| Introduction

ICT
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Did you know? The Northwest is the largest food and drink-producing region in England and Wales, yielding a Gross Value Added (GVA) totalling £9.5bn and employing over 450,000 people. 
For over half a century, Manchester has been associated with the development and growth of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). From the pioneering developments of Kilburn and Williams who created the worldÕs first stored program computer to the recent development of one of the worldÕs smallest and most powerful computers, Manchester is at the forefront of developments in the computing industry. 
Today the region is home to a number of the worldÕs leading ICT companies including the UK headquarters of 
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Food and Drink 

The Northwest is the largest food and drink-producing region in England and Wales, yielding a Gross Value Added (GVA) totalling £9.5bn and employing over 450,000 people. The Manchester City Region has over 4,000 businesses in the sector, employing more than 26,000 people and producing an output/turnover in excess of £900m. 
The areaÕs strength in the food and drink sector is illustrated by the presence of companies such as KelloggÕs, Heinz, Unilever, Con-Agra, Princes, Kerry Foods, Cargill, Pataks and Warburtons. WarburtonsÕ Bolton base has been established since 1876 and other companies such as KelloggÕs, Heinz, Pataks and Cargill have shown their continuing commitment to the region by announcing further investment in their Greater Manchester facilities. 
The city region is well placed to encourage strategic partnerships, supply chain development and knowledge transfer between companies.  Manchester Metropolitan University houses the North West Food Centre and offers opportunities for study in Food and Consumer Technology, Nutrition and New Product Development. Salford University houses the European-renowned Centre for Robotics and Automation, which has strong links with the sector. This all contributes to a low risk environment that helps to increase potential investorsÕ companies including Fujitsu, Brother International Europe and Siemens (Energy and Automation Division). ManchesterÕs impressive past performance in attracting and retaining leading players in the industry has led to the largest concentration of ICT industries outside of the Southeast. With over 100,000 people in IT professional employment, the Northwest represents 10% of the UKÕs IT workforce. The availability of highly skilled and experienced software engineers, analyst/programmers and network specialists combined with a reputation for retaining IT staff more easily than other UK cities has encouraged highly successful technology businesses such as Agilent Technologies, IBM, Cisco Systems, Oracle and Sun Microsystems to establish and grow important operations in the city region. 
Manchester is also home to a range of companies that are at the forefront of new developments in certain key areas of software, for example Transitive Technologies, a Manchester University spin-out company and recipient of the European ICT prize for innovation, counts Apple, IBM, Intel and Sun amongst its customers. 
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Did you know? With over 100,000 people in IT professional employment, the North West represents 10% of the UKÕs IT workforce. 
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confidence in building successful and sustainable operations in the region.