Business in East Anglia

Oxford and Cambridge technology firms expect continued growth in 2009 although concerns remain over funding and the availability of quality people, according to a survey of 500 technology firms, ‘The Oxford and Cambridge Technology Race’. The survey by accountants Peters Elworthy & Moore and James Cowper showed 61 per cent of companies in both Oxford and Cambridge expect to see continued growth in 2009. But 10 per cent of companies in Oxford and 28 per cent of companies in Cambridge expect growth to remain static. Around 75 per cent of sales at tech firms in both cities were overseas. However, Sue Staunton, partner and head of the technology group at James Cowper said : “The very reason for businesses choosing Oxford and Cambridge – the abundance of technical and academic expertise – seems to cause problems when looking for commercially minded business people.”