Partner Article

VISION 31: ‘It’s time for our investment’

NET
www.netimesmagazine.co.uk
www.bdaily.co.uk

Pictures: Andrew Lowe

NET’s headline investment campaign VISION 31 held its second panel discussion event of the year at North East Technology Park, in Sedgefield, County Durham, earlier in the summer, where scores of guests heard from business founders and sector leaders about the North East’s innovative spirit, its game-changing advances and its significant investment potential. Here, Peter Anderson highlights some of the event’s key takeaways.

The North East has every reason to “be as ambitious as possible”, with world-leading innovation, major investment and transformative developments creating a powerful platform for future growth.

Those were the principal themes of N magazine publisher NET’s latest VISION 31 summit.

Held at North East Technology Park (NETPark) in Sedgefield, County Durham, more than 70 guests defied a heatwave to hear how the region stands ready to capitalise on great opportunity by strengthening collaboration, developing future skills, attracting investment and presenting a more confident, unified voice to the outside world.

Featuring two panel discussions, hosted by NET editor-in-chief Steven Hugill, the consensus was clear: the North East has a “unique proposition” and every reason to be ambitious.

The first panel – The Region Shaping Tomorrow: The Power of the North East – explored how businesses, public sector partners and cultural organisations are helping shape the region’s future through investment, innovation and collaboration.

Panellists shared examples of growth and ambition across manufacturing, technology, business support and culture, while also addressing the challenges that remain, from access to funding and skills shortages to the need to better promote the North East’s latent strengths and create opportunities for the next generation.

Audience members heard from Tania Cooper, managing director of Steel Benders UK and chair of the North East STEM Foundation; Kerry Walker, managing director of Business Durham; Sharon Lane, managing director of Tees Components; Ross Linnett, founder and chief executive of Recite Me; and Julia Handelman-Smith, programme director of Into the Light.

Kerry, who is overseeing the continued growth of NETPark, said the site’s evolution over the last two decades demonstrates what can be achieved through long-term collaboration and investment.

Reflecting on the transformation of the ex-Winterton Hospital site into a nationally significant innovation district, which includes telecoms technology firm Filtronic and radiation detection company Kromek, she said:

“NETPark is where research, innovation, industry and commercialisation come together.

“This isn’t just a Durham asset – it’s a regional and national asset that gives businesses the infrastructure they need to grow.

“The North East is a place that simply gets things done.

“We’ve got the right conditions and the right environment for businesses to start, scale, invest and, more importantly, stay in the region.”

That message was echoed by Ross, whose Gateshead-based technology company Recite Me has grown from a North East start-up into a global leader in digital accessibility, providing website and language support tools used by thousands of organisations worldwide to make online content more inclusive.

Reflecting on his company’s investment journey, Ross said the region was increasingly attracting the attention of major investors.

Citing his experiences of working with BGF to secure multi-million-pound backing, he said: “When we started dealing with BGF, they didn’t have a presence in the North East.

“But very quickly, one of the conversations we had was, ‘I didn’t realise how much was going on in the North East – we need an office here’.

“You don’t have to be in London to be successful.

“The North East is a fantastic place to grow a business, but you’ve got to believe you can do it.”

Tania, who leads Hartlepool-based Steel Benders UK – an engineering firm that has grown from a family business into an international supplier serving sectors including offshore energy, defence and infrastructure – reflected on the company’s recent £20 million investment in a new 40,000sq ft manufacturing facility at the former Caparo site.

She said: “It’s an investment in our team and future generations.

“It gives us the space to grow, improve the way we work and install the new machinery we’ve already invested in.”

Tania added the project would not have been possible without support from the Tees Valley Combined Authority’s Investment Fund.

She said: “It’s easy to fund the machinery – it’s much harder to fund the building – but that support gave us the opportunity to invest.”

Drawing on Tees Components’ more than 60-year manufacturing heritage, Sharon reflected on how continual investment and innovation had enabled the family business to evolve from a traditional subcontract machine shop into a globally recognised precision engineering company.

She said: “The simpler engineering has gone overseas, so we’ve invested heavily in technology, equipment and skills to specialise in high-risk, complex engineering.”

Sharon also argued the region must do more to celebrate its manufacturing strengths.

She added: “We’re leading in areas such as clean energy, biosciences and advanced manufacturing – I just don’t think that’s widely known.”

Attention then turned to the region’s skills agenda following Alan Milburn’s recent review into rising numbers of young people not in employment, education or training (NEET).

Speaking as chair of the North East STEM Foundation, Tania said: “I don’t see skills as an educational problem or a Government problem – I see it as an industry problem because we’re the users of those skills.

“We’ve got to open our doors, invite young people in, provide work experience and create opportunities.”

Sharon agreed, describing work experience and apprenticeships as some of the most effective ways of engaging young people.

She added: “I’ve got brilliant people in our machine shop who came to us on work experience when they were 14.

“When we’re organising conferences and events, let’s invite apprentices and students too.”

The discussion also highlighted the important role the creative sector plays in shaping the North East’s identity, attracting talent and supporting long-term economic growth.

Julia, who leads Into the Light – a programme helping grow County Durham’s creative economy while celebrating the region’s cultural strengths – argued culture lies at the heart of thriving communities and successful places.

She said: “Culture is the beating heart of our communities; it’s the connective tissue that draws all of this together.

“But we need the same long-termism that some of our industries have to be truly successful.

“It can take decades – even generations – for these things to grow.”