News Archives - Page 46 of 68 - North East Local Enterprise Partnership

13 North East businesses are being given the chance to win £1,000 to support them in taking part in this year’s NWG Innovation Festival.

The North East Local Enterprise Partnership, in partnership with +ADD Strategy and Northumbrian Water, is sponsoring 13 SMEs to join one of 13 ‘sprints’ at the NWG Innovation Festival, which takes place from the 9-13 July 2018 at Newcastle Racecourse.

The ‘sprints’ ask societal and environmental questions that crack teams of experts try to answer during the five-day event. Businesses work to develop ideas and real-world innovative solutions that can be brought to life using design thinking techniques.

Last year’s festival resulted in innovative projects that are making a real difference to the world right now. These include the Newcastle Moss Tree, the introduction of the Refill campaign into the North East, Essex and Suffolk, and artificial intelligence projects including the ongoing development of Alexa skills for the company’s customers.

Alan Welby, Innovation Director at the North East LEP, said: “Innovation means making the most of new ideas, products, processes and applications to develop new businesses and make existing ones more effective and profitable. It’s at the heart of what we do at the North East LEP and that’s why we’re delighted to team up with Northumbrian Water to offer 13 SMEs the opportunity to get involved with the Innovation Festival. It’s a fantastic opportunity – SMEs are a hotbed of creativity and ideas – this is a chance to work with some really big corporations to help identify solutions that will lead to real business opportunities for them.”

To be in with a chance of winning the £1,000 sponsorship – courtesy of the North East LEP – businesses must be formally registered SMEs in the UK or Europe and available to attend the full five days of the Festival.

For more information on the competition and how to enter, click here. The deadline for entries is midnight on Thursday 28 June.

Some of the Big Questions waiting to be answered at this year’s NWG Innovation Festival include: How can we improve customers’ lives by making the most of Smart technology? And how can innovation and tech improve Design, Construction Operation and Maintenance? And, what will the future of transport look like? Click here to see all this year’s ‘sprints’.

For more information about NWG Innovation Festival, visit www.innovationfestival.org.

James Davies, North East LEP Innovation Programme Manager, looks ahead to the North East Science and Innovation Audit which will examine the opportunities for the advanced manufacturing and digital sectors to link up, and invites companies to have their say……

The North East has a long, proud history of making things and particularly making complex things to be sold across the globe, but successful sectors never stay still. The type of goods and the way that we make these have always changed as new tastes drive design changes and new tools enable us to meet this demand at a lower price and/or higher quality.

The integration of digital technologies into our devices may have been around a little while now, but its potential is only just beginning to be fully recognised and unleashed. Bringing together digital technologies and other products will continue to stimulate radical changes to the products that people want and the way we make things.

Being in position to adapt to this change will not just happen on its own. We need to be able to innovate and change in the way we make things for us to make the most of this potential.

It is this thinking which lies behind our current project, our Science and Innovation Audit on the Application of Digital Technologies. This is the process through which we are looking at the ways in which we can use digital technologies to improve our already impressive manufacturing sectors’ competitiveness for the long-term.

Working across the North East Local Enterprise Partnership and Tees Valley Combined Authority areas, we are interested in understanding where these links are already working well and those where we need to do more to make sure local businesses are aware of the opportunities and have the right support to take advantage of these opportunities. Reflecting our particular local strengths we are currently focused on three manufacturing sectors: automotive, chemicals and pharmaceuticals as well as the digital strengths of the area.

With strong researchers based in our universities, experienced businesses and local networks bringing these partners together, the North East is a natural home to put this into action but other parts of the globe already have a lead on us.

Through the audit, we want to move beyond developing just a simple summary of what we are good at and where we need to work harder – we want to start the discussion to achieve our potential and understand what links, projects and support we need to bring together for long-term strengths.

This needs to be developed together as no one individual partner has all the answers. This is why we are inviting you to take part in a business survey. We want to hear from you whether you are from one of our digital or manufacturing companies so we can understand better what is already here and what linkages are already in place. We know there are great examples of this already working and we want to hear about it but we also want to know what is missing or what hasn’t worked so well or where you are not yet working with the other sectors.

You can find the surveys here: for Digital Companies and for Manufacturing Companies

I’d encourage you to take part. It will only take 20 minutes and will inform us in understanding where the partnership of companies, industry bodies, research institutions and the public sector can work together and individually to support local companies to be competitive over the longer-term. The survey will be completely anonymous and we will not attribute any to any individual or organisation and will only be reported in collated form. We will be publishing information on the outcomes of the audit later in the year we will be organising an event in September to support this. If you would like to know more about the report or the future event please do contact:

Rebecca Furness, Innovation Programme Support Officer

In the next few weeks, one city in the UK will be chosen to be the testbed for the next generation of 5G technologies, which have the potential to transform the way we live and work.

The North East LEP is part of the partnership, led by the North East Combined Authority (NECA), which has submitted the North East’s bid to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS). 5G North East is our bid to place the North East at the heart of the UK’s 5G revolution.

If we’re successful, it could make a massive difference to the regional economy, with conservative figures pointing to a potential £500m productivity increase by 2025 and the possible creation of 1600 job equivalents by 2025.

These are modest estimates and it’s likely that the actual figures would be a lot greater as new channels to global marketplaces open up and 5G increases the status of the North East as a place to live and do business. In addition, there would be up to £200m direct investment in digital infrastructure capability between 2019 and 2021.

The range of applications for these new technologies is vast. Every area of business and society could benefit – the way our children learn in the classroom could be transformed by the use of Augmented Reality (AR); we could see the advent of smart factories with increased connectivity allowing smart supply chains and production lines; the management of traffic flow and electricity in our smart cities could be transformed; and there are many ways we could unlock opportunities for improvements around social care and ageing.

Why should the North East be chosen? I believe we have everything needed to make the region a successful test area for these new technologies. We have the partnerships in place, with public and private sector buy-in. We have a strong culture of innovation here, with significant assets – the Stellium data centre in North Tyneside and the National Innovation Centre for Data in Newcastle city centre, plus CPI’s National Centre for Printable Electronics at NetPark in Durham.

Our large scale ‘open innovation’ approach would see businesses, universities, public institutions and communities working together with communication service providers and mobile operators, trialling and developing 5G solutions to a range of challenges in the urban, industrial, business, social and environmental sectors.

Another USP is our project-ready team which is led by 5G expert Xavier Priem who has extensive experience working for multiple telecom suppliers, their customers and network operators and who has established specialist 5G research and innovation centres and projects across Europe.

From a practical point of view, the region is the right size and has the right mix of cities, rural areas and transport infrastructure with our ports, rail links and airports providing opportunities to test how 5G can be applied to importing, exporting and the tracking of goods.

We’re ready to go and we have a strong and compelling case for the North East to be at the forefront of the UK’s drive to become a global leader in 5G enabled communications.

We know there is great support in the region for this bid and we want to take advantage of this exciting opportunity for the North East.

Alan Welby, Innovation Director
North East LEP

North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) Senior Economist Victoria Sutherland gave her reaction to today’s regional labour market statistics.

“We are pleased to see the continued growth of employment in the North East region,” she said. “Today’s statistics show that the number of people in work has increased by 13,000 over the last quarter.

“Over this period, we have seen a particularly strong improvement in the employment rate for 16 to 64 year olds, with this having increased at more than four times the rate of England as a whole and the North East having the second highest increase in the country.

“We have also seen a decline in the number of people out of work, with 8,000 fewer people unemployed than in the last quarter. This means the unemployment rate has decreased from 5.2% to 4.6%. This is the largest decrease of any region in the UK over this period.

“Both of these trends are a continuation of the good news we’ve had on the labour market over the last year.

“We will continue to work with our partners to build on this progress and deliver the North East Strategic Economic Plan’s ambition of ‘more and better jobs’ for the region.

“At a national level, the focus of discussion about today’s data has primarily been on wage levels. The data released does not provide a regional breakdown of wage growth. Improving the productivity of the North East’s businesses will help them deliver wage increases and the SEP’s programmes of activities on business growth, innovation, skills and infrastructure all contribute to strengthening regional productivity.”

ENDS

An Industry Alignment Project piloted by the Edge Foundation at Newcastle’s Excelsior Academy has proven such a success, it will now be rolled out to two new year groups.

Focused on equipping young people with the skills they need to reach their full potential, the project recognises the need for young people to have skills appropriate to today’s global and digital economy, so that organisations have a pipeline of talent ready for the workplace.

Education charity Edge’s work with Excelsior forms part of the North East Local Enterprise Partnership’s (LEP) Education Challenge programme, designed to address the gap between the best and least well performing schools in the region.

The initial pilot was carried out with Excelsior’s Rainbird Primary pupils, working to a global sustainable energy theme.

Students had the chance to build solar-powered models of cars, windmills and boats, working to plan and budget under the guidance of Virgin Trains experts and showcase their models to family and business leaders at a school event.

The work will now be extended to years seven and eight.

Hannah Cummins, Industry Alignment Manager at Excelsior Academy, said: “We wanted to introduce our students to skills that employers value – confidence, resilience and team work – and raise their aspirations when considering their future careers. They may only be seven and eight years old, but seeing the relevance of classroom subjects in real life can make learning much more engaging.”

Craig Taylor, Excelsior Academy Executive Principal, added: “The impact of the Industry Alignment Project on our primary pupils is profound. We want to take this success and embed it next year into our wider curriculum with students in years seven and eight.”

Michelle Dickinson, Community Engagement Manager for Virgin Trains East Coast, said: “We partnered with Excelsior Academy because we are looking for a future talent pipeline for our business, to support the younger generation to think about jobs earlier in their lives. Getting involved with local schools is a fantastic and rewarding way to do this.”

The North East LEP’s Education Challenge, which the Industry Alignment Project is part of, is built on the highly successful Ford Next Generation Learning programme embedded in schools across Nashville, Tennessee, and other US cities.

The long-term aim is to introduce the programme into schools across the country, reducing the gap between the best and lowest performing secondary schools and improving social mobility.

A North East delegation visited Nashville schools last year to see how their industry alignment projects work in practice with local employers.

When introduced to Nashville schools, high school graduation rates rose by almost 23% as well as improvements in attainment, discipline and attendance.

Neil Willis, North East LEP Education Challenge Regional Lead, said: “We are looking at how we can best support schools, colleges and higher education in the drive to engage all students and the Industry Alignment Project with the Edge Foundation and Excelsior Academy is a key part of this.

“Even though the Excelsior pupils were very young, they articulated their project competently, demonstrated their skills development very well and showed how their curriculum is linked to the amazing work they’ve completed.”

“The fact the project will now be rolled out to years seven and eight shows just what a success this has been.”

The project also worked with Future Me – a collaboration between the five North East universities to help raise school children’s aspirations.

Helen Beardmore, The Edge Foundation Education Delivery Manager, said: “The key aim is to help teachers access different employability skills. The curriculum is very knowledge based and by linking the schools with employers the students get to develop their skills and knowledge, working with businesses to bring the curriculum alive.”

The North East schools involved in the pilot are Excelsior Academy, Churchill Community College and Norham High School.

Ends

The North East Fund Ltd (TNEFL) is seeking to appoint two professional and dynamic External Engagement Officers to work with the Marketing Manager in the coordination, management, and promotion of the North East Fund’s engagement activities with stakeholders and regional partners.

The North East Fund Limited (TNEFL) is the holding fund manager for the North East Fund–which will invest £120m in to SMEs (looking to start up or grow) in the North East Local Enterprise Partnership area. £20m of this funding is ring fenced for investment in the Durham Local Authority area. Funding has been provided by the European Investment Bank, the EU and the British Government.

For further information and details of how to apply, click here.

The North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has appointed Kate Wickham, Managing Director of Gateshead-based Gate 7, as a board member.

Kate, who in 2017, was recognised with a MBE for services to export and outward investment, joins current board members from the private, public and education sectors.

Kate said: “Joining the North East LEP board felt like a really good opportunity to do something for the North East. I’m looking forward to working together with the existing board members to use our mix of backgrounds and experience to benefit the region. I think I can provide an alternative viewpoint and I’m honoured to have been appointed to the board.”

Since being appointed as Managing Director of Gate 7 in 2011, Kate has invested heavily in equipment, expansion and a new purpose-built factory in the USA. The company specialises in the supply of decals and printed components to the construction equipment, agricultural and industrial markets and has global contracts with JCB and Volvo, and European contracts with Komatsu, Bobcat and Kuhn.

68% of Gate 7’s products are exported to Europe, India and North America and the company achieved the Queen’s Award for Exports in 2005 and 2018.

Kate added: “The North East has a great track record for successful exporting and we’re a hard-working region with a lot to offer. There’s no end to what we can achieve here given the opportunities and I’ll be working hard to support businesses in the North East, using my experience in manufacturing, exporting and growing an SME.”

Andrew Hodgson, Chair of the North East LEP, said: “Our board members play a vital role in representing the business and education communities in the North East as we drive forward in our plan to create more and better jobs here in the region.

“Kate is a great addition to the board and she continues to maintain the diversity of skills and experience we are fortunate to have. Her clear belief in the scope for growth and success in the region’s economy based upon her personal experience and networks is both a huge asset and a leading example of what can be achieved.”

Kate has been appointed to the board for a period of three years. Other members of the North East LEP board are:

Andrew Hodgson (Chair); Heidi Mottram (Vice Chair); Gillian Hall; David Land; Andrew Moffat; Mark Thompson; Ammar Mirza CBE; Farooq Hakim; Cllr Peter Jackson, Leader of Northumberland County Council; Cllr Nick Forbes, Leader of Newcastle City Council; Cllr Martin Gannon, Leader of Gateshead Council; Cllr Simon Henig, Leader of Durham County Council; Cllr Iain Malcolm, Leader of South Tyneside Council; Norma Redfearn, Selected Mayor, North Tyneside Council; Cllr Graeme Miller, Leader of Sunderland City Council; Professor Andrew Wathey and Karen Redhead.

The UK must ensure that it retains access to the Single Market, has an open trading regime and maintains a stable regulatory framework with the European Union to minimise the impact of Brexit on the North East economy. This is the key conclusion of ‘Leaving the European Union’, a report by a powerful regional economic group says today.

The North East Brexit Group was formed to provide a collective voice for the region in order to contribute to the ongoing national dialogue around the UK leaving the European Union. It includes networks representing businesses, education, trade unions, local authorities and voluntary organisations.

The group has compiled evidence from a wide range of government, academic and business sources to develop a clearer understanding of issues, challenges and opportunities which businesses and other economic partners believe need to be addressed to support the regional economy as the UK’s exit draws closer.

The ‘Leaving the European Union’ report looks at economic forecasts as well as specific issues of concern, and opportunities identified, for each of the key North East business sectors.

The common finding throughout the range of economic studies collated is that lower levels of economic activity are forecast in the region over different timescales as a result of the decision to leave the EU.

Drawing together the findings, a series of recommendations are made in the report to Government about measures to protect the North East economy, as it concludes negotiations and develops new national policy. They are:

Continued access to the European Single Market
An open trade and investment environment with frictionless and tariff free flow of goods across the EU/UK border to create a level playing field for competition and ensure the stability of established supply chains
Continued access to skilled individuals from the EU to tackle projected North East future skills shortages due to an ageing workforce and lack of skilled workers
New policies to replace EU funding streams to the North East and to ensure that financial regulation can boost growth and skills
A national Government communications campaign with clear and consistent advice and messages about Brexit, encouraging firms to prepare for legislative changes well in advance of leaving the EU.

In addition to the need to deliver a positive outcome to the discussion about the single market, trading regime and regulatory framework, another key finding is that more advice and support is needed for businesses to help them to prepare for the range of changes which could lie ahead.

Andrew Hodgson, North East LEP Chair, said: “This is a helpful report by the North East Brexit group, which identifies the economic opportunities and challenges of Brexit for the North East’s economy and businesses. The North East LEP will continue to deliver the ambitions of the Strategic Economic Plan (SEP) and adapt activities to maximise the economic opportunities, but also address the challenges, of Brexit in the North East.”

Jonathan Walker, head of policy and campaigns, North East England Chamber of Commerce said: “We communicate daily with our members on Brexit, hold regular consultations on trade policy and facilitate the shipment of millions of pounds’ worth of goods overseas every month.

“We do not believe Government should pursue a Brexit strategy that could cause any harm to our status as a strong exporting region and we’re delighted to contribute to any work which makes this point.”

Alistair Westwood, Deputy Regional Director at the CBI spokesperson said: “Businesses in the North East welcome the progress that’s been made so far, but this is no time to sit back and rest on our laurels. There is so much more to do.

“We leave the EU in less than one year and this must concentrate the minds of those on both sides. The global economy is growing, but the UK is already lagging behind.

“This means putting the big, unresolved issues under the microscope to find the right answers on Ireland, customs, regulation and access to people – for starters.

“Evidence is our best guide to good decisions about what comes next.”

Beth Farhat, TUC Northern Regional Secretary, said: “We welcome the report and are pleased to be able to work with others to highlight this evidence. 140,000 North East jobs depend on EU trade, and paid holidays, fairness for part-time workers and parental leave are guaranteed by the EU. The best way to keep the good jobs and rights at work that the single market provides is to be part of it.”

The report also identifies opportunities from Brexit. Businesses could build on sterling devaluation to boost exports, and there may be opportunities to secure more local supply chain activity given relatively cheaper capital costs.

The group’s report adds that some North East exporters, such as medicines manufacturers, have seen uplift in trade volume with businesses benefitting from the devaluation of sterling.

However, the overall balance of trade value has reversed to put the North East in a net importing position for the first time in many years.

Business confidence in digital and transport sectors has been affected with some decisions made to locate investment in Europe rather than in the North East.

Alongside manufacturing, a particular UK wide impact of Brexit is expected in places hosting knowledge intensive services. In the North East these are concentrated in Newcastle, Gateshead and North Tyneside.

Some businesses are planning ahead, in the absence of clarity and some are planning for a perceived worst case scenario of reverting to World Trade Organisation (WTO) trade arrangements. The majority of North East businesses have yet to start to plan as the implications of Brexit for them are not yet clear.

The full report can be read here

Ends.

Notes to Editors:

The North East Brexit Group is an informal group of participants from the following organisations: CBI North East, North East Chamber of Commerce, North East Federation of Small Businesses, Entrepreneurs Forum, North East EEF, Northern TUC, North East Local Enterprise Partnership, North East Combined Authority, representatives from Northumbria, Sunderland, Newcastle and Durham universities and Voluntary Organisations Network North East (VONNE).

The North East LEP is proud to sponsor the BioFocus Conference, which takes place at the County Hotel in Newcastle on Tuesday 3 July 2018.

Welcome to the second instalment of my BioFocus Conference blog. The countdown to this year’s BioFocus Conference is underway, and the Bionow team look forward to welcoming you to our conference on the 3rd July, at the County Hotel in Newcastle.

We’re working closely with the Conference sponsor, the North East Local Enterprise Partnership, to bring together a Conference that is bespoke and relevant to the region, and several key themes have been identified which I will elaborate on in this blog.

One thing I know people enjoy at BioFocus is networking, and there are going to be several good networking opportunities at the Conference. For many of you, networking opportunities are almost on a par with the subject material, as they provide an opportunity to introduce, learn, collaborate and build connections. They are also a crucial part of the Conference for exhibitors.

Traditionally, BioFocus has had an industrial showcase session, giving companies from the region the opportunity to talk about their experience and journey and this is always an intriguing session as it allows others to hear interesting and relevant case studies about the challenges small businesses face, and more importantly how to overcome those challenges. This session will continue as in previous years, and I will reveal further details of who is speaking as we get closer to the Conference.

We live in interesting times, and it is important that this year’s conference reflects this, therefore we’re going to explore this in a ‘state of the nation’ session. This will cover national level subjects, such as funding streams, opportunities and challenges, the need to relentlessly upskill and how the Life Science sector has a key role in the future of the region.

Another session is going to be on Pharma Manufacturing, which will feature prominent pharma manufacturers from the region, and will explore how the North East provides both a strong base to operate from, and an attractive environment for Pharma Manufacturing.

There is a challenge we all face, and one that is very important to our sector: ageing, the challenges of our ageing population and the opportunities that ongoing research present for the Life Sciences community.

The final key theme we will be exploring is an area that the region is particularly strong in, and that is clinical research and translation. In this session we will explore areas of research and how they are being utilised by business, universities and the NHS, and how this is happening very effectively here in the North East.

I hope you agree that this is an exciting and far reaching programme and represents great value for the attendee and exhibitor. There is a tremendous amount of interconnectivity throughout this agenda, with an interaction between the themes that make BioFocus a very current and unique event, and it is all happening here in the North East, which is why Bionow and the North East LEP are very excited about this event. BioFocus provides an excellent opportunity to showcase the North East, the region’s vibrant Life Science sector, and how this powerful ecosystem continues to deliver new opportunities for renewal and development.

The countdown continues – we are now less than two months away from BioFocus, and my next blog will contain details of the speakers.

I look forward to meeting you on the 3^rd July.

All the best

Geoff

Dr Geoff Davison, Chief Executive of Bionow and organiser of the BioFocus Conference

Category: News

North East LEP supports SMEs to attend NWG Innovation Festival 2018

Achieving our potential through the application of digital technologies in the advanced manufacturing sector

The bid to make 5G North East a reality: In conversation with Alan Welby

North East LEP ONS Regional Labour Market Statistics Reaction

US-style industry learning shines in North East classrooms

External Engagement Officer roles with the North East Fund

Managing Director of Gateshead’s Gate 7 appointed to North East LEP board

Single Market access essential to protect North East economy after Brexit

In conversation with Dr Geoff Davison. BioFocus – what’s it all about?