Information for international companies about Europes Technology region.

1. Introducing
Berkshire Thames Valley
Europe's Silicon Valley
The number one small region in the UK in respect of economic
potential, cost effectiveness, business attractiveness and infrastructure.
Source: European Cities & Region of the Future fDi Magazine 2010-11

2. Introducing the Thames Valley
Situated on the doorstep of London, the Thames Valley boasts an impressive
business community. Home to ten of the top 50 global organisations in the
world and 13 of the world’s top 30 billion dollar brands, the Thames Valley
boasts the headquarter operations of Oracle, Microsoft, Dell, Computer
Associates and Vodafone, amongst many others.
“The Thames Valley region is a magnet for computer technology and talent. It is easy to
attract high quality staff “ Tim Caiger, VP Property & Real Estate, Oracle UK, European HQ, Reading

3. The UK’s economic power house
• The Thames Valley has a population of 1.1 million and labour force of
641,000.
• The UK’s most productive small region 1
• The engine of the South East and the UK with an economy of £32 billion,
which accounts for 19.5% of the regional total
• Reported as one of the UK’s most resilient and best performing areas in
response to the economic downturn 2
• The Thames Valley is ranked number one small region in the UK in
respect of economic potential, cost effectiveness, business attractiveness
and infrastructure 3
1. Experian 2010. All six Berkshire Thames Valley Local Authorities are in the top 20 of 382 in the UK
2. No City Left Behind Report 2010
3. fDi Magazine Financial Times European Cities & Regions Survey 2010-11

4. Thames Valley Berkshire, England
London, England

6. Top five business location drivers
Who’s already here? You’re in good company
This is the European hub and headquarter location for international brands. Home to the world’s most
innovative and fastest growing companies – tomorrow’s global brands
Accessibility delivers market opportunity
Proximity to London, access to Europe and the rest of the world via Heathrow airport, the UK’s
international gateway. Road and rail networks connect seven million people to the Thames Valley in
under one hour
Talent and innovation to drive your growth
People and institutions excel in developing and commercialising innovative IT and healthcare products
and services for the UK and European marketplace
A great way of life
Residents enjoy life in a place of outstanding natural beauty, proudly hosting international events,
Royal Ascot, Windsor & Reading Festivals, Henley Regatta, Cartier Polo, Royal Windsor Horse Show
Hit the ground running in a tried and tested business location
An international business community with a range of flexible property solutions. Experienced start-up
support is on hand to Launch your UK business at a fraction of the cost of London.

7. Who’s already here? UK/ EMEA Corporate HQs
Oxford
High Wycombe
Maidenhead
Slough Heathrow
Newbury International
Reading
Bracknell
Basingstoke

8. IT software and services
The highest concentration of computer services activity in Europe. 11 of the world’s top 15
software companies by revenue 2010 are located in or within 10 miles of Berkshire.
Thames Valley Park is home to
Oracle is the world’s largest business Computer Associates choose the Microsoft’s UK headquarters and
software company, with more than Thames Valley as the location for Technology Centre for Xbox
345,000 customers - including 100 of its new European Headquarters, consoles and games
the Fortune 100 - representing at Ditton Park, Slough, opened development, where they employ
a variety of sizes and industries in by Charles Wang in March 2000. over 2000 people.
more than 145 countries around the Today Ca employ over 1000
globe. people in their flagship European International access via
headquarters, which has fine Heathrow positions Thames
Thames Valley Park Wokingham is views over Ditton Manor Valley Park as the hub for
home to the European HQ Campus. parkland, woodland and lakes. international visitors, hosting
500+ staff from across Europe at
any one time.
Home to the largest cluster of security software companies in the UK with major operations of
Symantec, McAfee and Panda Security.

9. Fixed and mobile telecommunications
The major operations of the world’s largest players Vodafone, Telefonica O2, and 3 Mobile
reflects a long and successful history in wireless technology development.
Vodafone, Telefonica O2’s Hong Kong
headquartered in flagship UK owned 3
Newbury, is now the headquarters in Mobile chose
largest mobile Slough employ over Maidenhead
telecoms network 2000 people, trialing for their
company in the 4G mobile devices flagship UK
world. in Berkshire. Headquarters
Home to the headquarters of the world’s fastest growing Smart Phone brands including
seven mobile phone design centres in Berkshire
Slough is home to the fastest growing Korean mobile handset manufacturer
company in the world in 2010. Research LG employs 700 people in a 85,000 sq ft
In Motion (RIM), the company behind UK headquarters building in Slough. LG
the BlackBerry® brand, employ over are in good company, neighboring
600 people at their European Telefonica O2 and RIM headquarters.
headquarters

10. Home to the established global leaders
Significant waves of inward investment include computer hardware and software
companies such as Microsoft, Dell, Compaq and HP, followed by internet infrastructure
and content providers such as Cisco and Computer Associates.
11 of the world’s top 15 software companies by revenue 2010 located in or
within 10 miles of Berkshire, Thames Valley
Software
Rank Company Revenue UK Location % Growth in Market Share
US $ M
1 Microsoft 49,090 Wokingham 80%
3 Oracle 18,582 Wokingham 82%
4 SAP 11,368 Stockley 74%
5 Ericsson 7,595 Reading* 26%
6 Nintendo 6,799 Windsor 38%
7 HP 6,183 Bracknell 5%
8 Symantec 5,565 Reading 93%
10 Activision Blizzard 4,279 Stockley 100%
11 CA 4,012 Slough 93%
14 Adobe 2,796 West London 94%
15 Cisco 2,137 Stockley / Reading 6%
Source: www.top100software.org 2010

11. Home to tomorrow’s global leaders
The Thames Valley is a magnet for new investment from software businesses with 80% of
foreign owned start-ups operating in this sector, developing applications across industry
sectors from mobile to medical devices.
Nine of the top ten fastest growing software companies in 2010 are located in
or within 10 miles of Berkshire, Thames Valley
Rank Company UK Location Parent Software Growth
Country revenues US $ M rate
1 Google West London USA 333 455%
2 Kaspersky Abingdon Russia 360 177%
3 Nintendo Windsor Japan 7.245 113%
4 Omniture Egham USA 267 102%
5 Activision Blizzard Stockley USA 4.622 73%
6 Attachmate Staines USA 313 57%
7 Emblaze N/A Israel 296 54%
8 Take2 Interactive Windsor USA 1.452 49%
9 Autonomy Cambridge UK 335 46%
10 Salesforce.com West London USA 959 45%
Source: www.top100software.org 2010

12. New arrivals – tomorrow’s global brands
Over 2,000 internationally owned companies are established in the Thames Valley, and
each year over 70% of technology start-ups establish within one hour of London Heathrow.
“Our headquarters give us easy access to our “When we first looked at the UK as a European
customers in continental Europe through base I thought we’d have to chose London. But
Heathrow. Being roughly in the same time zone lower office costs in Reading, the close
also assist us in offering high levels of support proximity to Heathrow and the major IT players
without having to work the night shift – plus access to the Thames Valley countryside
something our staff certainly appreciate! All makes the location a great choice”.
round, we feel closer in every sense to our
customer base”.
Mohan Koo, Managing Director, Dtex
Donald Bauer, Vice-President, Solutions, Systems
Itergy. One of Canada's fastest growing
companies.

13. Healthcare and Biotechnology
The extraordinarily high concentration of research active major bio-pharma
corporations in the Thames Valley is a strong regional differentiator.
Baxter International, the US Quintiles, the global contract
Swiss owned Lonza
owned bioscience and research organisation,
Biologics, the global provider
medical delivery business, opened its new European
of bio-science manufacturing
has a proud history in the headquarters in Reading in
services, is voted one of
Thames Valley, with over 40 2010. Home to 500
Britain's top employers based
years operating in the UK. employees, the US giant
on excellent working
Baxter are headquartered in operates from Green Park,a
conditions (2010). Lonza is
Newbury. technologically advanced
headquartered in Slough.
business park.
Belgian owned UCB’s Slough headquarters boasts the
UK centre of excellence in drug discovery, leading to the
development of cutting edge biopharmaceuticals. UCB
are one of the UK’s top five investors in R&D. Of the 650
employees working in the Thames Valley, 70% are
engaged in research related activities.

14. Market opportunity through a global reach
Heathrow international airport provides Thames Valley businesses with the UK’s widest
choice of international and domestic connections to customers and suppliers.
The world’s busiest airport is on the
doorstep - 90 million passengers
travel through London Heathrow
airport every year, the gateway for
two thirds of all long haul flights from
the UK.
Heathrow provides connection to 181
global locations.
40% of passengers travel to intra
European destinations, reflecting the
area’s role as the UK and European
business hub.

15. Connectivity to London and beyond
Investment in high speed rail and multi modal connections to London opens a talent pool
of seven million people for Berkshire, Thames Valley business locations.
Milton
Location London Keynes Cardiff Birmingham Manchester
Slough 18 min 1 hr 33 2 hr 07 2 hr 09 3 hr 20
Reading 25 min 1 hr 44 1 hr 33 1 hr 50 3 hr 27
Windsor 30 min 1 hr 46 2 hr 21 2 hr 40 4 hr 30
Bracknell 1 hr 2 hr 32 2 hr 25 2 hr 25 4 hr 09
Basingstoke 45 min 2 hr 14 1 hr 58 2 hr 20 4 hr 20
Newbury 56 min 2 hr 32 2 hr 20 2 hr 16 4 hr
Maidenhead 31 min 2hr 06 2 hr 04 2 hr 04 3 hr 33
Oxford 55 min 1 hr 05 2 hr 1 hr 11 2 hr 58
Wycombe 35 min 2 hr 04 3hr 18 1 hr 40 3 hr 45
Source: National Rail 2011
23 districts outside Berkshire each supply more than 1000 people to the Berkshire
workforce. This is testament to the excellent transport links in the Thames Valley.

16. Talent & Innovation that drives growth
Berkshire, Thames Valley has a long history in commercialisation and technology
innovation, driven by 82,000 professionals with technical IT skills.
• Fujitsu developed it’s world leading analogue and digital semiconductor process in
Maidenhead
• Wireless Technology that enabled Britain's first mobile phone call between Newbury and
London in 1985 was developed here
• The first truly hand held mobile phone in the world was designed by Technophone, a
Nokia company, in Camberley (within six miles of Berkshire)
• R&D in Berkshire, Thames Valley takes place on a larger scale than surrounding areas
including London, Cambridge, Oxford
• 8% of work places with more than 200 employees are engaged in R&D activity
(compared to less than 4% in Oxford and Cambridge)
• Berkshire has both the highest number of IT professionals in the South East (15%), and
the highest density of IT professionals in the whole of the UK.

17. Talent & Innovation that drives growth
The Thames Valley is home to one of the UK’s largest clusters of research intensive
corporate headquarters.
World class capabilities
and critical infrastructure
support exists for
software systems
architecture and
development,
optoelectronics,
nanotechnology
materials science,
telecommunications
including mobile and
wireless, hardware,
semiconductor and
electronic design
Top 46 Research intensive HQs

18. Universities in the Thames Valley Region
Employers are served by 20 universities and Higher Education Institutions within a 50 miles
radius. These establishments contribute over 66,000 graduates to the market place each year.
Examples of local academia
1 The University of Surrey,
Guildford
2 Brunel University, West
London, Egham 7
6 8
3 Royal Holloway, University of
London, Egham
4 Thames Valley University, 4
2
Reading and Slough
45 3
5 The University of Reading
6 Oxford Brookes University
7 The University of Oxford
1
8 Bucks New University

19. Talent and innovation that drives growth
Within a one hour radius the local area boasts world class centres of excellence,
collaborating with international businesses in cutting edge research.
The University of Reading is ranked as one of the UK’s 10 most research-intensive
universities and as one of the top 200 universities in the world. It enjoys a world-class
reputation for teaching, research and enterprise. 87% of the University’s research is ranked of
international standard.
Areas of excellence include: Meteorology & Climate Change, Food Biosciences, Typography
and Construction Management
The Information Security Group (ISG), Royal Holloway is one of the largest academic security
groups in the UK. It offers world class PHD programmes and postgraduate study in Information
Security. The group is also the home to the Smart Card Centre of Excellence, founded in
collaboration with Vodafone and Giesecke & Devrient.
Centre for Communication Systems Research (CCSR), University of Surrey is
the UK's largest and most well-known academic research centre in Mobile and
Satellite Communication Systems.
CCSR research is focused on future communication systems including mobile and
wireless communications, satellite communications, multimedia systems, networking
(management, protocols and security) and media applications and services.

20. A great way of life
Windsor Castle, the River Thames, Henley, Eton and Wentworth are just a few of the
attractions the Thames Valley has to offer.
The Thames Valley is one of the few regions in the UK where it really is possible to live and
work in a picturesque setting. Almost half of the region is made up of areas of outstanding
natural beauty. It is tucked away from the noise and environmental pollution of a big city and
offers a full range of housing and offices for all budgets.
Consistently high performing state schools and a selection of prestigious international and
private schools give choice in your children’s education.
With a diversity of arts, cultural and culinary delights the area is well geared to meet the needs
of its expatriate residents. A short train ride to London makes it easy to pop in for shopping,
eating out or catching the latest west end shows.
Operating your business in a well connected, desirable area makes
attracting the key first hires to drive your business forward that much
easier.

21. Tried and tested by international business
International companies establishing their first presence in the UK often seek flexibility and a
fully serviced property solution during the early stages of market entry.
The Thames Valley is home to a range of privately owned and global serviced office providers
to suit every desired corporate image. Locations range from refurbished heritage buildings at
Henry VII Gate Windsor Castle to the largest serviced office in Europe neighbouring HP and
Dell.
The sector is competitive and well versed in accommodating technology businesses.
Currently providers such as MWB and Regus are quoting between £300 and £500 per person
per month.
As your products and services gain a foothold in the UK market
and the number of personnel increases, a range of award-
winning business park developments and town centre locations
provide next stage accommodation.
Thames Valley occupiers in serviced and conventional lease
offices enjoy rental costs on average 30-40% lower than
comparable space in central London.

22. Award winning commercial property
Commercial properties range from award winning headquarter buildings on landscaped
business parks to flexible executive offices in prime business and University campus
locations.
Examples of popular locations for international businesses
One of the biggest Slough Trading Estate
developments of its consists of 486 acres
type in Europe, (1.97 km2) of
Green Park, commercial property in
Reading is truly a Slough and provides
park for business, 7,500,000 sq ft (697,000
combining an m2) of accommodation
attractive landscape to 500 businesses. It is
with first class the largest industrial
Stewart Turkington Photography & One World, One Camera
amenities. estate in single private
ownership in Europe
Today, occupiers include leading international There are over 600 buildings: the estate is home to 400
corporations such as Cisco Systems, Symantec tenants from countries including America, Italy, Japan,
Software and Logica, and widely recognised names Germany and Korea supporting 20,000 jobs. Companies
such as Regus and HSBC. With office suites from using the park include O2 Telefonica, GlaxoSmithKline, Mars
500 sq ft, accommodation also caters for emerging Confectionery, ICI Paints, the datacentre operator Network-I,
companies looking for room to grow. OKI Printing Solutions, and LG Electronics.

23. Hit the ground running - getting started
The Thames Valley has extensive experience in foreign investment and can help your
company to be successful by supporting its UK and European growth.
Introducing Thames Valley UK - Launch Pad Team
Thames Valley UK Launch Pad is a service co-ordinated by the Chamber of Commerce to
help companies new to the area significantly reduce the time and cost in planning,
establishing and growing a Thames Valley presence.
The programme is tried and tested and has already received credit from new investors
highlighting the benefit of a package of support which offers competitive advantage to new
businesses looking to accelerate into the UK market. The programme provides the
following benefits:
• An offer of free and discounted office space in prime business locations
• An offer of free and discounted professional services
• Assistance to access a network of 2000 Thames Valley Chamber members
Launch Pad complements existing local, regional and international UK Trade and
Investment services. Together we have assisted over 30 technology companies to
establish in 2010.

24. Hit the ground running - getting started
Summary of Thames Valley UK Launch Pad benefits
• Genuine cost savings for businesses
• Reputable partners supporting Launch Pad initiative
• Professional and committed group of advisers on hand to help
• Marketing package – introductions into the Thames Valley business
community
• Wide choice of strategic locations in one of Europe’s leading powerhouse
region
Visit www.regus.co.uk/tvep for further information on the 14 Launch pad
business located across Thames Valley Berkshire.

25. Hit the ground running - getting started
Thames Valley Chambers of Commerce (TVCC)
TVCC are a not-for-profit organisation accredited by the British Chambers
of Commerce. TVCC works with business across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire,
Oxfordshire and Wiltshire to help them achieve their full business potential.
The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) is the national body for a
powerful and influential Network of Accredited Chambers of Commerce
across the UK; a Network that directly serves not only its member
businesses but the wider business community.
For further information please contact:
Paul Britton, Inward Investment Manager
Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce Group
t +44 (0)1753 870509
e: paulbritton@thamesvalleychamber.co.uk
www.thamesvalleychamber.co.uk/641/