpillar and Astra Zeneca enjoy the business benefits of a regional workforce that is flexible, adaptable and used to shift working. Labour relations are excellent, productivity is high with average output per head above the UK average, while labour costs are 10% below the British average. An innovative new centre for manufacturing excellence is planned in Melton Mowbray to benefit the region’s 13,000 manufacturing companies.

R&D
Business partnership with the region’s eight universities is common, with companies like Smithkline Beecham and Glaxo Wellcome, to name but two, working on research with the University of Nottingham, one of the ‘top four’ UK research universities. Leicester University was a pioneer in genetic fingerprinting (DNA) and is a pharmacology and biochemistry research leader. There is a food research centre at the University of Lincolnshire and Humberside, while companies like Courtaulds and train builders Adtranz choose the University of Derby for research and development work.

Inward investment
Financial assistance is available to new investors in many parts of the region through the UK Government’s regional selective assistance programme. The East Midlands also benefits from four enterprise zones in the northern part of the region where there are a range of benefits for investing companies.

A special planning charter, introduced between East Midlands Development Agency and local councils during 2000, ensures that planning applications from investors are dealt with swiftly and with a minimum of fuss.

Quality of life
One of the UK’s most pleasant places to live and work, the region enjoys top-class educational facilities, quality and affordable housing, a wide variety of scenery and thousands of acres of unspoilt countryside and coastline. The region also benefits from a wealth of entertainment in its cities and a wide range of sporting, leisure and cultural interests.

Websites:
East Midlands Development Agency www.emda.org.uk
British Midlands
www.thebritishmidlands.com
East Midlands online
www.eastmidlands.net