West Yorkshire's mayor has taken a dozen businesses to the US to secure trade deals and boost regional growth.
Mayor Tracy Brabin led the trade mission to Nashville, Tennessee, to meet potential investors and trade partners.
The mission, aimed at creating opportunities for West Yorkshire businesses, started on October 7 and will conclude before the government's International Investment Summit in London on October 14.
The goal is to secure new contracts and trade agreements to help businesses export, scale, create jobs, and grow the economy.
Trade in goods and services between West Yorkshire and the US is currently worth more than £4 billion, with nearly 2,000 businesses exporting goods to the US.
Ms Brabin said: "By coming together with business to champion our great region abroad, we’ll attract investment, create good jobs, and put more money in people’s pockets."
The mayor will speak at the NCQA Health Innovation Summit and meet Nashville's mayor, Freddie O’Connell, to discuss a potential partnership between the two regions' health and life sciences sectors.
West Yorkshire, home to NHS England’s headquarters and Europe’s largest teaching hospital, is 'recognised as a global leader in health innovation.'
The sector employs more than 100,000 people across over 300 companies and will be supported to grow further through a 10-year, £160 million investment zone secured from the government.
Kate Lodge, partnership director at the Leeds Academic Health Partnership, who joined the delegation on behalf of Health Innovation Leeds, said: "I’m delighted to join our regional partners as, together, we further strengthen our burgeoning health innovation industry sector."
The trip also aims to deepen trade, investment, and knowledge sharing between the regions’ music industries, with representatives from Leeds Conservatoire, The Piece Hall in Halifax, and Tileyard North in Wakefield in attendance.
Nicky Chance-Thompson MBE DL, CEO of The Piece Hall Trust and deputy chair of the WYCA Culture, Heritage and Sport Committee, said: "The music and cultural scene in West Yorkshire has always been rich with talent, and due to investment, the region is now achieving unprecedented recognition.
"However, there is still so much more untapped potential and opportunity to realise if we can nurture and forge stronger worldwide partnerships."
Since her election in 2021, the mayor has invested more than £13 million into the creative industries, including in a brand-new music network for musicians and industry professionals to collaborate on shared opportunities.
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