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BioNow conference shines light on North East health and life sciences ambitions

Dr Sam Whitehouse is a LEP board member, Executive Chairman of High Force Research Ltd and CEO of LightOx Ltd. He recently opened the BioFocus 2023 conference, which brought together the North East health and life sciences sector.

The North East has many strengths and is a great place to grow a life science business. The sector has a growing influence on the economy, with 260 health and life science businesses operating in the North East LEP area in 2022 – a 21% increase from 2015.

The total contribution of pharma manufacturing to North East region GVA in 2021 was £1.5 billion – a figure which has more than doubled since 2015.

This is something the LEP is very proud of as it continues to support the goal of creating 24,000 jobs in the sector by 2030.

I was delighted to open BioNow’s BioFocus 2023 conference at Newcastle Helix. BioFocus is a fantastic event that presents a great opportunity to promote our vision to position the North East as a leader in the development, testing, manufacturing and adoption of people-centred treatments, therapeutics and medicines.

As a community of companies, we present a very good opportunity for investment. We’re an incredibly innovative bunch of people with a lot of ambition, and a lot of talent and we like to work together.

However, there is not always the capital to realise our ambitions. Quite simply, there is still much to be done. We lag behind other areas like Manchester and of course the South East when it comes to securing private investment. We are beginning to get the momentum right in this area but it is still not quite as coherent as it could be.

We have an incubator, the Biosphere, in Newcastle full of life sciences companies, with every one of them looking for large amounts of funding. We need to really highlight what we can do and show investors that the North East is a ripe opportunity for significant investment.

Events like BioFocus 2023 are important because they bring together industry, academia, and experts within the field of life sciences and really signal to investors what we can do as a region.

It is important that we use key events like this to celebrate our innovations and achievements.

By securing more private sector investment and being prepared for future government funding opportunities, we can ensure the businesses in our sector are able to realise their full ambitions.

Health and life sciences is an area which presents huge potential for the North East. Now is the time to continue to work together, build momentum and maximise investment opportunities.

Visit the North East Evidence Hub for more statistics on health and life sciences.

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The North East Growth Hub: levelling up the North East

By Colin Bell, Business and Sector Growth Director at the North East Local Enterprise Partnership


I don’t think it will surprise any individual or business who has searched for business support or funding when I say that the landscape can be confusing and difficult to navigate.

This is why the North East Growth Hub was created; to simplify the landscape through providing a single point of access to business support, and to offer specialist guidance in pinpointing how targeted interventions can help individuals and businesses make progress towards their vision and goals. 

The North East Growth Hub, which between 2018 and 2022 directly engaged with 115,134 people and businesses, also performs an important role in coordinating the business support ecosystem. It works with 75+ partners and 300+ delivery programmes to align collective activities towards the achievement of the North East Strategic Economic Plan, and the creation of more and better jobs.

Whilst not having direct control over business support funding, the North East Growth Hub has worked with the North East LEP’s Business Growth Board, and business support delivery partners, to identify gaps in businesses’ journeys from start up to scaleup. Targeted interventions have been developed to fill these gaps, which has led to the creation of a range of services including, Scaleup North East, Supply Chain North East, High Potential Startups, the Scaleup Leaders Academy, Peer Networks and Made Smarter Adoption North East – to name a few.

The approach to partnership and coordination has also enabled the region to quickly react to and deliver targeted services and funding to support businesses through seismic economic events, such as Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic. 

It’s great therefore that the impact of the North East Growth Hub has been recognised through a recent independent evaluation, which to directly quote found that:

“Businesses that have engaged with the North East Growth Hub demonstrate tangibly higher rates of business growth than similar businesses that did not receive support, with each of employment, turnover, and labour productivity being stronger among supported beneficiaries than the control group.’’

Taking a deeper look, the study found that the 2602 business that received medium to high intensity support between 2018 and 2022 achieved higher levels of employment growth, 16% higher turnover growth, and an average £8.8k increase in turnover employee one year after engagement.

What this demonstrated is that the targeted support delivered through the North East Growth Hub works, and if scaled could have a significant impact in levelling up the region’s productivity performance.

What I’m particularly proud of is that despite facing ambiguity and cuts in funding, the team has been unwavering in their commitment to the people and businesses we serve, delivering exceptional person-centred support with passion and compassion, consistently achieving 96%+ customer satisfaction levels.

As we look to the future, it’s great that the North East has established many proven programmes and approaches – including the North East Growth Hub – that can be built on and taken to their next level.

You can access more information on the North East Growth Hub evaluation through the North East Evidence Hub.

If you’re looking for support to start, grow and improve your business then get in touch with the North East Growth Hub at www.northeastgrowthhub.co.uk.

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North East LEP business support platform successful in creating jobs and economic growth

An independent evaluation of one of the region’s leading business support platforms has shown its support for North East businesses has led to an increase in jobs, productivity and economic growth.

Organisations that received support from the North East Growth Hub, which is managed and delivered by the North East Local Enterprise Partnership, saw, on average, a 17% increase in employment, a 22% increase in turnover, and a performance increase of £8.8k per employee one year after receiving support.

The evaluation, which was carried out by Technopolis Group, also found the North East Growth Hub has been successful in curating and simplifying the business support landscape, making it easier for organisations to access finance, navigate economic shocks – like the COVID-19 pandemic and EU exit – and better understand their individual needs.

Lucy Winskell OBE, Chair of the North East Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “Since it was launched in 2014, the North East Growth Hub has been a lifeline for thousands of North East businesses.

“Between April 2018 and March 2022, more than 115,000 North East businesses have received personalised, tailored support from the North East Growth Hub, with thousands more accessing impartial advice via the website, northeastgrowthhub.co.uk.

“One area of the evaluation I’m particularly proud of is the recognition that the support provided by the North East Growth Hub is person-oriented, and that businesses feel the triage team and North East Connectors are ‘friendly insiders’; able to understand what businesses need, and how to find it.”

An econometric analysis of the North East Growth Hub looked at the business support platform’s success in delivering economic growth, increasing turnover, and improving performance in the North East economy. 

It found businesses that received support from the North East Growth Hub employed up to two new members of staff after one year, whilst businesses that didn’t receive support from the North East Growth Hub saw close to zero employee growth. Overall, 41% of businesses supported by the Growth Hub saw an increase in employee numbers over a three year period, compared to 28% of non-beneficiary businesses. Businesses aged five years or less saw an 8% increase, and SMEs with fewer than 50 employees saw a 5% increase in employment, compared to 3% for larger businesses.

Business that engaged with the North East Growth Hub also saw a significant rise in their turnover. After one year, the average increase was £378k (22%), compared with £81k (6%) for businesses that didn’t receive support. Companies operating in the manufacturing sector earned £291k more, the professional services saw a £234k increase, and businesses operating in the wholesale and retail sector reported a £170k increase in turnover. A third of businesses saw an average annual increase equivalent to £100k or higher.

The North East Growth Hub had a positive impact on the productivity of the region’s economy too, with businesses reporting, on average, an increase of £8.8k per employee one year after receiving support, compared with £0.3k for non-supported businesses. Over a three-year period, the amount of turnover per employee increased on average by £2.3k. The impact was highest for manufacturing businesses (£3.6k), followed by wholesale and retail (£3.3k), and professional services businesses (£2.5k).

Ammar Mirza CBE, Chair of the Business Growth Board at the North East Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “It’s clear from this report that the impact of the North East Growth Hub on business growth and the region’s economic prosperity is far and wide-reaching.

“The North East Growth Hub has been successful in taking an often complex and confusing business support landscape, and making it clear and accessible. With further investment, it can continue to deliver on government’s ambition to level up the country, and provide the kind of human-centered, personal approach businesses want and need.

“Our approach to business support is one that works, and the North East Growth Hub is a hugely important asset for the region’s business community. It’s a trusted partner that brings business support providers together in one place. That coordination role for the business support ecosystem in the region is one of the reasons for its success, and now is the time to invest in its future; for the benefit of our region’s business community, and the economy as a whole.”

The North East Growth Hub is one of the best performing Growth Hubs in the country, with businesses that have engaged seeing average employee growth reaching 17%, compared with the national average of 14%. The 22% average increase in turnover of North East businesses also exceeds the national average of 19%. 

In addition to providing a point of access for organisations seeking business support and finance and funding, the North East Growth Hub also works with partners to deliver a number of nationally-funded business support programmes, including Made Smarter Adoption North East, High Potential Startups and the Peer Networks programme. The North East Growth Hub has played an integral role in the creation of some of the region’s leading business support services, including Scaleup North East, Supply Chain North East, and the Scaleup Leaders Academy, and it is also part of the regional Growth Hub cluster. 

To read the evaluation of the North East Growth Hub in full, visit the North East Evidence Hub.

Businesses looking for support to start, grow or improve their business can visit the North East Growth Hub at northeastgrowthhub.co.uk.

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North East LEP Annual Review 2022-2023 Published

The North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has published its Annual Review detailing its activities during 2022-2023.

The LEP’s Annual Review highlights key achievements over the last 12 months and explores the new funding and decision-making powers that will be created as part of the North East Devolution Deal.

Particular achievements highlighted in this year’s report include the relaunch of the North East Evidence Hub, which brings together key data and evidence about the region to support decision making and to make evidence more accessible for stakeholders and partners across the region.

The report also describes how independent evaluation has demonstrated that businesses supported by the Growth Hub have achieved a £8.8k turnover per employee improvement and that overall, £292million additional Gross Value Added and 4,435 additional jobs have been added to the economy since 2017.

In Skills, the team has continued to make an impact locally and nationally in delivering the government’s technical education agenda for young people and adults, bringing together key regional stakeholders to develop and deliver a regional Apprentice Ready vision.

The LEP has also launched The North East Commercial Property Investment Fund, managed by FW Capital, this year. The fund provides loans of between £2 to £7 million to support new or refurbished grade A commercial office and industrial space. It is predicted that it will create up to £119 million investment over the next 15 years, creating 5,600 jobs and developing 140,000 sq m of commercial space.

Transport has always been central to the Strategic Economic Plan, lead fiercely by colleagues at Transport North East. The Annual Review details the significant investment that has been secured and released to drive forward the Transport Plan in 2022/23.

Helen Golightly, LEP Chief Executive Officer, said: “This Annual Review is full of activity that is driving forward our mission to deliver the North East Strategic Economic Plan. Our plan has always been to create 100,000 more jobs in the economy, of which 70% are better jobs, between 2014 and 2024 as we strive to create a stronger, greener and more inclusive economy for the region.

“It is currently a time of transition for the LEP following the exciting announcement of the North East Devolution Deal. The Annual Review details our commitment to a strengthened region-wide partnership working with colleagues to play our part in realising this ambitious, historic deal.”

Click here to view the 2022/23 Annual Review.

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Growth requires the courage of all

By Colin Bell, Business and Sector Growth Director at the North East Local Enterprise Partnership


Last month the Office for National Statistics released the latest business count for the UK. Unfortunately, they told an all too familiar story for the North East. We still rank bottom and our low levels of enterprise continues to be a major drag on our economy.  

In the North East only 332 private sector enterprises exist per 10,000 adults, compared to 483 for England excluding London. If our rates matched the English average there would been almost 25,000 additional enterprises in the North East, generating 200,000 additional jobs and providing a £10 billion boost to the economy.  

The underlying aspiration is there. A study by SME Loans highlighted that 55.6% of the North East’s workforce would like to start their own business. 43% however instantly write themselves off, believing that they couldn’t pull it off, and only 1% take the plunge and start their own business.  

Imagine if we could change that 1 % to 10%; the transformation would be huge and felt by everyone. This isn’t just an economic issue, it’s a social and an environmental one too. It’s my belief that start-ups and small enterprises are central to enabling social mobility; providing opportunities to people who just could not access them through big corporates or institutions. And the innovations that will save our planet will originate from small disruptive businesses – enterprise is a force of change and a force for good!   

The big question is, what can we do to encourage more people to start their own enterprise?  

A good starting point is to focus on what’s holding them back. Fear of failure and the consequences that this will have on livelihoods, finances, family, careers, childcare and wellbeing holds back 42.7% of our aspiring entrepreneurs. The cost-of-living crisis will only see this grow. 

Tackling these deeply engrained and often cultural causes of low enterprise needs to be a focus for future interventions at a local, regional and national level. Policy must be designed to grow confidence and reduce the fear and associated risks of failure. The fear of not doing it needs to be greater than the fear of doing it. 

Continuing to do the same old things and expecting different results will simply no longer cut it. All eyes are on our new growth-orientated government and the role entrepreneurs and small growth-orientated businesses will play. What bold and transformational policies will be championed by The Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP, the newly appointed Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. And how will new domestic funding streams such as the UK Shared Prosperity Fund better target the causes of low levels of enterprise?   

The North East LEP’s Business Growth Board is clear. Bold action is needed, we must move away from the current confused, transactional, grant-led and tick box approach to business support, to one that is focused on tackling the real underlying causes of low levels of enterprise, productivity, and growth.

The opportunity is there, what is now required is for decision makers – like our aspiring entrepreneurs – to have the courage and foresight to step over the line and lead the change.  

Colin Bell is Business and Sector Growth Director at the North East Local Enterprise Partnership.

Entrepreneurs and business owners looking for help and support to start or grow a business can access free, impartial advice by visiting the North East Growth Hub.

See the latest data on businesses in the North East – including business counts and information on high growth businesses – on the North East Evidence Hub, the region’s one-stop-shop for data and evidence: www.evidencehub.northeastlep.co.uk/businesses.

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Economic prosperity and cost of living are focus for North East LEP’s Our Economy event

Expert speakers from The Institute of Directors, CBI (Confederation of British Industry) and the Resolution Foundation will join the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (North East LEP) on Tuesday 15 November to discuss economic prosperity in the region and the cost of living crisis as part of the North East LEP’s annual Our Economy event.

Looking at the current performance of the North East economy and how it’s developing over time, and key national and international issues impacting the region; Our Economy has been expanded in 2022 and returns to an in-person format at Crowne Plaza Newcastle. 

This year’s event will focus on how the economic gains in the North East from 2014-2020 have been impacted by recent economic shocks, and the prospects for prosperity for the region’s business and residents.

Kitty Ussher, Chief Economist at The Institute of Directors; Mohammed Jamei, Director of Economic Projects at the CBI; and Mike Brewer, Deputy Chief Executive of the Resolution Foundation; will join Richard Baker, Strategy and Policy Director at the North East LEP, to discuss living standards in the region and the trends for incomes, wealth and poverty for residents; and how the environment for business is changing and what the prospects are for investment, business growth and employment.

Lucy Winskell OBE, Chair of the North East LEP, will open the event and host the panel discussion.

Lucy said: “Each year the North East LEP uses data gathered from the North East Evidence Hub to present the current economic outlook in the region.

“By gathering and using data, evidence and knowledge in this way, we’re able to inform strategic economic planning and work with political and business leaders to inform decision making. 

“This kind of evidence-based approach is essential; particularly in such turbulent economic times.” 

Our Economy 2022 will explore what the future holds in the economic and financial environment, and what this means for prosperity in the North East. It will also consider what can be learnt from responses to previous economic shocks as residents, businesses and institutions navigate their way through the current cost of living crisis.

A series of in depth, expert panel discussions will take place following the main Our Economy event to explore some of the themes and issues raised. Topics include evidence and data; business – discussing what the evidence means in practice; people – the implications of the cost of living on people and communities; and emerging markets.

Richard Baker, Strategy and Policy Director at the North East LEP: “We’ll be asking leading economists from the CBI and the Resolution Foundation for their insight on living standards and the costs and wider environment for doing business. 

“Understandably there are real concerns about net incomes and current living standards for residents as well as significant challenges for business resilience. 

“Our Economy 2022 is an opportunity to debate what we can do in the region to help drive forward at this time of uncertainty.” 

All the evidence and data presented as part of Our Economy 2022 will be available on the North East Evidence Hub.  Our Economy 2022 takes place on Tuesday 15 November from 9am at Crowne Plaza Newcastle.

Tickets are free and can be booked by visiting the eventbrite page.

For more information about the North East Evidence Hub, visit evidencehub.northeastlep.co.uk.

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North East LEP reaction to ONS regional labour market statistics

The North East Local Enterprise Partnership’s Chief Executive, Helen Golightly OBE, has commented on today’s regional labour market statistics, released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The data updates on key indicators within the Strategic Economic Plan.

Today’s release includes quarterly data for the North East region (for the period June to August 2022). The region includes the North East LEP area and Tees Valley.

Helen Golightly OBE, Chief Executive of the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (North East LEP), said: “The data released today shows the labour force in the North East is following a similar pattern to the rest of England.

“It is a cause for concern that both nationally and in the region we have seen the number of people in employment fall, unemployment fall and further growth in the number of people becoming economically inactive – where they are not looking for work.

“There is also evidence of a decline in the previous high rate of vacancies in the economy, with a particular impact on recruitment amongst small businesses employing fewer than 50 people.

“Nationally and regionally the labour market is slowing. There are currently 71.2% of people aged 16-64 in work, but the region still hasn’t recovered to pre-COVID levels of employment.

“At this time, people and businesses are focused on the cost of living and costs of doing business given rises in inflation and interest rates.

“PAYE data which has been released today shows that nationally employee pay continues to increase at a rate of 5.4% (excluding bonuses), at a time when costs of living in areas like energy and food are increasing at a higher rate. National data suggests that the impact on real terms pay is a decrease of about 3%. As we head into winter this will be an issue of great concern for both residents and employers.

“We welcome the decision by the Chancellor to bring forward the planned budget statement to the end of the month as it is clear that the economy requires ongoing support to return to sustainable growth and to provide support to businesses and residents through current uncertainty.”

Access all the latest labour market information on the North East Evidence Hub.

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North East LEP response to government’s Growth Plan

Helen Golightly OBE, Chief Executive of the North East Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “The announcement of the Energy Bill Relief Scheme will be welcome news for businesses in our region; many of whom faced a difficult winter because of rising energy costs. Businesses will want reassurance that ongoing support is available post 31 March and we look forward to seeing the results of the scheme’s three month interim review. Additional support announced for pubs and hospitality businesses is also welcome as these sectors were some of the worst affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We await further detail on the new Investment Zones and confirmation on which local and mayoral combined authority areas will benefit from the new hubs. We also look forward to seeing how the North East will benefit from government’s plans to speed up road, rail and energy infrastructure across the country. There has been no update in today’s mini budget on future plans around the Levelling Up agenda and support for our key industries to grow so we’re keen to see more information from government on those areas.

“The government’s focus on increasing long term growth rates to 2.5% is positive news for the economy, especially as the UK has underperformed over the last decade. To deliver its growth plan, it’s important that government looks for opportunity to drive growth and investment in every part of the UK, and demonstrates how we can both deliver growth and level up the country.”

Read more details of government’s Growth Plan, announced on Friday 23 September 2022.

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In discussion: North East export team becomes a part of the Department for International Trade

Julie Underwood is Head of Delivery for the North East Export Team, which supports North East businesses throughout their exporting journey.

The team has recently become a part of the Department of International Trade and relocated to Darlington Economic Campus. Julie explains why this change has happened and the impact it will have on support for businesses in the region.

You and your team have now made a move to the Department for International Trade, from the North East England Chamber of Commerce. Why has this happened?

It’s a key part of the government’s agenda to have advisers working closely with businesses in the regions. By bringing our team into the Department for International Trade (DIT), it means we can react quickly to central decision-making and, at the same time, we can feed back on the needs of businesses in the North East, provide intelligence from our region and influence policy.

We’re based in new Darlington Economic Campus alongside colleagues from five other government departments, including the Treasury and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. It’s the first time we’ve been able to work closely with cross-departmental government colleagues in this way which in itself is a huge benefit for the region.

What are the implications for your work? Will businesses notice a difference in what you do?

No, we still have a dedicated team that is for businesses in the North East and which is based here in the North East. The support we offer will continue, including our Export Academy, which is a free training programme for businesses which we run both online and in-person. We also have specialist programmes on topics like e-commerce and working with distributors, and we organise trade missions to introduce North East businesses to overseas customers. Businesses can also access our Internationalisation Fund, which can provide a maximum grant of £9,000 to support activities to help them export. We would encourage any business to get in touch to explore how this can really help them with their export plans.

This programme of support is unchanged, the team is unchanged, and support for North East businesses remains front and centre of what we do. But now we’re much closer to central decision-making and we have brilliant opportunities to share knowledge with our colleagues across the UK.

In addition to our ongoing work with businesses, we have well established relationships with partners in the North East, the North East LEP being a key example, and we will continue to work together as partners in the region to drive forward the North East trade and export strategy proposition and inform future trade deals about North East assets.

The economy is going through difficult times. What can we do to ensure we keep trading?

It has been tough for businesses, but as travel has opened up it’s had a big impact.

We did a lot of virtual work throughout the pandemic but now we can travel overseas, we need to take the opportunity to meet international buyers in person, and we have trade missions to markets including Japan and Norway coming up over the next few months and many more in the pipeline

We’ve created a network of export champions in the North East who are happy to share their expertise with other businesses, and we’re piloting some new events specifically for businesses from under-represented communities.

And in November the Green Trade and Investment Expo, which will bring together UK businesses with global investors, is happening in Gateshead, giving the region a leading role in showcasing our renewable energy sector.

There’s lots going on, a lot of support available, and as part of the DIT, we’ll continue to give North East businesses all the support they need to access overseas markets, and make that as easy a process as possible.

Find out more about export support for North East businesses at www.NorthEastGrowthHub.co.uk and see the North East’s Trade and Export Strategy here.

You can also read an update on the North East Trade and Export Strategy, from North East LEP Director of Policy and Strategy, Richard Baker, here.