The North East Technology Park (NETPark)
The North East Technology Park (NETPark) is the only science park in the North East of England. Based in the heart of the Region at Sedgefield, County Durham, NETPark currently provides incubation and research facilities to companies and research groups working in the physical sciences, particularly plastic electronics, microelectronics, photonics, nanotechnology, and their application in the fields of energy, defence, and medical-related technologies. NETPark is developed, managed and promoted by County Durham Development Company on behalf of Durham County Council. Designed as a country estate for the 21st century, NETPark has a parkland setting with villages and sports facilities in easy reach.
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
The heartland of the Industrial Revolution, North East England has always been a pioneer for science, engineering and technology. R&D in the North East is centred around the research strengths of the 5 North East Universities.
There are major strengths in:
- Chemistry,
- Physics,
- Bioscience,
- Medicine,
- and ICT.
County Durham's highly diversified economic base, a mix of inward investors and indigenous businesses, includes precision manufacturing, components electronics, advanced materials, automotive, consumer electronics, IT, pharmaceuticals, plastics and biotechnology. The County has proved consistently popular with investors from elsewhere in the UK as well as from the Far East, the US, Scandinavia and mainland Europe.
NETPark's location in an Assisted Area of the UK means there are several sources of funding available to companies locating at NETPark. Government support is available via initiatives such as R&D Tax Credits, the Grant for R&D scheme, Early Growth Funds and the Technology Programme (which includes Collaborative Research and Development, and Knowledge Transfer Networks and Partnerships).
Selective Finance for Investment is a discretionary grant administered by One NorthEast on behalf of the UK government for projects that are creating or safeguarding jobs and benefiting the UK economy. There are varying levels of match funding. NETPark has links with the Business Angels Networks and other VC networks. NStar, based in Newcastle, offers a Proof of Concept fund for early stage companies, together with venture capital funding. Northern Enterprise Limited (NEL) is based in the North East and is active across the country.
The North East region has a positive climate for business overall: the region has a faster job creation rate than London, is ranked 5th in the country for new business creation, and 95% of businesses have invested in some form of online technologies.
In 2005, 80% of manufacturers increased turnover and 53% of companies increased their workforce in the same year. The 5 North East universities have over 90,000 students, including nearly 20,000 postgraduates. NETPark has access to 2.4 million people within a 25 mile (40 kilometre) radius. The quality of the local workforce and the willingness of the workers to adapt to new technologies have consistently impressed companies new to County Durham.
MOST IMPORTANT SERVICES
- Euro Office Essential
- Euro-Expo
- Consulting services
NETPark offers a variety of services to tenants from the simple provision of space and internet connection to a full service package which includes IT support, administrative support, use of meeting rooms and catering, access to lounge and signposting to various sources of business advice and finance.
NETPark has incubation space and managed workspace (including offices, lab and workspace), research institute, grow on space and the Plastic Electronics Technology Centre, the newly established UK flagship for Plastic Electronics. NETPark assists businesses to spin out, grow and expand into their own premises.
In addition, NETPark also offers NETpark Net, a "virtual" science park, which links up companies across County Durham into the NETPark community. Members of NETPark Net have access to the same benefits as tenants of NETPark and have the use of a virtual office facility including hot-desking, meeting rooms and postal address, phone number and email address.
LINKS TO MOST IMPORTANT WEBSITES