County Durham – a place to invest and grow
John Bone – chief commercial officer at RHEA Group , one of the many businesses benefitting from the Business Durham-led NESACoE , based at NETPark in Sedgefield .
The DFIB programme is delivered through a series of events , masterclasses , workshops and practical sessions , designed to help businesses unlock their innovation potential and develop their knowledge and skills .
Companies are also able to apply for funding to increase their expertise , either by taking on their own experts or bringing in external consultants and specialists .
The Durham Future Innovation Building programme is a two-anda-half year programme , funded by the European Regional Development Fund ( ERDF ), for SMEs . It will run until June 2023 .
For more details about the programme and eligibility criteria , and to book a place on the online introduction , visit businessdurham . co . uk / dfib
Business Durham and Durham County Council attended the UK ’ s Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum ( UKREiiF ), a national exhibition designed to showcase the scale of development progress across the UK and profile future investment opportunities to investors , developers and occupiers from around the globe .
With £ 2 billion of investment , planned or underway , and an ambitious ten-year economic strategy , the council are keen to make the point that Durham is an ideal location for investment and development .
A hotbed of innovation , the county has seen its hi-tech sector go from strength-tostrength , along with growth in the up-andcoming UK space sector .
With a top 100 university on the doorstep , and four others in the region , it has one of the largest pools of talent anywhere in the UK .
Key to success is the quality of Durham ’ s strategic business sites , which provide the facilities and the environment to allow companies to grow and flourish , along with easy access to world-wide markets through excellent connectivity by road , rail , air and sea .
At the event , the team from Business Durham highlighted the strength of hi-tech companies in the area - and with scores of thriving innovative technology businesses , County Durham is setting a high bar .
The team showcased why Durham is a great place for businesses to locate – companies like radio frequency ( RF ) communications specialist Filtronic . The company has ambitious plans to expand at NETPark where , since 2014 , continuous innovation has seen the company grow its turnover , staff and footprint .
Filtronic is one of over 40 companies based at NETPark who together employ over 600 people from university spinouts and startups , to more established companies .
Durham is also home to a growing number of space sector businesses along with the North East Satellite Applications Centre of Excellence ( NESACoE ), which has been instrumental in putting the county firmly on the intergalactic map .
Led by Business Durham , NESACoE , based at NETPark , was set up to deliver the region ’ s space strategy and has engaged with more than 700 organisations and helped companies secure more than £ 10m-worth of funding .
One of those companies is the RHEA Group , an internationally-renowned security and space engineering company , providing services to aerospace , security and defence businesses across the world .
County Durham has an ambition to build a successful , sustainable future promising a healthy and fulfilled lifestyle for all of its residents through access to good housing and employment .
To achieve that ambition , £ 3.4 billion will be invested in creating jobs , attracting inward investment and building new homes .
Bigger projects include £ 200m for the development of Aykley Heads ; £ 400m at Bishop Auckland ; £ 58m for the NETPark phase 3 expansion ; £ 200m at Riverside , Durham City and £ 44.5m at Jade Business Park , Murton .
It is expected that the investment will generate 30,000 new jobs and see 25,992 new homes built by 2035 .
With opportunities for companies already here and new ones looking to relocate or expand , the event was an opportunity to shout about all the county has to offer .
To find out more about current and future developments as well as the support and advice available from Business Durham visit businessdurham . co . uk . wear . business – the voice of business for the Wear region | 23