NECC to champion region’s innovators

A CAMPAIGN has been launched to highlight and champion the North East’s most innovative and exciting companies.

The North East Chamber of Commerce (NECC), working with BT, will be shining a spotlight on businesses of all sizes and across all sectors that are using innovation as a catalyst for economic success.

The NECC Innovation campaign will look at the successful exploitation of new ideas and how they are benefiting both the economy and job creation in the region. BT, itself one of the leading UK innovators, is working with NECC to show how ideas can enable businesses to outstrip their competitor, particularly in fierce global trading conditions.

Working with a group of North East innovators, NECC will investigate what support is needed to fully exploit existing ideas and to harness new advances by companies. This work will be compiled into a report that will make recommendations to key decision makers within the region and nationally to improve levels of support for innovative businesses.

The campaign was launched at NECC’s annual meeting held at Ramside Hall Hotel on the outskirts of Durham City at 10.45am on Tuesday, June 17.

Richard Bottomley, NECC president and partner at KPMG in Newcastle, said: “Historically, the North East was built on a bedrock of innovation with some of the most influential ideas stemming from the region – the electric lightbulb, the locomotive engine and the friction match, to name a few.

“The NECC Innovation campaign will flag up those companies that are blazing their own trail and making a radical difference to the world in which we live.

“The campaign will also focus on traditional companies that are using real innovation to overcome economic difficulties or to forge a path in new markets.  The ability to be flexible, responsive and visionary in established markets is as important as the cutting-edge newcomers to the future success of the North East economy.”

The NECC Innovation campaign has secured high level political backing from Nick Brown, Minister for the North East. He said: “We have so much to be proud of in the region – it is right to highlight the entrepreneurs that create jobs and prosperity in the North East.”

BT has built a reputation for developing innovative technology and business solutions for its customers. Simon Roberson, BT Regional Manager, said: “The North East is already at the forefront of some of the latest products and solutions that BT is implementing through creation of centres of excellence, with business support activities and environmental initiatives supporting the region’s economy.

“It is important that we embrace and learn from the vast array of successful regional businesses that have already proved themselves to be innovative and are delivering added value, high quality jobs, better products and services for their customers and new more environmentally friendly processes in order to have a successful regional economy .”