The Oxfordshire Economic Partnership (OEP) is a company limited by guarantee formed in June 2003 by a number of Oxfordshire business people including Sir Martin Wood, the founder of Oxford Instruments, Dr John McKeown, the Chief Executive of UKAEA together with senior public sector executives to influence and develop strategies for enterprise and economic development in Oxfordshire, to promote competitiveness of the economy in Oxfordshire, to promote enterprise and economic growth in Oxfordshire, to promote education and training of and the development of skills amongst the existing and future work force in Oxfordshire, to research and promote the sustenance and enhancement of the environment in Oxfordshire and generally to promote in any manner the County of Oxfordshire for the benefit of its employers, employees and communities.
The following organisations are members of OEP: The OEP Membership meets quarterly and includes the following organisations:
The partnership works by identifying priority areas for intervention and improvement and bringing together the relevant partners to define and deliver that intervention, seeking funding from a range of sources as appropriate.
In October 2005, the OEP collaborated with Oxfordshire County and private sector broadband providers to launch the Oxfordshire Broadband Partnership, established to promote the use of broadband internet in Oxfordshire.