Welcome to our weekly South West Tech News roundup, where you can get all the headlines from the past week in one place.
What has our busy tech and digital community been up to this week? From award wins and innovative breakthroughs to unmissable events and capital raised, take a moment to reflect on the hive of daily activity taking place in our region.
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Bristol marks triple opening at Temple Quarter regeneration
Bristol has formally opened three major projects in one day, marking the most advanced milestone yet in the £1bn-plus Temple Quarter regeneration.
The University of Bristol’s £500m Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus leads the trio, anchored by the £241m Sloane Robinson Building – home to research groups focused on AI, cyber security, quantum and engineering biology.
Alongside it, a new £23m eastern entrance to Temple Meads station and a floating harbour walkway link the campus to Temple Quay, with further station entrances and a transport hub due to start later this year.
Read the full news here
Bath's LeaseAssured brings legal-tech to commercial leasing
LeaseAssured, a Bath-based legal-tech platform, is combining digital workflows with qualified legal review to simplify the commercial lease process for landlords and businesses in England and Wales.
The platform gathers key lease information through a structured digital workflow, before completed documents pass to a qualified commercial property solicitor for review.
Founder Dan Yeo says the model isn’t about replacing professional services, but changing how they’re delivered – freeing solicitors to focus on judgement-driven work while technology handles the process-driven parts.
Discover more here
Swindon set for 1,000 new jobs as UK's drone capital grows
More than 1,000 highly-skilled jobs are on course to land in Swindon, a year after the government’s Defence Industrial Strategy named it a national hub for defence innovation.
The centrepiece is the MoD’s new Uncrewed Testing Centre at Panattoni Park, four times larger than NATO’s tactical drone centre in Latvia.
Alongside it, Portuguese manufacturer TEKEVER is opening its largest UK production site in Swindon, expected to support up to 1,000 skilled roles across engineering, manufacturing and R&D — with five further drone specialists already following suit.
Read the full news here
Bristol NHS trusts trial AI tool for rapid heart disease detection
A new AI tool developed by Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Imperial College London can detect signs of heart failure and valve disease from a routine ECG in under two seconds.
The trial spans 590 NHS patients across six hospitals, including Bristol Royal Infirmary and Southmead Hospital.
In testing, the tool identified up to 81% of heart failure cases and 90% of a common valve disease — and could be rolled out into routine practice within two years if trials succeed.
Read the full news here
BRAZEN early bird passes close 14 September - get yours now!
Brazen Festival returns 9–13 November, bringing together tech, creativity and culture across five days of events, talks and connections for the South West ecosystem.
Early bird passes are closing soon – grab yours before 14 September to lock in the best price before they’re gone!
Get them here
