MK City Council announce plans for Milton Keynes Tech Week

Milton Keynes City Council have unveiled plans for a week of showcasing technology next week.

Starting Monday 22 September, Milton Keynes Tech Week aims to bring together entrepreneurs, students, industry leaders and global businesses for events looking at artificial intelligence, robotics and emerging technologies.

Organised by Milton Keynes City Council, the programme builds on last year’s Artificial Intelligence Festival and will be even bigger, with speakers, demonstrations, conferences and an exploration of cutting-edge technologies that are shaping the future all part of the events planned to take place around the city.

Highlights of the week include:

• Red Bull Racing will showcase cutting-edge technology behind F1 innovation, the RB17 hypercar and its unique combined operations, while inspiring future engineers.
• Cutting-edge approaches to technology and national security debated by experts from across industry and government.
• The official launch of New Meta – a chain of high-tech gaming hubs bringing next-level interactive play to Milton Keynes.
• The MK Business Leaders Tech Summit, delivered with partners including Bletchley Park and NatWest, tackling the biggest opportunities and challenges facing the UK tech economy.

Milton Keynes City Council said the week is to showcase the city’s technology sector.

They said, “Milton Keynes has one of the UK’s fastest-growing economies, worth over £13.3 billion annually, with more than 2,400 tech businesses generating £3.4 billion in GVA. One in three jobs in the city is now linked to tech, reinforcing MK’s reputation as a city where innovation is at the heart of growth.”

Tech Week opens at Bletchley Park, the historic home of codebreaking and the site of the UK’s first Global AI Summit, before further events roll out across the city. In a Smart City Robotics Competition at centre:MK, European university teams will test their robots in real-world challenges. There’s also sessions on the future of motorsport, AI in daily life, and a Dragons’ Den-style pitch event.

The leading names involved include Red Bull Racing and Technologies, Santander UK, His Majesty’s Government Communications Centre (HMGCC) and The Open University. They’ll be joined by ambitious new tech firms and industry specialists across multiple sectors. 

Headline partners include The Open University, Santander and Cranfield University. Supporting partners include British Business Bank, HAYS, Smart City Consultancy, Bletchley Park, HMGCC, and Aiimi.

Further information can be found at: www.miltonkeynestechweek.com. 

Cabinet Member for Planning and Placemaking, Cllr Shanika Mahendran, said, “Milton Keynes is where the future is being designed and created. We’re really looking forward to showcasing what brilliant minds are working on in MK and the country in Tech Week, through a really exciting programme that ranges from robotics and AI to national security and gaming. Come along to learn why Milton Keynes is the UK’s home of technology and innovation.”