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• CIO Insights

By Sylvia Carr, 26 August 2004 12:25

NEWS Cornwall is the UK county most likely to become a technology business centre because it's so attractive to entrepreneurs, according to new research.

The research, conducted by think tank The Future Laboratory, looked at which areas provide support and possess a suitable infrastructure and workforce for starting a business.

A key challenge for entrepreneurs in a rural area such as Cornwall is finding qualified staff. The Future Laboratory says one factor benefiting businesses looking to set up outside cities is that the sort of people moving to these areas is changing.

It's not just retirees or burnt-out city types looking for a quiet life, but more and more professionals see rural areas as a way to improve their quality of life and get a fatter paycheque that goes further.

Broadband has helped tech and others entrepreneurs desiring a country lifestyle, too.

Many younger professionals, in particular, are willing to leave cities because broadband allows them to telecommute, according to The Future Laboratory.

Cornwall is well set up in this area - it's expected to have 100 per cent broadband availability by end of 2004.

The county has also invested in physical infrastructure such as roads and air transport to make the area more accessible to London and the rest of Europe - an attraction for the growing number of small Cornwall businesses that do business internationally.

Finally, Cornwall says that it is improving culturally, offering the sorts of restaurants, shops and activities that workers of technology or other knowledge-based businesses as well as ex-city dwellers appreciate.

Future Laboratory analyst Martin Raymond said in a statement that Cornwall is "one of the UK's counties best placed to meet the needs" of young professionals who put a priority on work/life balance.