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Event highlights North East’s tech capabilities

Tech companies from around the North East will be educating the region about the possibilities of the Internet of Things at an event in Sunderland this month.

The IoTUK Boost Pitch & Social event will be a showcase of the newest and brightest IoT ideas being developed by tech companies in the North East.

The event is the culmination of the IoTUK Boost programme, which has been delivered by Sunderland Software City over the past three months following the announcement in November that the organisation had been chosen as one of four IoTUK Boost providers for a series of IoT innovation challenges and incubation activities aimed at helping businesses and public services to maximise and deploy IoT technologies.

As part of the programme 20 technology SMEs from around the region attended a two-day residential IoT summit in February where experts from global technology companies Amey, CGI, Nissan and Innovate UK outlined future trends in Internet of Things and ran sessions on how smaller companies can capitalise on the adoption of IoT technologies.

These SMEs and others already working in the IoT space will be showcasing their resulting products at the event, held at the Sunderland Software Centre on the 22nd March, which will be followed by networking drinks.

At the event Sunderland Software City will also be unveiling three pieces of IoT artwork which have been developed by a collaboration of local artists; Esen Kaya, Mike Collier and Anne Curtis from Sunderland-based Shoofly publishing, who was recently a finalist on BBC 2’s The Great Interior Design Challenge.

David Dunn, CEO of Sunderland Software City said: “The IoTUK Boost programme has been an opportunity to educate the region’s business community about how the Internet of Things can transform organisations and public services whilst creating new opportunities for the North East’s technology companies.

“The programme has focusses specifically on generating commercial opportunities within IoT for the region’s tech SMEs to capitalise on and at the event we will be announcing three new IoT business opportunities from the North East Combined Authority, Nissan and the Environment Agency.

“Alongside this the event will showcase the newest and most innovative IoT technologies being developed by SMEs in the region to an audience of businesses and potential investors.

“This programme will leave a lasting legacy in that more companies are developing game-changing IoT solutions that not only open up new opportunities for them but that transform businesses and public service delivery across the region.”

The UK Government is investing £40m in IoT, including the launch of IoTUK; a programme of activities that seeks to advance the UK’s global leadership in the Internet of Things (IoT) and increase the adoption of high quality IoT technologies and services throughout businesses and the public sector.

David Dowe, Head of IoTUK said: “The North East is home to some great companies that are developing game-changing IoT innovations.

“The IoTUK Boost Pitch & Social event will be a chance to discover these innovations, meet the companies behind them and find out about more opportunities for organisations of all sizes and individuals to get involved in the IoT Space.”

The IoTUK Boost Pitch & Social event is taking place at the Sunderland Software Centre on the 22nd March from 2-5pm followed by a drinks reception. People can register their attendance at https://iotsocial.eventbrite.co.uk

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Amy Watson .