Browne Jacobson and CBI to launch report on future of PPPs in financing infrastructure at UKREiiF

New models that will unlock finance for public infrastructure and accelerate the development of data centres will go under the microscope at the UK’s largest real estate and investment conference this year. 

UK and Ireland law firm Browne Jacobson is set to host two events at the United Kingdom Real Estate Investment & Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF), which takes place at the Royal Armouries in Leeds from 19 to 21 May 2026.

Report into public-private partnership models to be launched

The first session, titled Making PPPs work: Bridging the £725bn gap between ambition and delivery, will be held at the Rethinking Places Pavilion on Tuesday 19 May from 3.30pm to 4.30pm. It is free and open to all conference attendees, with no separate registration required.

A new report from Browne Jacobson and the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) revealing what businesses need from modern public-private partnership (PPP) frameworks will be launched at this event. 

A cross-sector panel – including business, development, finance and mayoral perspectives – will discuss practical solutions at the event for risk sharing, funding innovation, transparency and achieving social value alongside infrastructure delivery.

Craig Elder, Partner at Browne Jacobson who will chair the session, said: “Our panel session at UKREiiF will mark an important milestone in the strategic partnership we signed with the CBI last year to help shape the future of PPPs in financing infrastructure renewal across the UK.

"We’re excited to be launching new research that will be used to advise Whitehall policymakers on how to leverage private sector investment  to help address the UK’s infrastructure backlog and support growth.

“This report will explore how the government can identify the most effective PPP models, following earlier waves of projects that supported hundreds of public infrastructure projects in the 1990s and 2000s.”

Building new data centres for powering AI

The second Browne Jacobson UKREiiF session is a breakfast event titled Powering growth: Data centres – design, planning and investment. It takes place at Tattu, in East Parade, Leeds, on Wednesday 20 May from 8.30am to 10.30am. 

Connecting development, investment, planning and public sector professionals, it will combine networking opportunities with a panel discussion exploring approaches to delivering data centres – such as funding, approving and designing. To register interest in attending, click here.

Darren Ashworth, Partner at Browne Jacobson who will chair the session, said: “As demand for data infrastructure accelerates due to a surge in applications for emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, the question is no longer whether to build but how. 

“We’re looking forward to welcoming key stakeholders involved in delivering data centres to discuss the best approaches that will ensure the UK isn’t left behind in this infrastructure.”

Browne Jacobson will take a delegation of about 30 lawyers – covering sectors such as real estate and construction, energy and infrastructure, technology, government, health and life sciences, banking and finance, and education – to UKREiiF.