Environmental business initiative set for boost with six-figure funding

A North East business support organisation has secured six-figure funding to support its work finding solutions to environmental challenges.

The Water Hub has received £120k funding from the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and partners including the Environment Agency, Durham County Council, Durham University, and Northumbrian Water.

The funding will enable The Water Hub to establish a business development plan for how it may continue to offer support for research and innovation in the region.

The Water Hub has provided direct support to 54 organisations through collaborations, research development, and business support, providing an estimated £1.7m boost for the local economy.

George Gerring of The Water Hub and senior operations officer for the Environment Agency, commented: “We are so excited to be entering phase 2 of our vision, under the funding and development guidance of the Environment Agency, to help broker and initiate key relationships between the environmental and business sectors.

“We are in a healthy position to scale and grow The Water Hub into establishing the organisation as a national and international asset. We have proven that the projects we help instigate produce a direct return on investment, which should be our magnet towards attracting future investment to the region.”

Richard Baker, strategy and policy director at the North East LEP, added: “The Water Hub has been an excellent initiative to draw together partners, businesses and communities in the drive to develop solutions to key water and environmental challenges and has created an excellent collaborative model which has the potential to position the North East as a leading region for this work.

“It’s a pleasure to be a partner to the Environment Agency, water sector and universities involved and look forward to the next stage of our work together.

“As one of a group of natural assets, water is identified in the Strategic Economic Plan and Local Industrial Strategy as an important economic opportunity for our region, not least as the world seeks responses to climate change. We’re looking forward to continuing this partnership as this crucial work continues.”