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North East LEP working with universities to drive innovation

Automotive event links businesses with academic technical experts.

Connecting automotive businesses with the expertise of four of the region’s universities to boost innovation and growth will be under the spotlight next week.

A major event staged by the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (NELEP) and the universities of Newcastle, Northumbria, Durham and Sunderland, is aiming to act as a catalyst for increased collaboration between industry and academics to create new investment, businesses and products.

Driving Innovation 2013, a free half-day event at Gosforth Park Marriott on October 23, will give automotive businesses the opportunity to talk about technical or developmental challenges that are putting the brakes on improvements or the creation of new products and services. Experts from the four universities will be able to provide guidance on setting up new collaborations for bespoke projects or ongoing work.

The day will showcase a number of areas where the region’s universities are leading the field in innovative automotive technology, including energy recovery, engine development, precision/micro-manufacturing, autonomous driving, electric vehicles and sensors, smart electronics, and lighting.

Keynote speaker Richard Ebrahim, who is heading production of Nissan’s new Infiniti luxury model at Sunderland, will speak at the event about the automotive industry in the region. The Japanese car giant has a successful track record of collaboration with academia in its research and development work, both in conventional vehicles and the new generation of electric cars.

The event is the first of its kind co-organised by the North East LEP to drive its North East Innovation programme.
North East LEP director Edward Twiddy, who will also address the conference, said: “Driving Innovation 2013 is a key building block to encourage universities and local businesses to work together to encourage growth, as recommended by the Witty Review carried out for the Government.

“One of our key remits is to lead innovation-driven work, and find ways to bring together applied research, academia and industry. The event also highlights how our universities are collaborating on important sectors such as the automotive industry, to share their collective expertise for the benefit of the North East economy.”

International innovator Prof Roy Sandbach, who spent three decades with global consumer products giant Procter & Gamble and who leads the North East LEP’s innovation strategy, will be at Driving Innovation.
Prof Sandbach, who is the current David Goldman visiting Professor of Innovation & Enterprise at Newcastle University Business School, said: “This is a great example of the new sense of focused collaboration that the North East LEP must foster. It really deserves active support.

“We all need to show our commitment to economic growth through collaboration across institutions, businesses and innovation agencies. This is a team game. And I am very happy that the universities are taking the lead on this. This is perfectly consistent with the strategic direction outlined in the just-published Witty report to focus on strengths and create collaborative networks with universities at the heart. We are at the front of the pack with this event.”

He said the North East LEP’s innovation strategy is now crystallising to build on innovation hubs and support networks.

“The North East LEP will build a credible outward-facing engagement with global innovation opportunities and it will develop a vibrant innovation culture through training and mentoring,” said Prof Sandbach.

“This demands cross-organisational leadership and I am confident that all the key players will step up. They have to, for the region to thrive.

“We all want this region to be recognised for innovation. It is in our DNA.”

Driving Innovation takes place on Wednesday October 23 at Gosforth Park Marriott from 8am to 1pm. To book a place, register online at www.ncl.ac.uk/sage/drivinginnovation2013 or contact Nicola Taylor, Newcastle University email: Nicola.Taylor@ncl.ac.uk or phone: 0191 208 5488.

The initiative is funded and supported by the North East LEP and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.

Further information from Christine Holland, Holland PR & Marketing Ltd. Tel 01670 790246 or 07711 698246.

Home / Skills / Page 28

Major conference focuses on jobs, skills and economic growth

Lord Adonis returns to the region to chart the North East’s progress.

The region’s progress towards achieving the recommendations of Lord Adonis’s Independent Economic Review and the next steps in accelerating growth and job creation are coming under the spotlight in a major one-day event on Friday, 6 September.

The Driving Forward Economic Growth Conference, organised by the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), will examine how far the region has come since Lord Adonis’s Review was published in April.

The next steps, including creation of more and better jobs to drive the region’s role in the global economy, the North East’s Strategic Economic Plan and the 2014-2021 European Funding Strategy, will be at the heart of the discussions.

The conference, at the Centre for Life in Newcastle on September 6, will include keynote speeches, panel discussions and workshop sessions exploring issues highlighted in the Review from job creation to accessing finance and the region’s infrastructure.

Lord Adonis is returning to the North East to speak at the event and give an external view of the region’s progress towards his recommendations.

Keynote speakers include Chair of the Humber LEP Lord Christopher Haskins, who will discuss developing strategic relationships, and Gateshead Council leader and chair of the North East leadership board, Councillor Mick Henry. The panel discussions will focus on the region’s challenges and opportunities for economic growth.

Paul Woolston, chair of the North East LEP, said:
“We are delighted to welcome Lord Adonis and members of his review team back to the region to chart our progress on meeting the Review’s recommendations.

“The Driving Forward Economic Growth Conference will also give key stakeholders the opportunity to discuss the next steps towards achieving those aims and examine in detail how we can move forward, creating more jobs and prosperity for the region.

“Our response, centring on the North East Strategic Economic Plan and European Strategy, shows the significant impact the review has already achieved.”

Councillor Mick Henry, Chair of the North East Leadership Board, said:
“We are already making real progress in implementing the recommendations from Lord Adonis.

“The Adonis Review has had a catalytic effect in the region, accelerating productive collaboration between universities, private and voluntary sectors and local authorities, on a shared agenda for economic growth.
“The Review strongly supports the establishment of a Combined Authority across the North East LEP area and we expect this to be operational by April next year. This will place the North East at the vanguard of new arrangements, to enable more devolution for local decision-making.”

Since Lord Adonis’ Review was published, the North East LEP has made a number of notable strides towards its recommendations. In July, it was awarded £7.5m in European funding from the fourth round of the Regional Growth Fund to boost the resources available to support small and medium sized companies; a North East Combined Authority is being formed; Professor Roy Sandbach was appointed to head the LEP’s innovation strategy, and the LEP was one of just three in the UK chosen by the Government to pilot innovative new approaches to skills development funding.

Professor Roy Sandbach, the David Goldman visiting Professor of Innovation & Enterprise at Newcastle University Business School, has three decades’ experience of commercial innovation with Procter and Gamble under his belt. He will be part of the conference’s panel discussion on the role of partners in delivering economic growth.
He said: “Partnerships are central to my remit to drive recognition of the North East LEP area as an international centre for innovation growth. I will be looking at the challenges of building and mapping the region’s future innovation networks internationally and ensuring our businesses and universities engage with the big global players.”

Conference delegates have a choice of different workshop sessions in the afternoon tackling the practical issues of finding finance for growth, developing a skilled economy with more and better jobs, the region’s transport, housing and infrastructure, and creating productive and innovative businesses.

North East LEP board member Andrew Hodgson, who is responsible for skills development alongside Sunderland College’s Anne Isherwood, will lead the session on developing a skilled economy.

He said: “Lord Adonis’s Review focused on the necessity of matching the region’s skills with the demands of the labour market and tackling the shortfall. Since the recommendations were published, the Business Secretary Vince Cable has chosen the region to develop a new skills model, which gives the North East LEP more influence on how skills funding is targeted.

“We are working with the North East Leadership Board of seven councils and the Skills Funding Agency to develop this skills model, with input from employers, colleges and training providers.”

Northern MPs will discuss the North East Independent Economic Review in a parliamentary debate on September 5, the day before the Driving Forward Economic Growth Conference takes place. Attendance at the conference is by invitation only and there is now a waiting list for cancellation of tickets.

Further information from Christine Holland, Holland PR & Marketing Ltd. Tel 01670 790246 or 07711 698246.

Home / Skills / Page 28

North East LEP leads the country in government pilot

The North East Local Enterprise Partnership (NELEP) has been chosen by government as one of only three LEPs across the country to pilot innovative new approaches to skills development funding to help boost local jobs and business growth. The opportunity presented by Business Secretary Vince Cable is for the North East to enjoy much greater influence and decision-making about skills funding in the LEP area.

NELEP and the North East Leadership Board of seven councils will work jointly with the Skills Funding Agency to develop the skills model, which could operate from as early as September this year through shadow arrangements with existing skills provision.

Its success, however, will depend on a strong partnership with colleges and independent training providers. Employer input will also be critical and the aim is to improve the outcomes for individuals and businesses at a time when skills have been identified as the most critical issue for growing businesses.

Andrew Hodgson, NELEP board member who leads on skills development alongside fellow board member Anne Isherwood of Sunderland College said: “It’s great news that the ideas we put forward to government for the skills funding model are now being driven forward, and that the North East LEP is one of only three in the country to pilot this innovative skills funding model.

“The LEP has put the focus firmly on skills from the outset, and this model will be hugely important in helping to develop skills at every level, essential to the development of individual people, as well as economic performance. Effective skills and training programmes tailored to fit our area’s key sectors, for all ages of workers, answer the immediate needs of employers as well as the future demands of our local economy.”

Lord Andrew Adonis, who led the North East Independent Economic Review, said: “Our review of the North East economy highlighted the importance of matching current and future skills provision to demand in the labour market. As an area with a diverse and growing private sector economy that faces skills shortages in a number of sectors this new-found opportunity is a major step forward.

“I’m delighted that the leadership of the North East in this debate is being recognised with this additional form of devolution, which is a major fillip for the combined authority and LEP. I look forward to seeing this brave new approach realise its target of more and better jobs in the future.”

Andrew Hodgson added: “It’s clear that we need to think and act locally to create and strengthen a workforce with skills clearly linked to the North East economy and its key sectors. With the LEP, North East Leadership Board, businesses, colleges, and training companies working closely together we will help to drive growth through the capabilities of highly skilled people, trained and working in the North East.”

The two other LEPs taking part in the pilot are Stoke and Staffordshire and West of England.

Further information from Christine Holland, Holland PR & Marketing Ltd. Tel 01670 790246 or 07711 698246.