www.northeastvision.co.uk
Digital innovation
Knowledge Economy
B
OOSTING the North East's knowledge
economy is essential to developing our
economy as a whole. Not only will this
create new, highly-skilled jobs for the
region, but can also help companies from all
our industries to fundamentally improve their
businesses.
For 10 years now One North East has focused
investment on the longer-term restructuring of
the region's economy - with targeted
interventions in new innovations and low carbon
technologies.
The region is now at the forefront of sectors
that could drive significant job creation,
including low carbon vehicles, offshore wind,
printable electronics and advanced process
industries, all of which have innovation at their
heart and require highly-skilled workforces.
One North East's new Digital Strategy provides
a perfect illustration of what we could achieve
with a genuinely regional approach to the
in this sector. Newcastle-based Sage is the leading
software company in the FTSE 100, and our
well-networked industry bodies which are already
driving regional digital innovation and job
creation.
Building on the Government's Digital Britain
report, the new strategy is underpinned by the
five key themes of business support, innovation,
infrastructure, skills, and cultural change.
We want North East England to be recognised
internationally for its strengths in digital media
and technology. At the same time, we want the
region's use of digital technology to overtake the
UK average. Together, these twin aims will drive
growth, create new jobs for our graduates and
attract more skilled workers to the region.
The new strategy will also build on One North
East investments in Digital City in Middlesbrough,
Sunderland Software City, at Codeworks, at
Northern Film and Media, and most recently in
Teesside University's new Centre for Design in the
Digital Economy (DLab). This groundbreaking
pilot project will exploit digital and 3D
technology and create a web-based environment
to bring business opportunities to the region's
design and business sectors.
The Digital Strategy sets out twelve broad areas
that need to be taken forward. These include
developing a pipeline of new, growing and
interlinked digital businesses, promoting the
benefits of digital technology to businesses,
ensuring the region meets the 2mb/s broadband
target, developing next-generation broadband
roll-out for key areas, increasing the digital skills
pool and enhancing collaborations between
technical and creative bodies, academia and
high-growth industries.
We have extremely firm foundations and
knowledge economy � but the strategy also
highlights just how much work will be required
to achieve our ambitious goals.
It was launched after months of discussions
with the private sector, universities and industry
bodies and is aimed at using the digital
technology sector to boost the region's economy
by more than �2bn.
Growing the digital sectors in North East
England to match the UK average would add
around 1.5%, or �600m, to the region's economy,
while more effective use of technology across all
businesses could boost the economy by a further
3.8%, or �1.5bn.
The North East already has significant strengths
already boast a number of
very successful digital
businesses. As the
economy enters the
upturn there will be
serious economic
opportunities for the
region in the digital
sector and it is vital that
we grasp these
opportunities.
Paul Callaghan sits on
the One North East board
and is Chairman of
Leighton, the North East based technology,
software, media and communications group that
he founded.
For more information on the new strategy, visit
www.onenortheast.co.uk/business/digital.cfm.
We want North East
England to be recognised
internationally for its
strengths in digital media
FIRM
FOUNDATION
Teesside
University's new
Centre for
Design in the
Digital Economy
and Paul
Callaghan.

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