DARLINGTON NEWS
BUSINESS SECRETARY VISITS CUTTING EDGE INNOVATION CENTRE
Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen welcomed business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng to a cutting-edge innovation centre that has just secured government funding to help in the fight against coronavirus .
Mr Kwarteng toured the Centre for Process Innovation ’ s Darlington site following the announcement in the Budget of a £ 5m investment .
The technology and innovation centre has been working with the UK Vaccine Taskforce since the outbreak of coronavirus and this new funding will create a rapid response facility that will support the development of a “ library ” of mRNA vaccines to protect against new variants of Covid-19 , as and when they emerge .
CPI will develop and bank vaccines , ready for future manufacture and scale-up when needed , with the potential to deliver enough doses for clinical trials in one week .
The news came just weeks after a separate £ 4m investment by the Tees Valley mayor and Combined Authority was made to help CPI create a Centre for Excellence in biomanufacturing at its site at the Wilton Centre in Redcar .
The new capability will allow CPI to
support businesses in developing new and improved food products , including those with increased health benefits .
Mr Kwarteng said : “ The Centre for Process Innovation in Darlington is playing a critical role in our national effort against Covid-19 , and it was fantastic to see cutting-edge vaccine development happening right here in the North-East .
“ We ’ re backing CPI ’ s life-saving work with an additional £ 5m , which will further support our scientists and researchers to rapidly respond to new virus variants if they emerge .”
Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen said : “ CPI is a fantastic example of a local organisation at the cutting-edge of biosciences and I was delighted the secretary of state could see for himself the great strides the centre is making .
“ Along with the amazing work done by CPI , scientists across Teesside , Darlington and Hartlepool are playing a crucial role in the global fight against the coronavirus .
“ The biosciences and healthcare sectors are a key party of my plan for jobs and these investments will continue to keep CPI – and the region – at the forefront of its field .”
Helping build the North ’ s life science sector
Ways the life science sector can be expanded in the north of England have been explored at a special event hosted by Teesside University ’ s National Horizons Centre .
The online workshop , organised in conjunction with the Department for International Trade , saw local government representatives across the region come together to look at methods of maximising the capability of the sector in the region .
The event is one of the ways the £ 22.3m centre of excellence for the bioscience industries based at Central Park , Darlington , is working to grow the capacity of the life science sector in the Tees Valley and beyond .
Work starts on £ 1m college development
Darlington MP Peter Gibson has officially marked the start of a £ 1m project to create a new sixth form centre at the town ’ s Carmel College .
The work , which is being carried out by Darlington-based Wharton Construction , represents one of the final pieces in the redevelopment of The Headlands site .
The project , due to be completed by the autumn , is centred around the redevelopment of an old stable block .
Wharton Construction will also extend the building to connect with the current sports hall – creating up to 400 sq m of space across two storeys .
Climate change toolkit for Darlington businesses
Risks to livestock , insufficient insurance cover , burst pipes and events cancelled due to flooding are among some of the eventualities and impacts covered in a new online climate change toolkit for local Darlington businesses .
As part of its commitment to becoming carbon neutral by 2050 , Darlington Council devised the toolkit to help businesses including the agricultural sector find out about the impact of climate change .
The business resilience manual provides a practical guide to a range of subjects such as flooding and ensuring a business has adequate insurance to cover the damage and disruption it can cause .
Visit darlington . gov . uk / sustainable .
NETWORKING EVENTS HELP BUSINESSES GET IN THE ZONE
Digital marketing specialist White Digital is celebrating its move to a new office space in Darlington town centre with a series of virtual networking events streamed live from the company ’ s cocktail bar .
MD Doug Dinwiddie and new marketing manager Chloe Page hit upon the idea of a series of fun networking events where the only subjects off limits are politics , pitching – and Covid !
Open to anyone in the North- East business community , there ’ s no limit to the number of people who can attend the event . Email Chloe for more information at chloe @ white . digital .
The voice of business in the Tees region | 133