Welcome to our weekly South West Tech News roundup, where you can get all the headlines from the past week in one place.
What has our busy tech and digital community been up to this week? From award wins and innovative breakthroughs to unmissable events and capital raised, take a moment to reflect on the hive of daily activity taking place in our region.
If you have a story to share, wizz it over to will@techspark.co – I look forward to hearing from you!
Rowden & Isembard Join Forces to Scale UK Manufacturing and Create 100 Jobs
Rowden Technologies and Isembard have announced a major collaboration to grow sovereign UK manufacturing of advanced sensing systems used across defence, government and national infrastructure.
As part of Rowden’s multi-million-pound investment, the initiative will create around 100 highly skilled jobs across the Southwest over the next 12 months. Isembard will manufacture precision-engineered components for Rowden’s expanding Magos product line, while the partnership brings together Rowden’s design and integration expertise with Isembard’s MasonOS-powered, software-defined production capabilities.
The move strengthens the UK’s industrial base and boosts export competitiveness in a strategically important technology area.
Read the full press release
Bristol Battery Startup Pioneers Dry Coating Tech To Slash Carbon Emissions
Bristol-based Anaphite has revealed independent analysis showing its dry-coating electrode technology could remove 7 million tonnes of CO₂ from global battery production each year.
The assessment found the firm’s process can cut emissions by 3.57 kg CO₂e per kWh of cell capacity compared with traditional wet-coating, a method currently used for more than 90% of lithium-ion batteries worldwide.
Beyond the environmental benefits, Anaphite’s approach supports OEMs preparing for strict new EU Battery Passport regulations coming into force and strengthens the UK’s leadership in sustainable battery manufacturing.
Cornwall Marine Network Reaches Huge Milestone: 5,000 New Jobs Created
Cornwall Marine Network (CMN), the region’s not-for-profit marine trade organisation, has hit a significant milestone as it has supported the creation of 5,000 new jobs in Cornwall’s marine sector.
CMN delivers innovation support, skills training, apprenticeships and access to grant funding, helping marine businesses scale and compete globally. This achievement marks a major success for the region’s growing blue economy ecosystem.
New Cleanroom Venture Helps UK Life Sciences Scale Faster
Two South West businesses have launched a joint venture aimed at dramatically speeding up the delivery of cleanroom facilities for fast-growing pharma and life sciences companies.
Total Clean Air (TCA) and Vanguard Healthcare Solutions have created Modular Clean Air (MCA), a venture focused on designing and building fully compliant, off-site manufactured cleanrooms that can be delivered far faster than traditional onsite builds.
Cleanrooms are essential for high-precision, contamination-controlled environments required in drug development and advanced manufacturing. The initiative aligns with the UK Government’s recent £520 million investment into life sciences manufacturing and supports the nation’s ambition to become a global leader in the sector.
Rocket Duck Launches to Support The Next Generation of Plymouth Tech Founders
Digital Plymouth has announced Rocket Duck, a new programme designed to support emerging entrepreneurs, students, creatives and aspiring tech founders across the city.
Funded through the UK Government’s Regional Tech Booster programme, Rocket Duck will provide a hands-on environment where participants can build teams, test ideas and develop real-world startup skills. The pilot is open to people from across Plymouth, including students from University of Plymouth, Arts University Plymouth, Plymouth Marjon University and City College Plymouth.
Through practical meetups and an intensive weekend Launchpad event, the programme aims to strengthen Plymouth’s startup ecosystem by connecting technical, creative and business talent.