A new centrepiece of the week will be a flagship conference and expo designed to bring a national focus to the city.

Who will control the technologies shaping Britain’s future?

On 15 October, technology leaders, founders, innovators and policymakers from across the UK will gather at Unity Place, Milton Keynes, for a day of conversation, debate and connection.

Hosted by BBC Technology Editor Zoe Kleinman, the MK Tech Week Flagship Conference confronts one of the defining questions facing business and government: who owns, controls and benefits from the technology being built today?

From sovereign AI and data resilience to deep tech, advanced manufacturing, robotics and autonomous vehicles, the conference will examine the technologies reshaping the UK economy—and the opportunities for organisations ready to act.

Taking place at the heart of the Oxford–Cambridge Growth Corridor, this is where national ambition meets the people building, funding and governing the future.

Expect expert insight, challenging perspectives and valuable connections with leaders from technology, industry, research and government.

Your ticket includes access to the full conference programme, lunch and refreshments, followed by drinks and networking from 17:30.

Theme: Sovereign Technology

As AI becomes infrastructure, the question of data sovereignty, technology resilience, and who holds the keys to critical systems has moved from the edges of policy debate to the centre of board agendas. Organisations across every sector, from financial services to manufacturing, are asking the same question: where does our data go, and can we trust the systems we depend on?

The conference will explore what sovereign technology means in practice, why it matters for UK competitiveness, and what opportunities it creates for businesses willing to act.

Sessions will span sovereign AI and data, advanced manufacturing and deep tech, the role of the Oxford–Cambridge Growth Corridor in building resilient technology capability, and the entrepreneurship ecosystem growing within it.

Sessions Include

Sovereign AI

Advanced Manufacturing

Connected Autonomous Vehicles & Robotics

Oxford–Cambridge Growth Corridor & Supercluster

More to be announced very soon...

The Lineup So Far

Our host: Zoe Kleinman – Tech Editor at The BBC

Simon Fabri – CEO at HMGCC

Dr Laura Bishop – AI and Cyber Security Digital Sector Lead, BSI

Chris Allsopp – Co-founder of N:SYM and Origami Labs

Connected Places Catapult

Dame Dawn Childs – CEO at nLighten

Ian Pulford – CEO at Smart City Consultancy

Matt Allen – Executive Director at Oxford-Cambridge Supercluster

More to be announced very soon...

Lunch and refreshments

Lunch and refreshments are included in your conference ticket.

Drinks and networking

17:30–19:00

Join us at Unity Place after the conference for drinks and informal networking. Continue the day’s conversations and connect with speakers and fellow attendees.

Description supplied by the event organiser.