Why Businesses Are Choosing Birmingham

Birmingham, once defined by heavy industry and manufacturing, is fast emerging as one of England’s most dynamic cities for business. With major investments spanning media, transport, health and sport, the city is undergoing a transformation that promises not just economic revival but a complete reimagination of its identity.

The city has the momentum—and the vision—to support businesses old and new. Here’s why:

Innovation, Science and Health: Building the Knowledge Economy

Parallel to the cultural revival is Birmingham’s rise as a tech and life sciences hub. Adjacent to Aston University, the Birmingham Innovation Precinct (BIP) spans 20 hectares and includes 1.35 million sq ft of commercial space. The mixed-use district, complete with homes, hotels, and cultural venues, is expected to contribute £1.3 billion in annual Gross Value Added (GVA) and create approximately 10,000 high-value jobs. This is already on top of what is currently existing in an area known as the Knowledge Quarter.

Core new facilities include the Green Energy Centre and the Aston Integrated Healthcare Hub, both aimed at fusing academic research with enterprise. The Aston Business Hub, designed to support 100 tech startups, positions the BIP as one of the UK’s most ambitious innovation ecosystems.

The precinct forms a vital part of the West Midlands Investment Zone, a government-backed initiative targeting 30,000 jobs and £5.5 billion in private investment.

Healthcare innovation is also surging in Selly Oak, with the development of the Birmingham Health Innovation Campus. The campus is being delivered through a collaboration between the University of Birmingham and investor-developers, Bruntwood Sci Tech, who coincidentally are also investor-developers in the Knowledge Quarter. This brand new facility blends community care with pharmaceutical services and digital health research, placing Birmingham at the forefront of public health innovation. The collaborative partnership is further driving life sciences and health-tech R&D in the region.

Meanwhile, Birmingham Science Park Aston (BSPA)—one of the UK’s oldest science parks—continues to support over 100 tech companies across digital, biotech, and low-carbon sectors. Its 250,000 sq ft of workspace and proximity to the Innovation Birmingham campus make it a fertile ground for startups and spinouts in clean tech and advanced computing.

HS2: Redefining Birmingham’s Place on the Map

One of the city’s most transformative projects lies away from the streets and on the tracks. Birmingham stands at the heart of High Speed 2 (HS2), the UK’s most ambitious infrastructure programme in decades. While the northern leg has been curtailed, the link between Birmingham and London remains central, and game-changing.

Curzon Street Station, now under construction, will be the first new intercity terminus built in Britain in more than 100 years. When complete, it will reduce travel times to London to just 49 minutes. The development is expected to generate £1.4 billion in annual GVA, create 36,000 jobs, and unlock 141 hectares of land for regeneration.

This infrastructure is tightly integrated with city-centre developments. In Digbeth and Eastside, new cycling, walking, and business routes will connect HS2 directly to creative hubs such as the Custard Factory and the BBC’s new headquarters.

For local businesses, this means faster recruitment pipelines, improved logistics, and greater exposure to national and international investors. For the broader economy, it translates into rising demand for commercial property, hospitality, and retail—particularly in areas surrounding the station.

Sporting Ambition: A Stadium to Match the Vision

East Birmingham is also the focus of another ambitious scheme—this time led by Birmingham City Football Club. Backed by US investment firm Knighthead Capital and minority investor Tom Brady, the club is driving forward a £2–3 billion Sports Quarter development in Bordesley Green.

The centrepiece will be a new 60,000+-seater stadium, replacing St Andrew’s as the largest ground in the Midlands. Dubbed the “spaceship” for its conceptual design. Whilst no timelines have been give for the new stadium, we can expect that Knighthead Capital will deliver on this.

But this isn’t just about football. The 48-acre site, formerly home to Wheels Park and a go-kart track, will also feature elite training facilities, youth academies, hotels, retail, and entertainment venues. The campus draws inspiration from Manchester City’s Etihad complex and the development is expected to deliver between £370 million and £450 million in annual economic impact, and create around 8,000 jobs.

To ensure accessibility, plans include a new metro extension - part of a wider £2.4 billion West Midlands transport investment - that will connect the new stadium site with Birmingham city centre, HS2’s Arden Cross, the NEC, and the airport.

Crucially, the project is being developed in an area of East Birmingham that has struggled with high unemployment - around 14 percent - and limited investment. Proponents see it as a catalyst for wider community regeneration, not just through job creation but by providing youth facilities, public spaces, and year-round economic activity driven by concerts, sports events, and even international fixtures.

Digbeth: A Creative Powerhouse Reborn

Nowhere is Birmingham’s renaissance more visible than in Digbeth. Once an industrial backwater, the district has morphed into the city’s creative epicentre, home to several hundreds of organisations across design, media, and technology. Its Victorian warehouses and railway arches have become the backdrop to a modern creative quarter drawing comparisons to East London’s Shoreditch and North London’s Camden.

The Custard Factory remains a key landmark in this shift, housing more than 400 tech and media SMEs. Nearby, redeveloped spaces such as Fazeley Studios, The Bond, and Tubeworks form part of a wider multi-million-pound masterplan to regenerate the area into a walkable, high-energy creative campus.

The area’s transformation has drawn in high-profile backers. The BBC is relocating its Midlands headquarters to the historic Typhoo Tea Factory, converting the iconic site into a cutting-edge broadcast hub. Flagship programmes including MasterChef, Silent Witness, Asian Network, and Newsbeat will be produced from Digbeth. The relocation is expected to generate £282 million in GVA and create around 900 full-time jobs by 2031, reinforcing the area’s status as a national media cluster.

Just around the corner, Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight is spearheading the launch of Digbeth Loc Studios. The complex is expected to attract high-end film, television, and music productions. It’s not only a nod to Birmingham’s cinematic roots but a signal of the city’s creative future. One that nurtures and exports its own cultural capital.

A City Redefined

Across media, health, transport and sport, Birmingham is redefining its role in the UK economy. Once a symbol of post-industrial decline, it is now a showcase for how targeted investment and strategic partnerships can revitalise a city.

The BBC’s presence in Digbeth signals confidence in its creative future. The Birmingham Innovation Precinct anchors cutting-edge science and technology. HS2 is stitching the city into the national network, while the Sports Quarter promises to lift a historically neglected part of the city.

Together, these developments offer more than a facelift—they position Birmingham as a launchpad for growth, innovation and national influence.

For businesses, creatives, and investors alike, Birmingham is not just rising, it’s leading.