The heartland of the Industrial Revolution, North East England has always been at the forefront of science, engineering and technology and is now becoming one of the key areas in the UK for R&D and knowledge-based industries.

Regional Development Agency One North East's Strategy for Success established a Science and Industry Council (SIC) and four Centres of Excellence to act as hubs for key technology strands. Senior figures from industry, higher education and the public sector sit on the SIC which champions regional science, technology and innovation to a national and international audience.

The universities of Durham, Newcastle, Northumbria, Sunderland and Teesside are all important stakeholders. All are within 30 minutes drive of NETPark and all are represented on the NETPark Advisory Group at Vice-Chancellor level.

For the 2007-13 period, One North East will be responsible for implementing the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), which will bring £255M to the region.

NETPark has been chosen as a high priority for investment from this programme - investment in innovation, enterprise and stronger support for business start ups are the cornerstones of the latest ERDF programme. For the latest news please visit www.onenortheast.co.uk/erdf

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