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Steering group formed to support North East digital strategy

Eight members of the North East business and academic communities have been appointed to the North East’s Digital for Growth steering group, supporting the delivery of the region’s digital strategy.

The group includes a cross section of highly experienced representatives from business, education and the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), which is leading on delivery of Digital for Growth.

Chairing the steering group is Stuart Lynn, Founder of Tech North East; Visiting Professor of Technology, University of Sunderland, and he is joined by steering group members Richard Baker (Head of Strategy and Policy, North East LEP), Deni Chambers (Assistant Principal, Gateshead College), Pete Daykin (Founder, WordNerds), Herb Kim (CEO, Thinking Digital Limited; David Goldman Visiting Professor of Enterprise & Innovation, Newcastle University Business School), Laura Partridge (Digital Programme Lead, North East LEP), Michelle Rainbow (Skills Director, North East LEP) and Alison Shaw (Professor of Practice for Success and Progression, Newcastle University).

Digital is identified in the North East LEP’s Strategic Economic Plan as one of four areas of strategic importance. By working together as one region and actively supporting the Digital for Growth strategy, there is a great opportunity to collectively enhance the North East’s digital credentials, create more and better jobs, and increase regional prosperity.

The steering group will support four delivery groups which bring together partners to drive forward the priority themes in the strategy: infrastructure, workforce, enterprise and data.

Stuart Lynn said: “The members of our new Digital for Growth steering group form a fantastic team and, between them, have expertise which spans the breadth of tech, digital, business growth and education.”

The North East Digital for Growth strategy was unveiled in early October 2019 and through a collaborative approach aims to maximise opportunities for growth and investment in the North East economy.

Digital for Growth identifies priority areas where the North East LEP will work with partners to build on the region’s assets. These areas are data; infrastructure and connectivity; digital collaboration and enterprise; and workforce.

The strategy has been built around the needs of the region, whilst leveraging the UK’s Industrial Strategy, the region’s Strategic Economic Plan, and the Local Industry Strategy.

Laura Partridge, Digital Programme Lead at the North East LEP, said “The success of Digital for Growth relies on the support of the entire North East digital and business community to make it a success.

“Within the strategy, we have built on the opportunities for the region identified in the North East Strategic Economic Plan and we’ve laid out a framework for maximising these opportunities and responding to challenges. Now is the time for us to align our digital assets and work together to take the region forward.”

The Digital for Growth steering group will oversee the ongoing development of the Digital for Growth strategy, helping to shape the delivery plan and align with networks and organisations across the region.

Read the North East Digital for Growth strategy here.

 

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Showcasing clean energy innovation across the Northern Powerhouse

The North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) is a sponsor of the Energy and Clean Growth in the Northern Powerhouse event – a major, two-day event to showcase the innovation, leadership and opportunities across the North of England in energy, decarbonisation, transition and clean growth.

Andrew Clark, Energy Programme Lead at the North East LEP, talks about the role the North has to play in the clean energy revolution.

Next week I’ll be attending the Northern Powerhouse Energy and Clean Growth conference, along with the Chair of the North East LEP, Andrew Hodgson, and various North East partners including those from the newly formed North East Energy Catalyst.

The Northern Powerhouse has long been the engine room of the UK and today, the region is poised to lead the transition to clean energy. The North also has a critical role to play in responding to new demands which are being placed on the country’s energy systems and infrastructure, and new innovations and intelligence in response to these.

Here in the North East, the energy sector is embedded in the fabric of our region. It’s a key part of our regional economy and our North East Energy for Growth strategy lays out how partners in the region are coming together to deliver on national energy strategy and drive economic growth.

Next week’s conference aims to showcase some of the innovation and opportunities across the Northern Powerhouse when it comes to decarbonisation and the transition to clean growth. As part of this, we will be sharing details of the North East Energy Catalyst and explaining how this new partnership has been formed to showcase solutions to global energy challenges in the North East, and to catalyse an integrated energy system which grows a productive and clean economy.

The Catalyst includes partners from industry, academia, the public sector and government bodies and we’re excited at what we can achieve by bringing together our energy innovation, demonstration and delivery assets in this way.

The energy sector has a crucial role to play in the future of the Northern Powerhouse, allowing the region to contribute to the national agenda, creating more and better jobs, and allowing the North to prosper.

I’m looking forward to forming new collaborations across the Northern Powerhouse region and to exploring how we can make our North East energy infrastructure and assets, like those brought together through the North East Energy Catalyst, available to the wider North and the rest of the UK.

Andrew Clark, Energy Programme Lead, North East LEP.

Energy and Clean Growth in the Northern Powerhouse takes place on 5 and 6 November in Hull. Find out more.

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Energy and clean growth in the Northern Powerhouse

At the start of November, a major two-day event in Hull will bring together energy sector businesses, policy-makers and researchers from across the North. North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) Chair, Andrew Hodgson, who will be chairing a panel discussion at the event, looks ahead to the Energy & Clean Growth in the Northern Powerhouse conference.

The Energy & Clean Growth conference is the next stage in an ongoing process of collaboration, as we work together with partners across the Northern Powerhouse to showcase the combined energy capabilities of the North, and to illustrate how the North has a vital role to play in tackling global challenges of clean growth.

In late 2017, the Northern Energy Taskforce published the Northern Energy Strategy, with a vision of creating the leading low-carbon energy region in the UK, with an energy economy worth £15 billion per annum and 100,000 green jobs.

And now, the Energy & Clean Growth conference has been organised by the NP11 – the 11 Local Enterprise Partnerships that cover the 76 Local Authorities in the North of England – to shine a spotlight on clean growth, the new technologies being developed here in the North, and the opportunities we have as a region within the energy and clean growth arena.

We know that here in the North East we have fantastic history and a bright future in the energy sector. Our region is home to a globally important offshore energy and subsea technology cluster; we have comprehensive innovation and demonstration assets; and we have partnerships like the North East Energy Catalyst which is focused on accelerating decarbonisation, driving economic growth and delivering on national policy.

But we are not just looking at this on a sub-regional level. It’s important that we also show the breadth of what we have to offer across the wider North and that we make sure the combined capabilities of the North are recognised nationally and internationally.

The conference in Hull will bring together more than a thousand delegates from the energy sector, it will spark conversations and it will bring stronger linkages between the different elements of the energy supply chain. I hope that it will also result in even stronger links between industry and academia, bringing research into new technologies up front and centre.

The timing of this conference is important. Energy is a hugely important part of the UK’s Industrial Strategy and this conference comes at a time when many Local Enterprise Partnerships are in the process of publishing their own Local Industrial Strategies. Discussion and debate like we will see at the Energy & Clean Growth event will influence how energy is positioned within these strategies.

And of course, these discussions are all taking place at a time when we are facing global challenges on clean growth and the growth of industry. The UK Government has committed to reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and the Northern Powerhouse has a leading role to play in achieving this aim.

What we can contribute to the energy agenda when we work together is huge and I look forward to making further progress towards our goals for the Northern Powerhouse in November.

Andrew Hodgson, Chair, North East Local Enterprise Partnership.

Energy and Clean Growth in the Northern Powerhouse takes place on 5 and 6 November in Hull. Find out more.

 

 

 

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North East Energy Catalyst ready to deliver on global challenges

A ground-breaking new partnership has been established to unite the North East’s leading energy innovation, demonstration and delivery capabilities, in order to drive new opportunities and growth for the region.

The North East is home to an array of internationally-recognised energy innovation, demonstration and science assets, and a wide range of ‘real-world’ follow-on delivery opportunities. These are owned by the public sector, universities, government bodies, and businesses already developing and delivering important products and services within the energy sector.

These partners have now joined forces to form the North East Energy Catalyst, with a mission of catalysing an integrated energy system which grows a productive, clean economy for prosperous communities. The initiative aims to co-ordinate North East energy innovation, demonstration and delivery capabilities, both onshore and offshore, to develop and showcase solutions to global energy challenges.

Energy Catalyst partners will work together on projects which tackle these major energy challenges, delivering on national energy, industrial, and clean growth strategy, whilst also supporting efforts to drive decarbonisation and economic growth in the region.

The Catalyst will invite and co-ordinate engagement with industry and business, promoting opportunities available in the North East to diversify, commercialise new solutions, and to deliver regional growth and employment across the energy sector.

The partnership includes Newcastle University; Durham University; Northumbria University; Zero Carbon Futures (a subsidiary of Gateshead College); Northern Powergrid; Northern Gas Networks; the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult which has test facilities at Blyth; the British Engines Group; the Innovation SuperNetwork; Northumbrian Water; the North of Tyne Combined Authority; and the North East Combined Authority. It is facilitated by the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

Andrew Clark, North East LEP Energy Programme Lead, said: “We are delighted to be a founding partner of the North East Energy Catalyst, an initiative which builds on our region’s position at the heart of the UK’s energy industry.

“The region has a unique and comprehensive asset base for innovating, demonstrating and delivering solutions to global energy challenges working both onshore and offshore.

“We also host a highly innovative business base at the cutting edge of developing and commercialising these solutions, presenting significant growth potential and new economic opportunities for places across our region.

“The North East Energy Catalyst brings these assets together in this exciting new partnership to showcase our critical role in this global agenda.”

The initiative follows the identification of energy innovation and demonstration as a key theme within North East LEP’s new Energy for Growth strategy, which aims to drive economic growth in the North East while also bringing sector partners together to deliver on national energy strategy.

Energy was identified as an area of key importance in the North East Strategic Economic Plan, with the potential to bring investment and jobs to our region.

Read more about the North East Energy Catalyst here. For more information, contact [email protected].

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Bringing the Energy Opportunity to the North East

Next week I will be taking part in a panel discussion at the CBI’s conference, The Energy Opportunity which is taking place at Newcastle University.

The event will focus on helping businesses in the North to understand and take advantage of new opportunities which are arising as a result of innovation and transformation taking place in the energy sector.

This theme is of particular importance to us here in the North East. The entire Northern Powerhouse area is crucial for the UK when it comes to energy expertise and delivery, but the North East in particular has a long-established heritage in the energy sector, and today the region is home to globally important centres of innovation, demonstration and delivery.

We are ideally positioned as a region to play a key role in developing solutions to national energy challenges and it’s fitting that the conference is taking place in the region and that the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) is involved as a sponsor.

Earlier this year the North East LEP launched the North East’s Energy for Growth strategy, which lays out how the North East LEP will play its part by bringing together partners in the region to deliver on national energy challenges at scale, and drive growth for the region

Next week we’ll be making a further announcement about plans to unite partners across the North East energy sector, as we work to capitalise on the assets we have in our region and show how the North East energy sector can take a leading role in driving clean economic growth.

If you’re attending the conference and would like to talk more about how we can work together, I’d love to hear from you – please do get in touch.

Andrew Clark, Energy Programme Lead, North East Local Enterprise Partnership

 

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Funding available for business Incubator space

The North East Local Enterprise Partnership (North East LEP) is inviting applications from Incubator projects which match the strategic aspirations set out in the Strategic Economic Plan and the innovation programme with significant potential to make a demonstrable contribution to the Incubator network within the region.

Projects must demonstrate clear links to the Strategic Economic Plan and be able to provide a clear and coherent programme of business incubation support.

We anticipate that the North East LEP will be asked to fund around 50% of the capital costs of the (re)development incubator space (subject to State Aid). The maximum grant available will normally be up to a maximum of £500,000 however in exceptional circumstances, where there is clear demand and a strategically significant project is put forward a higher level of funding may be awarded.

Prospective applicants, who can be from public, private or voluntary sector, are encourage in the first instance to read the Project Call Information document which can be found along with other supporting information on our funding page.

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Funding available for early stage Innovation projects

The North East is already home to excellent innovation assets supporting key sectors and facilitating open-innovation across our themes; but we know there are gaps and areas where we could do more. The North East Local Enterprise Partnership (North East LEP) is therefore inviting bids from early stage innovation projects to come forward for development stage funding that will help to prepare Business Cases that can help deliver the ambition set out in our Strategic Economic Plan.

Projects that are able to demonstrate clear links to the SEP and key Government policy (such as the Industrial Strategy), and are anticipated to be of large scale and/or significant impact in key sectors are encouraged to come forward. Funding available through this call is to support the costs of getting projects ready to produce a high-quality business case for public or private investment. This could include a HM Treasury Compliant, Five-Point Business Case – the funds are not for projects at implementation/build stage.

We anticipate that the North East LEP will be asked to fund around 50% of the costs of the development of a project (subject to State Aid) up to a maximum of £100,000.

Prospective applicants, who can be from public, private or voluntary sector, are encouraged in the first instance to read the Project Call Information along with other supporting information on our funding page. Please note this call complements the broader Innovation Project Pipeline process but is not limited to projects already prioritised. If you have a project idea you would like us to consider for the pipeline please get in touch.

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In conversation with Alan Welby, Innovation Director at the North East LEP, about the opening of The Biosphere

In 2005, the last batch of Newcastle Brown was produced at the Newcastle Breweries site, which stood opposite another of our city’s iconic buildings, St James’ Park.

Exported to more than 40 countries across the world, Newcastle Brown helped put Newcastle upon Tyne on the map. Fast forward to 2019 and a new building on the former brewery site is about to do the same.

The Biosphere, part of the Newcastle Helix development in the city centre, is a specialist lab facility tailored to commercialisation of life sciences. Home to some of the most innovative and pioneering health and life sciences companies operating today, the work they do in our region will impact people across the world.

The life sciences sector is one of the fastest growing areas of industry in the North East. From CPI’s (Centre for Process Innovation), world-class centres at NETPark in County Durham to the Centre for Life in Newcastle, we have developed a strong cluster that will be bolstered by the opening of The Biosphere.

Congratulations should go to Newcastle City Council for spearheading the project. It demonstrates the city’s ambition and forward thinking approach to growing our economy and creating more and better jobs by investing in sectors linked to the UK’s Industrial Strategy. Without specialist facilities like The Biosphere, ambitious companies within life sciences, healthcare and emerging fields of biotechnology will go elsewhere and that would be bad news for our region.

Being based at Newcastle Helix not only gives companies access to essential support services but also opens a wealth of opportunities such as access to university expertise and research but also the potential of collaboration with others on site – and it’s when companies collaborate that will see real innovation happening which can unlock business growth.

Let’s not forget, we also have a large NHS footprint in the North East, which means we’re home to the UK’s largest research active public health system. North East Health Trusts lead the rest of the country for involvement in clinical research with Newcastle Hospitals NHS Trust ranked first for the last six years. That’s provides a significant opportunity for health and life sciences companies working in our region.

It’s for those reasons and more the North East Local Enterprise Partnership was happy to invest £8.6m in The Biosphere from the Local Growth Fund. We recognise its importance to growing the sector and our economy as a whole. More needs to be done to commercialise the health and life sciences sector and The Biosphere will provide the right environment for that to happen.

Newcastle Brown may longer be brewed on Tyneside, so I hope you’ll join me in raising a glass of Wylam Brewery’s Jakehead IPA, or another of your favourite local ales, to toast the opening of The Biosphere.

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Digitalisation and the North East: an opportunity for growth

The North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has recently appointed Laura Partridge to the role of Digital Programme Lead. Here, Laura explains what the role involves and how she is working with partners in the North East digital sector to develop a programme of projects and communications activity which will strengthen the profile of the region.

At the North East LEP our ultimate ambition is to create 100,000 more jobs for the North East, and for 70% of these to be ‘better’ jobs. Our Strategic Economic Plan for the region lays out how we plan to do this, together with our partners, by 2024.

The Plan identifies areas of strategic importance – key sectors, clusters and assets which offer significant potential to build the economy and create jobs. Digital is one of these areas of opportunity, alongside energy; advanced manufacturing; and health and life sciences. Digitalisation is also recognised as a cross-cutting theme for the Plan as a whole, reflecting the increasing opportunities for digital adoption to drive productivity, improve services and change business models.

As the North East LEP’s Digital Programme Lead, my role is to work with the digital community to develop a strategy that shows how the region can add value to our existing digital strengths, assets and networks, and how we can build the profile of the North East as a smart region, sharpening our competitive advantage and increasing opportunities for growth. The strategy will be published later in the summer.

Of course, the digital landscape is, by its nature, diverse and constantly changing. Our digital community spans everything from immersive technology and artificial intelligence to gaming and software design. Looking at the future economy, digital is increasing cross-cutting, with opportunities and impacts across all sectors of industry and across society.

As a region, we have significant strengths when it comes to digital businesses. We are home to a wide range of start-ups, SMEs and large businesses delivering a range of products and services. We have fast-growing, innovative businesses which have chosen to base themselves in the region, with more than 29,000 people employed in the ICT and digital sectors in the region. We have excellence in our academic and research organisations. And we have a community of hubs and networks which are tireless in their support of the digital ecosystem. As a sector we are ambitious, innovative and skilled.

As vibrant as our sector is, we also have some key challenges to face. For example, we know that we need more incubator spaces and shared workspaces for emerging businesses. Tech businesses have told us that they often experience difficulty in accessing finance and the support they need to grow. And the sheer breadth and diversity of the sector presents challenges in how we communicate and position ourselves when talking to a national and international audience, including to potential investors.

In the wider economy, supporting established businesses to adopt digital technologies and transform their industries is going to be a fundamental requirement for the future, requiring our business support and skills programmes and our infrastructure to be continually reshaped. Through collaboration with partners we must enable individuals and companies to acquire and develop the skills they need to deliver growth and remain competitive.

We have a community of passionate, driven and entrepreneurial individuals and networks, and their expertise is a huge asset. My role will be to work with our partners in the digital sector to align our voices, identify areas of opportunity for the North East and work together to communicate the strengths of the region nationally and internationally and to support them to drive change in our economy. Over the next few months I’ll talk more about each of these themes, and how we are working alongside the North East digital community to bring more and better digital-focused jobs and to drive digital change in our region.

You can find out more about the role of digital in the North East Strategic Economic Plan here.

Laura Partridge, Digital Programme Lead, North East Local Enterprise Partnership.