In 1971, journalist Don Hoefler, coined the term Silicon Valley in an article he wrote about the rapidly growing technology companies in the southern San Fransisco Bay Area of California. With the support of local universities, particularly Stanford University, venture capitalists, and backing from the United States Department of Defense, Silicon Valley soon became the technological capital of the world. It is home to more than 30 Fortune 1,000 businesses and countless tech startups. In the competitive global technology sector, it wasn’t long till Silicon Vallies in other countries began to take root. The most notable can be found in Zhongguancun in northwestern Beijing, China. Estonia made its mark as a technologically advanced nation, becoming known as Europe’s Silicon Valley. Meanwhile, another European nation is trying to stake its claim as a technology hub.

One of the fastest, most in demand technology sectors has become the drone industry. Goldman Sachs has predicted that the global drone industry will be worth more than $100 billion in the near future. Aiming to capitalize on this growing trend, England’s Liverpool, home of The Beatles, is set to become the next drone Silicon Valley. The drone industry boom started in 2016, and by 2018 the UK had failed to progress commercially like the rest of the world invested in drones. In response to this, the CEO and founder of Drone Major Group, Robert Garbett, gathered some drone insiders to co-write a proposition to the British government. The paper outlined what the country needed to do to catch up to the immensely profitable drone industry. The paper was titled “Commercialisation of the UK Civil Drone Industry” and has led to the UK announcing earlier this year that Liverpool would become a designated drone development and testing center.

In collaboration with Drone Major Group and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA), the project is being called the Phoenix Programme. The goal of Phoenix is to establish the UK as leaders in the development and implementation of drones across all sectors. These sectors include the use of drones in the air, on land, and underwater. Within each of these drone sectors are numerous applications and possibilities, all of which Drone Group hopes will be fostered and improved upon within the city of Liverpool.

Phoenix currently has 9 projects underway. These projects address drone themes such as governance and regulation, education, safety and security, and sustainability. The projects will enable commercially viable and scalable drone enterprises in the UK. These drone programs will also align with the nation’s commitment to decarbonization and ecological sustainability goals. Not only will the Phoenix Programme establish Liverpool as a drone hotbed, but it will immediately bring in mass job opportunities for the city and the country. “The Liverpool City Region is a digital powerhouse. We have the world-class infrastructure, expertise, and ambition to be leaders of the fourth industrial revolution,” said Steve Rotheram, mayor of the Liverpool City Region. “It’s fantastic to see the Drone Major Group choosing to open their test and development area here. This project will deliver new jobs and investment and will attract people to our area, not just to work but to study too, knowing that we are working on cutting-edge and exciting projects such as this, as well as ambitious plans in everything from digital infrastructure to tidal power.”

The drone industry saw a particularly large jump in demand because of COVID-19, and that demand is going to continue to grow. In the 1970’s, it was the development of silicon-based microchips for technology advancements that created the Silicon Valley phenomenon. Today, drones are the next frontier in technological developments. With the Phoenix Programme, Liverpool will now become the technology hub needed to meet the increasing demands of a world ready to embrace drones. “Drones represent an unprecedented growth opportunity across a huge number of global industries,” commented Mr. Garbett. “Liverpool City Region has clearly demonstrated its commendable intent to adopt a sustainable and commercially viable drone technology system for the city ahead of the curve, which sets an example to all.”

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