Birmingham Tech Week 2025 set to spotlight skills, scaleups, and cyber security

Birmingham Tech Week 2025, the region’s annual celebration of innovation and digital progress, returns from October 20 to 24 with a packed agenda aimed at industry professionals, educators, startups, and investors.

Among the highlights drawing attention this year are two flagship expos — the Digital Skills Symposium and the Scaleup Summit — which aim to bridge the gap between talent development and high-growth business.

On Tuesday, October 21, the Digital Skills Symposium at the Birmingham Conference and Events Centre (BCEC) will bring together further and higher education providers, training organisations, and employers. The all-day exhibition is designed to showcase the region’s early-career talent and provide a platform for networking between education and industry.

Later in the week, on Thursday, October 23, the Scaleup Summit will convene at STEAMhouse. This event is set to attract over a thousand participants from across the tech ecosystem, including founders, investors, and business support organisations. The Summit focuses on supporting fast-growing companies in the West Midlands and positioning the region as a hub for scaleup success.

Another key feature of the week is the Birmingham Tech Week Awards, culminating in a black-tie dinner at the ICC on Friday, October 24. This year’s judging panel for the Young Tech Person of the Year award includes senior leaders from IBM, QA Ltd, Pinsent Masons, OneAdvanced, and Crowe UK. The award is intended to celebrate emerging innovators whose work is making a measurable impact across the local tech scene.

Beyond the headline events, Birmingham Tech Week also includes a series of fringe sessions. One such event — hosted by Mercia Ventures on October 21 — will focus on helping UK-based entrepreneurs expand into the U.S. market. Speakers from law, finance, and venture capital will offer advice on market entry, fundraising, and scaling internationally.

Cyber security will also be in the spotlight with a dedicated CyberVerse Day on Thursday. Gowling WLG will host a panel titled “How to Manage a Cyber Attack,” chaired by Sarah Gray from the firm’s Cyber Security & Resilience team. The discussion is expected to address practical legal and operational responses to data breaches and cyber threats — a topic increasingly relevant for startups and scaleups seeking investor confidence.

The event is expected to draw international interest, with delegations attending from countries including Germany and South Korea. Across the week, speakers will cover a range of topics such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, leadership in tech, and digital inclusion.

Now in its sixth year, Birmingham Tech Week strives to position the West Midlands as a major player in the UK’s digital economy — not just as a showcase of innovation, but as a platform for collaboration and long-term growth.

Image from TechWM/Birmingham Tech Week