Networks 11

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THE SCIENCE ENGINEERING & T E C H N O LO G Y MAGAZINE FOR NORTH EAST ENGLAND

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N E T PA R K ISSN 1753-6677

FOREWORD NETWorks reports on the very latest science and technology news, putting discoveries and advances in the context of everyday life – showcasing County Durham and the North East as a place of scientific excellence.

This issue looks at chemicals, electronics and the environment. At first glance they may seem unrelated, but they all interact and they’re all areas in which our region is playing a significant role.

Because photovoltaics (PV) really does epitomise the interaction I mentioned earlier. Its environmental benefit as a potential energy source is huge and that potential will be realised via a combination of chemicals and electronics.

We also look at the North East Innovation Connectors, a new approach which enables the region to interact strategically across different technology sectors. I am proud to say NETPark is at the heart of this new approach.

To get some idea of the business benefits, thin film PV (TFPV) alone is predicted to be worth around $7.2bn by 2015, capturing 35% of the PV market.

You and I, as individuals, benefit from this interaction, but there are also enormous potential business benefits.

We already have Romag, a leading supplier of PV solar panels and glass, active in the region, and the opportunities for using printing technology to produce thin film material PV absorber levels has an obvious link to PETEC at NETPark.

There’s a conference due to take place in the region in October – Green Leaders. At a time when green issues are riding high on the political agenda and the region is leading the way on renewables, the conference will examine the benefits of being a green business.

We’ve come a long way since the earliest PV devices in the late nineteenth century could only achieve 1% efficiency.

A month later, in partnership with the EKTN, we’ll be staging Solar Flair 2009 – the National Photovoltaics Conference – encouraging companies to innovate, collaborate and embrace new technologies.

Solar Flair will pose the question, why is this fastgrowing technology important?

But in order to be able to embed solar power capabilities into windows, walls and roofs and to exploit all the other commercial applications of PV, continued innovation and investment will be crucial.

As you’ll see from the pages of NETWorks, the region is putting the infrastructure in place to ensure that the north east can show the world the way forward.

Stewart Watkins Managing Director, County Durham Development Company (CDDC) CDDC, which encourages innovation and strategic investment on behalf of Durham County Council, is driving the development of the North East Technology Park (NETPark) and the virtual business support environment NETPark Net.

NETWorks is published by Distinctive Publishing Ltd, Aidan House, Sunderland Road, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear NE8 3HU Telephone 0191 4788300 Managing Director John Neilson Creative Director Martin Williamson For all enquiries including editorial, subscription and advertising please contact Distinctive Publishing.

With thanks to all our contributors.

NETWorks is supported by NETPark www.uknetpark.net

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THERE ARE KNOWN UNKNOWNS EUROPEAN TRADEMARKS: 44% FEE REDUCTION LOW CARBON VEHICLES COMPANY KEEPS ITS COOL TO SECURE GRANT IMPROVE GENERATION OF RENEWABLE ENERGY CREATING THE FUTURE...EXPERTISE AND APPLICATION

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ADDRESSING THE GYPSUM PROBLEM NETPARK...CREATING THE CUTTING EDGE INNOVATION CONNECTORS SUNDERLAND SOFTWARE CITY NETWORK LAUNCHED TO HELP DEVELOP PRODUCTS INTRODUCTION TO DIGITAL CITY BUSINESS BREAKTHROUGH IN NANO TECHNOLOGY FOR AGRICULTURE SUCCESS IN THE PIPELINE FOR COMPANIES CREATING A WORLD CLASS WORKFORCE JOIN OUR KNOWLEDGE NETWORK NOW THE COST OF CLIMATE CHANGE CREATING NEW HORIZONS FIBRE OPTICS FIRM CHOOSES NETPARK

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THERE ARE KNOWN UNKNOWNS...

Exploring the untold vastness of the universe can help answer some of humankind’s most fundamental questions – and can also present some huge commercial opportunities, as Peter Jackson discovered at a recent NETPark event.

“With a telescope like that we could see whether there was evidence they really did go to the moon 40 years ago,’’ joked Prof Cunningham.

There are known unknowns, as US Secretary of State Don Rumsfeld famously said.

ELT will be used to look at planets in near solar systems and at galaxies dating back to about one tenth the age of the universe. It is hoped that it will be able to look at planets up to 32 light years away from the Earth, a radius which would also take in 377 stars.

What he probably didn’t have in mind was that we know we don’t know what makes up more than three quarters of our universe.

“There’s a reasonable chance there’s going to be some earth-like planets in that sphere,’’ said Prof Cunningham.

This disconcerting fact was pointed out by Carlos Frenk, Ogden Professor of Fundamental Physics at Durham University, when he spoke at the recent NETPark event `Watching the skies - £multi-million contract opportunities in telescope programmes’.

It would also add to our understanding of the formation of galaxies by looking at nearby galaxies such as the Virgo cluster, which is about 65 million light years away.

He said: “Stars are made of the same kind of material that you and I are made of - atoms - and yet that normal matter made of ordinary atoms makes up only 4% of what the universe contains, 21% is something called dark matter, which is matter which does not emit any light or wave length. The rest is dark energy...we don’t know what it is, but it makes up 75% of the universe and we do know it’s causing the expansion of the universe to accelerate.’’

However, considerable efforts are being made to fill in the gaps in astronomical knowledge and `to boldly go where no man has gone before’. Not least at Durham University, which, as Prof Frenk pointed out, ranks fourth among the world’s universities in terms of citations per paper in astronomy.

Furthermore, as the presentation to business leaders and politicians revealed, huge projects are underway to construct giant telescopes, which will not only unlock the secrets of the universe, but also present enormous commercial opportunities to UK businesses.

The first of these projects, the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT) was described by Prof Colin Cunningham, director UK ELT programme, UK Astronomy Technology Centre.

This 42-metre diameter instrument will be the world’s largest infrared telescope. To be located at a site yet to be selected, the ELT will be larger than the Albert Hall and will comprise 5,000 tonnes of structure.

It would be made using fragmented mirrors and, to correct defraction due to turbulence in the earth’s atmosphere, it would use adaptive optics. It would be able to view an area of four square metres on the moon’s surface.

He added: “We can do astrophysics on these galaxies and understand what was happening as galaxies were forming. One of the experiments you can do with an extremely large telescope is measure the acceleration of the universe directly in real time by looking at very different quasars and looking at the absorption of light between us and the quasar.’’

ELT is currently going through its detailed design phase, which will be completed next year and construction, which will cost about 1bn euros, will start in 2011, with first light scheduled in 2018.

Critical technologies for the ELT include the segmented mirrors and control systems needed to align them to within 20 nanometers and control systems for about 70,000 inputs and about 30,000 outputs.

It will also need adaptive optics, fast low noise detectors, high performance real time computers and other instruments, such as detectors and robots.

“That should give people who are interested in selling electronics and control systems pause for thought,’’ said Prof Cunningham.

Dr Robert Pfab, knowledge exchange manager, UK Astronomy Technology Centre, gave the example of one UK company, OpTIC Glydwr in North Wales, which is already profiting from the ELT project.

After submitting a proposal, this company won a 5m euro contract to apply new polishing techniques to the mirrors, which could lead to them winning a 200m euro contract for the production of the primary mirrors.

Dr Pfab also works for the Science and Technology Facilities Council and in that role he is seeking to maximise UK industry involvement in the ELT project.

He said: “Building a facility like this really relies on industry; it’s not something that a bunch of academics or scientific engineers can get together and whip up in a laboratory, it really requires heavy industry.’’

He pointed out that preliminary contracts are currently open for tender to a minimum total value of 2m euro for areas including IT, hardware supply and maintenance and design studies. Other contracts – all for more than 150,000 euro are expected soon for, among other areas, design of a radio GPS system and multi-fuel gas turbine generators.

He said: “ELT is really the big opportunity for commercial organisations to win contracts from ESO (European Southern Observatory). That’s because at the moment, this is the preliminary design phase, so we have large construction contracts, which will be looking for people to snap them up and build these things.’’

He added that he would like to see at least 20% of the 1bn euro budget going to UK companies.

The second great telescope project to be described at the presentation was the Square Kilometre Array, SKA, telescope, which was introduced

by Phil Crosby, manager industry participation strategy, SKA Programme Development Office.

More than 90 organisations are collaborating on this international project and the telescope will be sited in a remote region of either South Africa or Western Australia.

Site selection will be in 2012 when a costed design should also be completed and when construction should start, to be finished around 2018. Construction will cost 1.5bn euro and operating costs will be 150m euro a year.

The potential benefits to UK businesses from the project were emphasised by Professor Peter Wilkinson of the Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, University of Manchester.

He said: “My message at the beginning is that we did originate this idea and we can take a leading role in this big project. But, since this technology is new, we do need a very close technical collaboration with industry and we would like to become an exemplar of how science and industry can work together so money from pure science can develop technology in collaboration with industry. That technology can then be spun out into lots of other areas.’’

He outlined some of the driving technologies that will be required including broadband antenna arrays, RF amplifiers optimised for low noise and RFI robustness and ultra fast digital signal processing.

He explained how radio telescopes detect radio signals from the universe to build up a picture of its make-up and nature and, while they seek answers to the same questions as optical astronomers, they have another goal.

He added: “Fundamentally it’s a piece of communications equipment, but on a massive scale and with requirements which are really very stringent and therefore very exciting, but, if and when developed, they are so obviously commercial.’’

“Radio astronomers have another question too: what about ET?’’ he said. “Are there other civilisations out there that are possibly detectable.

Lots of radio telescopes are monitoring all the time, listening for repetitive signals that might indicate life in the universe.’’

The presentation was concluded by Professor Ray Sharples, director of Durham University’s Centre for Advanced Instrumentation.

He described the work and facilities of the Centre, which has sites in Durham and at NETPark and has a staff of nearly 50, including instrument scientists, engineers and project managers.

SKA, however, will be fifty times more sensitive than any current instrument and it will be the largest radio telescope in the world; in fact, in Crosby’s own words, “it will be the largest scientific instrument on the planet.’’

The telescope will be made up of thousands of dishes and antennae for receiving radio frequencies. These will make up a total collecting area of one square kilometre, spread over a diameter of some 3,000 square kilometres from a central core. It is estimated that the data continuously coming out of the receivers will be the equivalent of the internet traffic of the western world.

He explained how, over the past 20 years it has diversified so that its activities now include applied optics and photonics, precision engineering and metrology, testing and qualification of new equipment and technologies for bioimaging. It has developed instrumentation for ground and space based telescopes and has been involved with the successor to Hubble, the James Webb Telescope.

He said: “We can take an instrument basically all the way from the cradle to grave: design it, manufacture it, do the metrology on it, systems integration testing of it and do the environmental testing qualification.’’

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EUROPEAN TRADE MARKS: 44% FEE REDUCTION A Community Trade Mark protects your brand name or company logo in all twenty seven countries of the European Union, via a single application.

In addition to trade mark searching and registration, Hargreaves Elsworth also offers a watching service to help trade mark owners police their brands.

In a bid to help smaller companies protect their brands, The European Community Trade Marks Registry has announced a massive 44% reduction in fees.

Hargreaves Elsworth Patent Attorneys was established in 2002 and provides advice on intellectual property matters to a wide range of clients, from its offices in Charlotte Square, Newcastle. For more information please contact Dominic Elsworth (Head of Practice) on 0191 211 1974.

The Registry is based in Alicante, at the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market (OHIM). In a recent press release, OHIM’s president stated, “At a time of global recession, cutting the cost of protecting intellectual property rights should be a significant help. For a small company, protecting your trade mark at the Community level, protects your future right to have free access to the single European market for your goods and services. For larger companies it is an essential tool for doing business internationally”.

As of 1st May this year, anyone applying electronically to register a Community Trade Mark pays only Registry fees of 900 euro significantly less than the previous 1600 euro fee.

The fee reduction means that the Registry fee for a trade mark in three classes of goods or services, in all twenty seven EU countries, is only around £500 more than it costs for a UK only trade mark.

As well as the fee reduction, the Registry has simplified the procedure for obtaining a Community Trade Mark, essentially by setting the registration fee to zero, so that only an application fee is payable and the processing time becomes much shorter.

Since litigation over ownership of brand names can be extremely costly, searching for earlier marks and registering trade names is important to protect market share and avoid future problems.

LOW CARBON VEHICLES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SUNDERLAND The Department of Computing, Engineering and Technology at the University of Sunderland and AMAP (the University’s Institute of Automotive and Manufacturing Advanced Practice) have committed themselves to preparing students and industry for the forthcoming Low Carbon Vehicle revolution. In order to achieve this they have embarked upon an ambitious R&D agenda and are developing the UK’s first MSc in Low Carbon Vehicle Technologies to be launched in April 2010.

Projects AMAP has developed at very low cost the HyPower Almera. This hydrogen conversion of a standard petrol powered, Nissan Almera has allowed AMAP to showcase a low cost conversion that reduces the carbon footprint of an internal combustion engine. The car was unveiled at the Partners4Automotive 2008 conference hosted by the University of Sunderland. Since then, the vehicle has been used to develop skills and knowledge regarding hydrogen storage and its use in internal combustion engines.

The car regularly appears at conferences and is used as an aid to explaining the low carbon economy to school children as well as having a more serious research and development role.

AMAP also runs the ECO2Trans project, funded by One North East.

This ambitious project will convert two conventional battery powered electric buses into fuel cell powered vehicles using a mixture of home grown and internationally sourced technologies. Along with regional industrial partners AMAP will develop demonstration, training and skills development vehicles. The vehicles will act as rolling test beds for regional technologies and as learning resources for skills based courses and academic programmes. Thus these modest vehicles will be transformed both aesthetically and technologically.

AMAP also plans to continue to develop mass transit solutions by developing alternative energy storage systems for electric vehicles along with the development of off grid charging points to reduce the load on

the grid. In addition, AMAP has been investigating the effect of using low cost/high efficiency gear boxes on a range of electric vehicles.

The HybriDrive project has resulted in a substantial amount of new knowledge that has encouraged regional manufacturers to investigate the development of such systems. To this end they have a number of international partnerships in place specifically with Chinese companies and US R&D organisations. This will in turn widen the number of regional industrial collaborators and so spread the knowledge and skills amongst the regional industrial base.

Academic Programmes AMAP and the Department of Computing, Engineering and Technology will launch their groundbreaking MSc in Low Carbon Vehicle Technologies in April 2010. This programme is aimed at assisting the current engineering resource of companies involved in low carbon transport to develop and enhance their skills and knowledge in preparation for the new technologies that are emerging within this exciting field. The programme will be available to any suitably qualified person and will be work-based in nature. This means that the programme will combine the flexibility of part time study with real world application and will significantly enhance the knowledge base in this area within the region.

Following on from this innovation, the university is in discussions with SEMTA, a range of industrial partners and regional FE Colleges to scope and develop training and academic programmes from Foundation to Bachelor’s degrees in this and associated areas. In essence, the University will be developing a range of academic programmes which provide a progression pathway for individuals in the region to develop their skills and knowledge in an area which is central to the ongoing development of the region’s manufacturing base.

www.sunderland.ac.uk

09

COMPANY KEEPS ITS COOL TO SECURE GRANT A thermal management and electronics cooling solutions company is proving that regional firms can beat the recession by creating new jobs.

Jim Yates, Managing Director, said the expansion of his firm was proof that regional manufacturing companies can grow and ensure work remains in the North East rather than be transferred overseas.

Thermacore Europe Ltd (TEL) has announced plans to increase its export sales by introducing machinery to enable semi-automated processing to be carried out.

He said: “This grant will enable us to increase our capacity and improve the manufacture of our products, allowing us to target future growth within the electronics cooling market.

With the expansion, made possible with a £125,000 Grant for Business Investment (GBI) from regional development agency One North East, the Ashington-based company expects to create up to 20 new full-time jobs.

“It comes on the back of several years of continued growth from our Ashington base and will really help the cause for manufacturing locally. We’re proof that despite the tough conditions, local firms can not only survive but grow as well.”

From L-R: John Broadbent from Thermacore, Maxine Horth from One North East and Nikki Morgan of Thermacore, at the company‘s premises

Thermacore, which occupies a 25,000 sq ft factory at Wansbeck Business Park, is a world-leader in thermal management and electronic cooling solutions.

Its customer base is blue chip manufacturers of electronics equipment in the telecommunications, military, medical and aerospace industries.

It also has a successful and increasing export customer portfolio, with clients in the US, Asia and Europe and currently employs 56 full time and four part time staff.

Ken Samson, Business Finance Manager at One North East, said: “Thermacore has its roots firmly in the region and at a time when so many businesses are being affected by the tough market conditions, I am delighted to see it is undertaking major expansion plans.

“Twenty new jobs is a welcome boost at any time. But given the current climate, when companies up and down the country are fighting for their lives, this is proof that regional firms have what it takes to not only survive but actually build for their futures.” www.thermacore-europe.com

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WORK AIMS TO IMPROVE GENERATION OF RENEWABLE ENERGY Research at Northumbria University could lead to significant improvements in providing renewable energy to consumers and the National Grid.

The university has opened a laboratory which is directly linked to renewable energy being produced at its City Centre campus in Newcastle.

University managers say the laboratory will allow them to analyse the way such energy is produced as part of efforts to increase efficiency.

Dr Ghanim Putrus, Reader in Electrical Power Engineering at the School of Computing, Engineering and Information Sciences, said: “We have installed new wind turbines and photovoltaic systems on

Dr Ghanim Putrus, Professor Peter Strike and Professor Alistair Sambell in the laboratory

campus and these are currently harnessing wind and solar energy which is being channelled directly into the National Grid.

“They are providing the University with a valuable source of energy and we hope in the future to install further green systems to make a significant contribution towards the University’s own energy consumption.

“One of the most exciting aspects of our new laboratory is the opportunity for us to undertake groundbreaking research into new technologies for sustainable electrical power generation, including the quality and cost effectiveness of the power being generated, which could ultimately lead to solutions to the problems of harvesting energy in the future.”

Researchers at the University are working with companies and organisations in the region, including the New and Renewable Energy Centre in Blyth, in a collaboration which they believe will inform decisions taken by energy policy makers.

Dr Putrus said: “We are currently looking at how we can make wind turbines and photovoltaic systems generate more power from the available wind and sun energy and how this can be harnessed for wider consumption.

“One of the challenges facing the grid operators and the renewable energy industry is to look at how we can harness excess energy available from distributed energy generation systems and feed that back into the National Grid, whilst still maintaining the highest

quality of supply standards.”

The laboratory is equipped with equipment including computerised test rigs, a photovoltaic test rig and measurement and analysis equipment.

Professor Peter Strike, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation) at Northumbria, said: “This state-of-the-art laboratory will provide outstanding facilities to support research and teaching and will contribute to the development of new technologies in the region.” www.northumbria.ac.uk

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CREATING THE FUTURE… EXPERTISE AND APPLICATION Research, creativity and scholarship are at the heart of Durham University, a place where generations of the world’s finest minds have pursued ideas and knowledge that have made a profound and lasting impact on the world.

Throughout the University’s proud 177 year history, the pioneering work of Durham’s academics has enhanced human life and wellbeing, deepened our knowledge of the universe and everything in it, and created new industries that diversify and strengthen our national economy. As mentors of today’s undergraduates and postgraduates, universities like Durham have a huge responsibility to impart intellectual curiosity and new ideas to the next generation.

Few universities have comparable research strengths to Durham across the Sciences, Social Sciences, and Arts and Humanities. Yet it is the size, agility and intimacy of Durham which allows it to be interactive enough to develop new approaches, questions and research ideas that transcend interdisciplinary boundaries. Durham is an environment where researchers can make a real difference, particularly in Science.

Durham was one of the first universities in the world to bring Science into its curriculum. In 1838, the first Civil and Mining Engineering Degree in the UK was established by Temple Chevallier. Durham had some of the earliest scientific laboratories in the country and the science base expanded rapidly in the 1950s. Durham University science is built on significant international impact across the core Natural Sciences – Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics – alongside Engineering and Computing Sciences, Psychology and Earth Sciences.

In 2005, Durham was the most highly cited university in the UK and 18th in the world for Science with its core strengths providing the foundation for its growing group of world-renowned multidisciplinary research institutes.

Durham University’s science faculty has an outstanding reputation

for teaching; led by world-authorities, its teaching facilities are linked to cutting edge research and equipment. The Faculty’s 4000 undergraduates are amongst the best qualified at entry in the country, with almost every student achieving at least three As at A level.

See www.durham.ac.uk/research to find out more about the expertise the University shares with the world.

Environment Durham University leads in environmental sustainability, in both research and the way our community lives. Not only does the University boast a highly-regarded sustainable purchasing policy, UK Energy Efficiency Accreditation and Fairtrade status, it also boasts a wealth of research expertise to further knowledge and understanding of the environment.

Durham’s research in renewables is internationally leading in several areas. The unique facilities and expertise for plastic electronic development at NETPark, Durham’s science park, are attracting companies from around the world. Dr Jim Bumby in Engineering is currently testing new designs for wind turbines in partnership with Jordan; Professor Peter Tavner and colleagues are making important strides in understanding wind turbine reliability; and Professor Ken Durose leads the UK research effort on photovoltaics.

Equally significant are the efforts in social policy in relation to acceptability of renewable energy led by Dr Harriett Bulkeley in Geography. Durham University’s target is to be recognised as one of the leading environmentally-sustainable universities within the next five years. This involves the active commitment of every member of our University community, led by the Dean for Environmental Sustainability, Professor Tim Burt. An ‘energy champion’ in every department and college ensures that everyone takes energy use seriously. Our objective is to make significant savings in electricity and gas use in the coming

years by raising awareness of the cost of utilities, both environmental and financial.

The University’s pioneering new institute – Durham Energy Institute (DEI) - harnesses interdisciplinary expertise from Anthropology to Physics to cover the spectrum of energy research. The Durham Energy Institute will first and foremost tackle the societal aspects of energy use. This is increasingly being recognised as an important aspect of energy research that has previously been overlooked. The Institute will draw upon its existing considerable knowledge base, skills and expertise to:n promote technical scientific excellence n solve technological and social problems associated with energy

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provision, demand and use establish itself as an internationally leading institution become one of the leading internationally recognised centres for energy science and society

The ultimate goal being to initiate the behavioural step change required for society to realise a low carbon future.

See www.durham.ac.uk/dei for more information and to contact the DEI team.

Enterprise and economic support Durham University has long been a centre for innovation and entrepreneurial activity. We foster a climate in which ideas and intellectual property generated from our research are used to full advantage for the benefit of society, enhancing both well-being and economic development across the community and the world. Our graduates are of high intellectual and innovative ability and make major impacts in a wide range of work places and throughout society.

An important component of our research is long term collaboration

with world-class companies, wherever they are based.

Our Technology Transfer Office leads in commercialising research outputs, through licensing, large research contracts, and establishing partnerships and spin-out companies, including at the North East Technology Park (NETPark), County Durham.

See www.durham.ac.uk/technology transfer for more information.

The innovative exchange programme between Durham University and regional industry is pointing a way forward for North East businesses to buck the economic downturn.

Durham University’s Industrial Bridging Fellowship Scheme (DIBF) has engaged businesses across the region since its launch in May 2009. The scheme’s first fellowship award was made to an employee of Classic Solutions Engineering of Langley Park in Durham, which specialises in the design and manufacture (reverse engineering) of electro/mechanical components for classic vehicles. This employee will now undertake the University’s MSc in Design, Manufacture and Management, bringing industry knowledge to the academic community and taking academic knowledge back to the employer.

The scheme focuses primarily on process industries, energy and health but is available to any company from any sector and targets employees in the North East who are on short-time / reduced hours working, or are at risk of redundancy or have recently been made redundant.

Companies and individuals interested in the scheme should contact the Durham University Business Development Team on 0191 334 4647

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Kevin Hawkes, Commercial Operations Manager (kneeling), and John Stanbridge, Landfill Manager at Premier Waste Management, taken at Heighington Lane Waste Transfer Station. John Stanbridge is also in the close up shot.

ADDRESSING THE GYPSUM PROBLEM A North East company has solved one of the most troublesome problems in the world of sustainable waste disposal.

based waste for recycling: gypsum recycling is becoming a key source of raw materials for plasterboard plants.

Environment Agency guidelines which came into force in April mean that all gypsum waste that cannot be recycled has to be placed within a separate landfill cell, segregated from biodegradable waste.

Kevin Hawkes, Premier’s Commercial Operations Manager, said: “Diverting gypsum based waste from landfill for recycling is a vital step forward. Not only is it significantly reducing toxic gas emissions but it is re-using a vital resource.”

Gypsum waste includes plasterboard and other building materials used in the construction industry, as well as by householders and other businesses, and the guidelines means industry has to recycle more of the one million tonnes of waste plasterboard generated in the UK every year.

Premier is working towards recycling all types of waste for businesses and homes across the North East.

The company recently capped and restored one of its landfills, which ceased receiving waste in 2007.

County Durham-based Premier Waste Management has taken steps to recycle all the gypsum waste it handles to meet the Agency’s demands, which were introduced because of concerns that the waste could emit the toxic gas hydrogen sulphide when biodegrading in landfill.

Premier installed a network of gas pipes, which will power up to 4,000 homes in the North East by turning the methane gas generated by the site into renewable electricity.

The company has implemented new systems to collect all gypsum-

www.premierwaste.com

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I N N O V AT I O N C O N N E C TO R S More than £1bn worth of new projects were announced for North East England this summer in areas including biofuels, wave power, electric vehicles, printable electronics and industrial biotechnology.

This has not happened by chance. Regional Development Agency One North East recognised some years ago that the region is home to some worldleading research and development, and set about channelling that into new industries and new jobs.

These new industries are now set to transform the economies and landscapes of cities and regions around the world - and North East England is in a very strong position to reap the benefits.

The rapidly-emerging low-carbon economy is already drawing major new investment to the region, along with a host of ‘green-collar’ jobs.

Combined with the knowledge-based economy and the digital sector, new opportunities are being presented by the day.

Over the past seven years, One North East has been leading a unique approach to harnessing these new ideas. The Agency singled out specialist areas in which the region already excelled and which had potential for major job-creation, including scientific research, renewable energy, process industries, printable electronics, and healthcare.

The result is that activities such as physical infrastructure, business development, enterprise, skills and community engagement happen in a coordinated way in a particular geographic area.

One North East has now been investing in these centres for years, and 2009 has presented major opportunities which the Innovation Connectors have helped the region to win.

The New and Renewable Energy Centre (NaREC), which is already developing the wind turbines of tomorrow, was given £10m to develop new wave and tidal facilities as part of a national network for this emerging technology.

NaREC will also play a major role in developing electric vehicles in the region, especially since Nissan announced Sunderland would be the home of its £200m European Mother Plant for electric battery production.

Other major renewable projects for the region include two £400m biomass plants which have been announced by MGT Power, for Teesport and for the Port of Tyne.

A £20m expansion of the Printable Electronics Technology Centre (PETEC) at NETPark was announced in July, aimed at stimulating the creation of 250 jobs in the North East and up to 1,500 jobs nationally.

One North East then established geographical centres that could provide a physical link between R&D and manufacturing.

New £12m industrial biotechnology facilities have also been announced for the vital Wilton site in the Tees Valley, which will be the best of their kind in the country.

You may not know these as Innovation Connectors – but you’ll certainly be aware of their world-leading work – and in recent months this work has exploded into the headlines.

At Software City, the University of Sunderland and One North East have launched a £3.5m search for the UK’s best graduates to help create a world-leading science and computing industry in the region.

The Innovation Connectors are:

And this summer creative renaissance in the Tees Valley officially arrived, following the unveiling of the £10m Boho One digital enterprise centre in Middlesbrough.

The building is the headquarters of DigitalCity Business and will eventually house 27 high-value businesses and create 283 jobs whilst supporting the regeneration of a key site between Middlesbrough Town Centre and Middlehaven.

n Newcastle Science City n The New and Renewable Energy Centre in Blyth n The Northern Design Centre in Gateshead n Digital City in Middlesbrough n The Wilton Centre in Redcar n Sunderland Software City n North East Technology Park in Sedgefield County

Durham The aim of each of these is to accelerate investment in science and the growth of their respective fields and, at the same time, to boost the regeneration of their local areas.

They also align public, private, academic and voluntary sector funds and resources to support these growing sectors.

One North East is incredibly proud of the long-term strategy which have led us to these new investments, but at the same time recognises the region is not alone in looking for these new industries and opportunities.

The challenge now is for us to grab them.

SUNDERLAND SOFTWARE CITY The University of Sunderland is one of the key partners in the Sunderland Software City (SSC) project. The vision for Sunderland Software City is to inspire and encourage the growth of the software industry in the region and to make the area an attractive location of choice for software businesses.

The project brings together partners from the private, public and education sectors who each bring their unique experience and expertise which, when combined, will form a powerful driving force for economic growth.

Working with Sunderland City Council, Codeworks Connect and the Business and Innovation Centre, the University will develop an infrastructure providing both world-class business accommodation and communications connectivity fulfilling the growing demands of the industry.

Sunderland Software City will deliver the following: Enterprise Stimulation A key delivery objective from the University is to stimulate graduate enterprise through the “Software Hatchery” based at the University’s St Peter’s campus, where students can study for an MSc in Software Enterprise with bursaries of £12,000 for students. The Hatchery is fully equipped to support fledgling software businesses including access to a broad range of software platforms and provides a physical environment for students to develop their business ideas.

Industrial and business partners will work with the University to provide mentoring support for students and businesses. These partners will also support an annual programme of enterprise seminars to stimulate software enterprise and to develop products, ideas and concepts.

Knowledge Transfer & Product Development The SSC project forms part of the wider University programme of business support, centred around the new Business Gateway facility at the City Centre Campus, staffed by a dedicated team of Business Development Managers. The University’s Business Engagement Strategy recognises the positive impact of working with private sector partners through a range of services which enhance the academic experience of our students and graduates. SSC is seen as an important vehicle for establishing the University’s business support capacity in partnership with other support agencies in order to convert ideas into marketable software products, whilst utilising available support from Government around R&D grants and knowledge transfer platforms.

Research & Development The SSC objective in research and development is to encourage companies in the region to undertake collaborative R&D to develop new technologies and concepts. The university will provide expertise & access to Intellectual Property (IP) generated through the University’s R&D activities and International partnerships. Sunderland is recognised as one of the leading post-1992 universities in the UK for the overall quality of its research activity (Research Assessment Exercise 2008).

Building on a strong tradition of applied research, the university will support a programme of activity to stimulate and identify opportunities to work with the region’s software companies in developing new software products and services.

Education The Education strand will develop a skilled workforce for the software industry in the city and region, by developing and delivering Higher Education programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate level which are specifically designed to meet the skills needs of employers.

This will involve the development of a new portfolio of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes supported by a range of Sunderland Software City/One North East bursaries to attract the very best students to the region. These bursaries, available from the University cover three discrete areas: n Postgraduate Bursaries for full-time students – who have achieved

n

n

a 2:1 or above in their first degree - to undertake a range of software related MSc programmes. Thirty bursaries have been awarded this year. A new round commenced in early September, Undergraduate Bursaries for full time students - who have met an enhanced entry requirement - to undertake a range of computerbased degree programmes. Fifteen bursaries have been awarded this year. A new round commenced in early September,, Placement Bursaries – to encourage existing undergraduate students to undertake a placement with regional software related organisations.

Finally, in relation to 14-19 activity, the University will develop a specialist programme to promote software opportunities, provide specialist diplomas and support a 6th form academy programme to ensure skilled students are available to support the growing needs of the sector. or further information please contact the SSC Business Development F team on 0191 515 3555 www.sunderland.ac.uk

01 2 9

NETWORK LAUNCHED TO HELP DEVELOP NEW PRODUCTS Over 200 delegates and well known names such as Wayne Hemingway MBE, Berghaus, Procter & Gamble and GT Group have backed Design Network North.

“Design is more than adding some surface appeal to a product. It is much deeper than that. It’s about understanding and capitalising on the changing values in society and how we live our lives.

Launched in March at the Open University building next to the site of a proposed Northern Design Centre, the network will help companies looking to profit from the design of new products and services.

“And there is no more appropriate a place than Gateshead to do this.

It was once the poor relation to this area and people tended to think of Gateshead as the wrong side of tracks, but look at it now. Look what creativity and design has done. Gateshead is now the creative south bank and Newcastle Gateshead has become an international brand.

Based at RTC North in Sunderland, until the construction of a design centre at the heart of Gateshead’s Baltic Business Quarter, the network has already started work on a host of projects with local companies.

A focal point for North East design and innovation, the network will provide project management support to companies with new product ideas and broker in the best sources of support from the region’s design community.

Design Network North will also support opportunities for collaborative working, knowledge exchange, advice and funding for approved design work.

The aim is to improve regional companies’ ability to utilise high-quality design, skills and processes to deliver high return on investment, improved competitiveness, and to increase the contribution of design to the wealth of the region.

“My call to arms is that we make the centre a hub of creativity open to all and a catalyst for design becoming inherent in the way we create new products and improve the places in which we live.”

Ross McPhie, head of design for Berghaus, said: “Berghaus has been successful designing from the North, and a network that we can tap into so we don’t have to go to London for help can only add value to my company and I fully support Design Network North” “It is desperately needed and is a big step for the region in encouraging businesses and design talent to stay in the North East.

“I am used to working in New York and London, where networks are on your doorstep and it is easy to get help.

Funded by One North East and the European Regional Development Fund, the network will be co-ordinated by RTC North and supported

by Knowledge House and the universities of Newcastle, Northumbria and Teesside.

“Here, that help is not as readily available. The biggest problem I have is to get a designer to leave London. There is still a perception problem associated with the region and through a network like this we can start showcasing what is great about being a designer in the North.

Speaking at the launch, designer Wayne Hemingway MBE, said: “Right now there is nothing more apt than the North East having a Northern Design Centre. Times of recession are also times of opportunity for people who think creatively about the way we live and how we improve our quality of life.

“Recruitment agents tell me time and again, that designers on their books actually graduated from Newcastle. I am hoping that through something like this, and design schools being a little bit more connected, there will be feedback into local companies so that talent trained in the North, stays in the North.”

Professor Roy Sandbach, Research Fellow at Procter & Gamble, said: “Procter & Gamble is an 80 billion dollar business operating in different divisions. We use a whole variety of different networks to satisfy our need for leading edge product development.

“In 2002, we embarked on a strategy of open innovation, in which we committed to sourcing at least 50% of new product and technology innovations from outside the company. Our ‘Connect & Develop’ programme has already signed over 1000 active agreements, many with SMEs. It’s through networks like Design Network North that this can be made possible.

“Innovation is a networking business. It’s about connecting ideas and connecting problems with solutions. It’s great that a network should be created here in the North East for design.”

Geoff Turnbull, Group Chairman of GT Group, said: “We started our journey in 1973 as a small family run sub-contract engineering company based in the North East of England. Today, still a family run organisation, we design, develop and manufacture exhaust gas control valves reducing emissions on heavy to medium duty vehicles supplying blue chip clients worldwide.

“As in many organisations the economic downturn has not left us unscathed, however, we are ambitious about the future. We have committed contracts from many of our major clients and through product innovation, design and development we are confident about the company’s futures growth.

“It’s been a long journey with many trials and tribulations and I hope networks like this can help other companies overcome some of the hurdles we have encountered on our own.

“We are going to have a great network run by a very good organisation in a fantastic building. It’s going to be a massive boost for the North East of England. I’d like to say well done to One North East, RTC

North and congratulations to Gateshead.”

Malcolm Page, Deputy Chief Executive of One North East, said: “The Northern Design Centre will be a flagship, state-of-the-art facility for business development focused on the use of design, innovation and product development. We know that for this region to realise its full capabilities, businesses across all sectors must embrace design and the benefits it can bring.

“Research found that the North East wasn’t using design as a way of generating business growth in the way that many of its regional counterparts were, and this was the catalyst for us to pursue the potential development of a central facility which would enable us to do this.”

Access for designers and businesses in the North East to a number of national programmes, including the Design Council’s ‘Designing Demand’ and ‘Public Services by Design’, will be enhanced through strengthened regional relationships.

David Godber, Deputy Chief Executive of the Design Council, said: “The North East is one of the most dynamic regions when it comes to strategically promoting design and its benefits in creating better businesses and more sustainable, creative communities. The Design Council is delighted to be a partner in Design Network North and we look forward to helping it grow and thrive”.

The Design Network North project will benefit from £857,396 of European Union investment from the ERDF Competitiveness Programme 2007-13, managed by regional development agency One North East.

The ERDF programme is bringing over £250m into the North East to support innovation, enterprise and business support across the region. www.designnetworknorth.org

23

INTRODUCTION TO DIGITALCITY BUSINESS DigitalCity Business is the Business Growth & Development arm of the DigitalCity initiative based on Teesside. We are a commercially driven organisation focused on business growth and acceleration.

Innovation - we will work with and partner with companies looking to innovate in the field of ‘digital technologies’ specifically in the application of digital across ‘non digital’ industries, such as, renewable energy, life sciences and the process industries.

We can help you with...

Investment Attraction - we encourage businesses to relocate or expand in the North East and provide them with a comprehensive soft-landing approach, including market entry strategy research, business development strategy and sales planning as well as the physical requirements of office space and people.

Business Development and Sales - we will work with digital companies on a commercial basis to provide development and sales opportunities including the provision of an interim sales director, telemarketing services and targeted business sales activity.

Routes to finance and routes to market - working with regional, national and international business and financing partners we look to establish partnerships that accelerate business growth and market penetration.

Internationalisation - through our strategic partnerships in Asia, North America and Europe we are able to work with digital companies to exploit and distribute their digital technologies to key international markets.

Business Education for Growth - we help businesses start up and grow with a radical, effective approach to incubation and acceleration. Including Business Growth Workshops, Business Networking & Business Mentors that are still active and successful in the industry.

Boho One - the premier building for digital media and technology companies in the North East, opened in July 2009. It is the first building in a wider public/ private development that will cater for the business needs of digital media technology community within the Tees Valley.

Everything we do is geared to making the North East the best place to develop your digital media, digital technology or creative business.

Whether you’re an entrepreneur with a business idea, an established business looking to expand, a start up, one that’s looking to relocate or an organization needing product development or finance, we’d love to work with you.

Email: enquiries@dcbusiness.eu Phone: 01642 248 692 www.dcbusiness.eu

INTERNATIONAL REACH: DC ARROWS dcarrows is a digital media and digital technology based export agency specializing in the growth, exploitation and distribution of products, technologies and innovations between the EU and Asian markets. We help companies to establish, develop and maintain real commercial opportunities for their technologies in the Japanese and UK markets. dcarrows is a strategic business alliance between DigitalCity Business of the UK and Interarrows Inc of Japan. Both of which are focused on, and excel at, the successful identification, development and growth of new and innovative products and technologies within each respective territory.

The partnership allows us to expand and exploit your technologies across new and lucrative territories in the UK or Japan.

This is achieved principally by actively seeking out and creating opportunities to exploit and sell your digital products, technologies and innovations, through:

n Distribution and reselling deals n Licensing and technology transfer deals n Research and development collaboration agreements

dcarrows is your active business partner. We are not a consultancy and we are only ever paid on results. Crucially, we are only paid when you are paid - if we don’t create real and identifiable commercial successes for you we do not take a fee. We can afford to do this because we only choose the best and most appropriate technologies for each territory. If we work with you, it is because we can see a genuine opportunity for you.

Email: info@dcarrows.eu Phone: 01642 248 692 www.dcarrows.eu

BUSINESS PARTNERSHIPS: BLUE RUNNER SOLUTIONS BlueRunner Solutions is a Software Company that develops and delivers close-community digital payment systems. BlueRunner offers cashless payment solutions that reduce costs, increase the profitability and the uptake of paid-for services. The efficiency gains from BlueRunner Solutions products increase customer retention, loyalty and satisfaction.

BlueRunner Solutions also offer the most up to date Gift and Loyalty Card solutions available in the market place. They are able to improve the management of revenue centres and delivery of service through an integrated loyalty and reward system utilizing existing cards or implementing a bespoke system for the client. The focus of the solution is for the cardholder experience to be one of convenience and service.

BlueRunner Solutions also can enable existing ID cards and hardware to become multi-functional. By adding BlueRunner Solutions software to existing hardware ID, cards can become ‘smart’, acting as pre-paid cash cards for the close-community services such as catering and vending machine facilities, car parking and other onsite services, while maintaining their functions as access and ID cards.

BlueRunner Solutions deliver immediate benefits, fast ROI, and provide a platform for future innovations and requirements.

BlueRunner Solutions, headquartered in London, has entered into a business growth partnership with DigitalCity Business, whereby DigitalCity Business is a licensed reseller of BlueRunner Solutions for the North of the UK and certain strategic target sectors on a nationwide basis.

DigitalCity Business has established strategic sales plan, dedicated telemarketing capacity and face-to-face sales representatives in order to achieve the targets of this plan.

‘DigitalCity Business was able to demonstrate a clear understanding of our technology and product offering from the very first meeting, this was combined with a determined focus to drive business growth through sales and this is what appealed to us at BlueRunner Solutions.

As the relationship is based on clearly defined commercial goals, risks and rewards everyone knows where they stand and what they have to do, it is simple, focused and just what business needs. We see this as the first step in a long-term business relationship with DigitalCity Business’ Chris Schroeder, CEO of BlueRunner Solutions Email: peter.noble@dcbusiness.eu Phone: 01642 211 617 www.bluerunnersolutions.com

BUSINESS ACCOMMODATION: BOHO ONE Boho One is the flagship building of the Boho Zone, Teesside’s Digital Media Business hub. The building comprises of 27 unique office spaces built to the highest technological and environmental specification required for digital businesses.

In addition to the high quality office spaces available at Boho One the building contains unique infrastructure assets that are available for hire; n Render Farm Facility for rendering games and animation graphics

produced on both PC & Mac systems

n Northern Net Super Fast Broadband linking Boho One to

twenty other Digital Media Business Centres and around 350 digital companies

The building is already home to a number of digital media technology companies working in the areas of; n Audio visual effects n Computer Games Development

n n n n n

Film & Music making Mobile Phone Technology & Entertainment Panoramic Photography 3D Visualization Web Technologies, Software and Interface Design

Boho One also has in-house catering and conferencing facilities and a range of meeting and conference rooms with audio-visual and presentation equipment. Boho One is the ideal venue for business meetings, team away-days and larger conferences and seminars.

The Boho One concourse is available for larger events out of office hours.

If you would like to enquire about renting office space in Boho One, working with a DigitalCity Business Cluster Company or hosting an event, seminar or meeting at Boho One please contact Charlotte Allen, Operations Manager on 01642 248 692 or email charlotte.allen@dcbusiness.eu

25

SUCCESS IN THE PIPELINE FOR COMPANIES A North East specialist recruitment company has defied talk of recession by posting its best ever half-year figures, doubling its performance on the same period last year.

T echConsult UK, based at The Wilton Centre near Redcar, Teesside, operates within the offshore, fabrication and maintenance, process, shipbuilding and civil engineering industries.

The company recorded a turnover of £1.4m in the half year ending in July, double the previous year figure. Gross profit in the same period went up 60 per cent.

The figures mean that the company’s turnover is on target to hit £2.5-3m by the end of the year, up from the £2m recorded in its previous financial year, which was itself a record for the company.

TechConsult UK managing director Steve Guest said: “It is well documented that the sectors in which we work have experienced difficult times but in the past six months our turnover doubled, with gross profit following a similar upward trend.

“There has been a lot of talk of recession but some of the sectors in which we are working are buoyant and we are looking forward to the next few months with a renewed sense of confidence.”

Steve Guest, right, with Willy Watson, chief executive of Pipeline Engineering Limited

The company provides clients with engineers, technicians, project managers and administration personnel, many of them from the North East of England. Sectors that have done particularly well for TechConsult UK are subsea and associated industries.

Another successful project was with Pipeline Engineering of Catterick Bridge, North Yorkshire, providing expert engineers to work on a £3m contract as part of the Nord Stream gas pipeline, which links Russia and the European Union via the Baltic Sea. Mr Guest said: “This year has gone very well for us and one of the reasons is that in difficult economic times, companies realise that they need the very best people to get them through.

“The people we are providing to our clients are very experienced and skilled and our customers appreciate that.”

The Wilton Centre operation is part of the Norwegian-based TechConsult Group, whose offices are in Bergen, Oslo and Stavanger, Norway. www.techconsult-uk.com

29

CREATING A WORLD CLASS WORKFORCE The past eighteen months have witnessed the emergence of a very different economic landscape to that of January 2008, when the National Skills Academy Process Industries was officially handed the skills baton for the UK process industries.

Perhaps most interestingly, 16% of businesses reported that they would increase levels of training. When asked why, the three most frequently cited responses were: more specialised/trained staff are required (34%); the need to survive in a competitive marketplace (19%); and the need to retain existing skilled staff (11%).

The problems faced by many large players in the industry, such as Artenius and Le Seda, as well as the concerns for new graduates hoping to join the sector, and the worries of the thousands of young people currently on apprenticeship programmes, show that no business is immune from the effects of the recession. Although it has undoubtedly hit the process industries as much as any other sector, with the right staff and a proper level of investment in skills, the sector can look forward to a very bright future.

As the media start to report cautious signs of the green shoots of recovery, it is vital that we have the right skills platform in place to take up the opportunities that the economic upturn will bring.

The National Skills Academy Process Industries is part of an 11-strong network of academies, established in response to the Leitch report on skills, which highlighted several key sectors where the skills profile required urgent attention.

The need for new young recruits in the sector is becoming a ticking timebomb. In the chemical industries, for example, the average age of a plant operator is 55 and a supervisor 57, clearly demonstrating the need to encourage more young people at every level to enter the industries.

From its new headquarters in Darlington, and supported by five regional delivery arms with several more in the planning, the Academy works with employers, training providers and influencers to identify and address skills gaps through a range of practical, fit for purpose products and services.

These include the Gold Standard, a national framework for continuous professional development setting out the skills required for world class performance in key job roles in the process industries; and a national skills passport-themed product called myskillbank, a portable record of skills and qualifications that can also be used as a training management system.

These and other products and services are supported by an accreditation of prior learning framework – the Assessment System for Employer Training – which gives employers the chance to have their existing workforce skills and training assessed against agreed national standards.

To support employers in making good choices of skills development partners, the Academy is creating a bank of approved specialist providers, all of which have been through a rigorous assessment against standards that employers themselves have set, to verify their products, services and delivery levels.

Academy accreditation gives colleges, universities and private sector training and development providers a visible badge of quality, giving employers confidence that these providers can play their part in helping to create the right skills platform to take their business forward.

In spite of the difficult economic climate, businesses are not taking their foot off the training pedal. An ICM poll in May 2009 surveyed over 500 employers in industries across all sectors, who agreed that, in order to survive, skills and training are the number one priority for their companies.

Almost three quarters of respondents (73%) agreed with the statement that has been made by government ministers including Lord Mandelson, Secretary of State at BIS, that ‘businesses that invest in training are less likely to fail‛.

To this end our lobbying for more government support continues unabated, particularly in the area of the practical - and immediate support needed to help employers maintain their apprenticeship and graduate programmes.

Some experts are predicting that we will need between 50-70,000 operators to replace those who will retire over the next decade, and around half that number of graduates – and that is simply to maintain the current size of the industries. We also need to raise skills from Levels 2 and 3 to Levels 4 and 5 if we are to create a truly worldclass workforce.

To achieve these ambitious aims we need a concerted approach from all stakeholders - employers, providers and the public sector. At a recent North East Regional Skills Board meeting, instead of a standard meeting we chose instead to hold an operational workshop on ‘How can the public sector best assist the North East process industry through these difficult economic times?”.

The two groups, facilitated by Learning and Skills Council Director Petrina Lynne, and One North East Director Gillian Collinson, highlighted worries that the funding mechanisms available to the sector were not widely understood. On the basis of this, the Skills Academy is now aiming to work with Business Enterprise North East to help employers and training providers understand this area in greater detail, and benefit from all available sources of funding and support.

Nobody would deny that the future of the industries is changing. In the industrial biotechnology sector the shift from a chemical industry based on oil to one based on renewable and biological substances will redefine the chemicals business in the 21st century.

Employees have to be as skilled as possible in today’s climate. This includes having the skills that new processes such as biosciences, biofuels, speciality and polymers demand. The future of the process industries will rely heavily on a successful and transformational change in processing to a new, greener way of production.

We need to make sure we are ahead of that need by training not just for the skills we need today, but those we will need tomorrow. That way we can ensure that our process industry is ready when increased demand for its products and services arrives, and that we are ideally placed to outperform the best in the world. www.process.nsacademy.co.uk

JOIN OUR KNOWLEDGE NETWORK NOW With the business world the way it is, simply surviving might seem the sole objective.

But looking forward, finding ways to develop and bring new products to market, adopting processes that make your business leaner and smarter, can help you not just survive the recession, but can give your business a head start when times get better.

That’s why County Durham Development Company (CDDC), which encourages innovation and investment on behalf of Durham County Council, has developed NETPark Net. NETPark Net provides a network of resources, contacts and opportunities to support collaboration and the sharing of best practice, and it’s accessible wherever there’s an internet connection.

With links to the research facilities of the region’s five universities, venture capitalists, intellectual property specialists and more, NETPark Net means that innovative companies in the North East can learn from the best, and all from as little as £99 a year.

NETPark Net, an online community, is the virtual counterpart of one of the region’s greatest business assets - the North East Technology Park (NETPark) at Sedgefield.

One of the UK’s fastest-growing science and technology parks, NETPark has created a total support environment that gives science and technology businesses the best chance of success. It’s a hub for the commercialisation of the region’s high-tech innovation and provides a forum where universities and businesses can come together to collaborate and fully exploit the commercial potential of the region’s scientific innovation.

It’s making a major contribution to the economy of County Durham and the North East. Now, the business benefits of NETPark are available to innovative companies throughout the County and the North East.

As CDDC’s managing director Stewart Watkins explains: “NETPark Net put simply is NETPark without walls. If your company can’t come to NETPark, NETPark can now come to you.’’

It knits together a variety of sources of information in an easilyaccessible form, whether that is access to finance, technology hunting or expert technical advice.

Its knowledge bank offers podcasts, events, opportunities, ‘ask an expert’, network and databases as well as university facilities.

Companies can also use NETPark Net to open a virtual NETPark office.

The service includes workshops, drop-in clinics, tailored business advice (including routes to market), access to finance and networks.

Over 130 companies have already registered with NETPark Net and it has attracted significant regional support, and funding from the Single Programme and the European Regional Development Fund.

NETPark Net is specifically designed to drive forward the knowledge economy throughout County Durham and with an on-demand, online platform to deliver support where and when it is needed.

At the click of a mouse, NETPark Net opens up an enormous fund of technical knowledge and R&D to any business wanting to increase its competitiveness through collaboration and innovation. And it’s available for businesses in science, engineering and technology, from pre-incubation, right through to multinationals.

NETPark Net lets you: n Search for technology opportunities and partners for hi-tech

businesses in County Durham and the North East. n Gain access to best practice on incubation and technology commercialisation. n Link to innovation networks around the world. n Get rapid response access to specialist technology and business intelligence for knowledge-based businesses. nConsult a panel of experts available for member enquiries via email or phone.

You can join this exciting, unique community quickly and simply, from as little as £99 a year, either by: n Calling County Durham Development Company on (0191) 370

8680 or NETPark on 01740 625180 n Emailing: netparknet@wherebusinessgrows.com n Visiting www.uknetpark.net/netparknet and registering online.

If you provide services to the science, engineering and technology sectors (law, marketing, finance etc.), then please contact us to find out how you can benefit too.

So to take a big step towards greater competitiveness today, visit www.uknetpark.net/join

31

THE COST OF CLIMATE CHANGE Results of a study into how climate change will impact on the economy of North East of England will be revealed later this autumn.

T he study also has support from Government Office North East.

Fiona Gough, Deputy Regional Director of Environment and Place, said: “Climate change is one of Government’s top priorities.

T he Economic Implications of Climate Change North East Study, the first of its kind in the UK, will look at the measures needed to adapt to a changing climate, the cost of moving toward a low carbon economy, and the impact of new and emerging legislation and policies.

“The North East has an excellent track record of research and evidence gathering to help us all understand what the issues are and what needs to be done. This study will add a great deal to that knowledge, and help the region decide on plans and actions to let us contribute to avoiding dangerous climate change, and cope with the changes that are already unavoidable.”

Spearheaded by ClimateNE - The North East Climate Change Partnership - the study has support from a number or organisations in the region including the Association of North East Councils, Durham County Council, One North East, Natural England, Newcastle City Council, Northumberland County Council, Tyne and Wear City Region and Tees Valley City Region. Paul Mooney, One North East Chief Economist, said: “Climate change will fundamentally change the way we live and work. ‘Business as usual’ is no longer an option.

“By providing a robust evidence base on the implications of climate change for the North East, the study will help shape our response to both the challenges and opportunities facing the region.”

Adrian Hilton, Regional Climate Change Coordinator, said: “The study aims to develop our understanding of the economic implications of climate change.”

Arup, a firm of designers, engineers, planners and business consultants, and Cambridge Econometrics, have been commissioned to undertake the development of the study. www.climatenortheast.co.uk

33

CREATING NEW HORIZONS FOR THE UK’S INDUSTRIAL BIOTECHNOLOGY FACILITY The Centre for Process Innovation (CPI), a key driver of marketled innovation in the UK’s processing sector, continues to push ahead in the field of industrial biotechnology, most recently receiving government investment and embarking on a new Biosource programme.

Government investment Last month the Department for Business Innovation & Skills announced £12 million of investment in open access demonstrator facilities for industrial biotechnology (IB) at CPI. The new BIS IB demonstrator will enhance scale to 10,000 litre with appropriate up and downstream capacity.

Building on the existing capabilities at the Centre including the National Industrial Biotechnology Facility (NIBF), the demonstrator facilities will help to identify and deliver new processes, materials and products; and help the translation of novel ideas into tangible outputs within a UK environment best placed to conduct innovative approaches to IB. To date NIBF has been providing vital testing facilities for new industrial biotechnology products and processes, but industry leaders have indicated that facilities are required on a larger scale to ensure the future development of industrial biotechnology in the UK. Being able to trial new materials on a large scale will play a vital role as the industry begins to move away from petrochemicals and into the new low-carbon arena.

The new facilities will be tailored to support the development and testing of the production of alcohols, biodiesel, low-volume speciality and higher value chemicals from renewable biomass feedstocks and through biocatalysis.

The new facilities will immediately create around 15 highly skilled jobs, it has been estimated that the new demonstrator facilities could directly support between 10 and 40 new jobs per annum when fully operational.

It is planned that the new IB open access demonstrator facilities will be fully operational by October-December 2010.

Biosource programme CPI has also launched a new Biosource programme which will help open new doors to companies looking to embrace the industrial biotechnology revolution.

The new programme will see NIBF enhanced with a range of new equipment that will bolster its capabilities in enabling customers to

replace traditional chemical processing techniques with new cleaner and less wasteful enzyme routes.

Through its partnership with CoEBio3 the facility provides a unique gene-to-kilo service and an integrated ‘plug and play’ design, allowing customers across a diverse range of sectors to produce trial quantities of products, scale-up processes and provides detailed real time information on fermentation.

The Biosource programme will enable the installation of a range of new facilities including; a 15L steam-in-place fermenter; a photobioreactor and other equipment for the growth of algae; a high speed centrifuge; and additional analytical capabilities. At pilot scale, additions include pre-processing equipment for wet and dry biomass and membrane and filtration equipment for down stream processing.

Sophie Walton, business manager for the NIBF, said “Integral to NIBF’s success to date is its adaptability in allowing a range of businesses to test new processing concepts to ensure they are viable before further investment. The Biosource programme will enhance the facilities” .

CPI is currently working with a range of customers operating within fine chemical, cosmetic, fragrance, food, marine, and fuel markets.

The centre is also working on several FP7 projects, collaborating with partners across Europe with the aim of developing new technologies for the greater good of European industry.

What NIBF offers? n A wide range of fermentation capacity from 1litre fermenters through 15, 50, 70 through to two 1000 litres. n Online PAT to tell you exactly what’s happening within your fermentation – as it happens. n Unique plug and play DSP. n New pre-processing options. n Development labs to 10 litre scale. n Marine fermentation capability. n Novel bioreactor design, build and optimisation. n Dedicated 50 litre solvent facility and integrated chemical processing capacity. n Consultancy services and process packages.

If you need a passionate, intelligent and flexible partner for your scale up, who can add value through innovation, then please contact Sophie Walton at ap-info@uk-cpi.com.

FIBRE OPTICS FIRM CHOOSES NETPARK A SCIENCE park which more than doubled the size of its facility for high tech businesses is seeing strong demand for its newly extended space.

The NETPark Incubator, at Sedgefield, County Durham, has already signed up a new tenant after expanding the available floor space by 150% in June 2009.

The incubator is a breeding ground for young technology companies and offers a combination of office and laboratory facilities to help them commercialise their products.

The first company to take offices in the new 2,460 sq m extension to the NETPark Incubator will be u2t Photonics UK, which makes highly specialised components for fibre optic cables.

David Weddle, NETPark Incubator manager, said: “u2t is exactly the kind of specialised advanced electronics business that NETPark was designed for. They will find themselves in the company of similarly groundbreaking companies operating in an environment which is sympathetic to, and supportive of, the needs of science-based businesses.’’

Steve Clements managing director of u2t Photonics UK added: “We are delighted to be able to locate at NETPark because, as a small group focussed on delivering products on a tight schedule, we want to spend our time on the development not on establishing and supporting our infrastructure.

“The offering from NETPark is dedicated to providing all the resources that we need with the flexibility and support which is so important at

this stage in a company’s development. I have been very pleased with the care and attention to detail in getting agreement on our facilities and impressed with the recommendations and references we obtained from the present occupiers of the incubator.”

NETPark is one of the fastest growing science parks in the UK and demand for space there has been so great the extension to the Incubator has had to be built three years ahead of schedule. The science park is owned by Durham County Council and managed by the County Durham Development Company (CDDC).

Mr Weddle added: “Demand meant the original building was full and we had to convert a lot of general purpose rooms into offices or labs to accommodate people. The significantly expanded space we have now allows us to attract more high tech companies to NETPark.’’

It is understood that as many as five additional companies are at an advanced stage of inquiries about moving to the Incubator.

The facility offers high quality laboratory facilities, such as fume cupboards and chemical drains, along with conference and meeting rooms and total business support, from the provision of stationery to advice on protecting intellectual property.

It houses companies operating in the fields of microelectronics, photonics, nanotechnology, and their application in the fields of energy, defence, and medical-related technologies. www.u2t.de