Strategy for Success
The Strategy for Success was created in 2001 between One NorthEast, the regional universities and key industry partners. The Strategy is designed to promote and exploit strengths of the region’s research and innovation base. To assist the region in doing this, five Centres of Excellence have been established to accelerate research & development activity, promoting commercialisation of business concepts. The five Centres each focus on a particular innovation area.
In addition to the Centres of Excellence, NStar, a venture finance company, was set-up through the Strategy for Success to direct financial support into business and enterprise growth in Three Pillars.
In 2004, the Agency and the Regional Assembly commissioned reviews of the first phase of the SFS. It identified that, although strong progress was being made in developing the infrastructure and new approaches to commercialising research, opportunities for improvement and further development existed. These included focussing on and exploiting three broad technology areas, or ‘Pillars’.
The Three Pillars identified are:
- Energy
- Healthcare & Health Sciences
- Process Industries and Emerging Technologies
These themes were chosen for particular focus as they represented three strongest areas for science & technology development in the region, offering greatest potential for future economic development.
To find out further information on NStar’s Three Pillar Investment Fund click here.
Work carried out by the Centres of Excellence focus efforts on developing the knowledge base in these 3 key areas.
The Strategy for Success is driven by One NorthEast’s Innovation, Industry & Science team and receives support from the Science & Industry Council of the North of England. The Strategy for Success receives support from European Funding, which the North East is provided with to regenerate the region and create a vibrant economy.
Cenamps: National Centre for Emerging Technologies
Working closely with the universities and industry, Cenamps aims is to become a major source of competitive advantage for universities and businesses operating or seeking to operate in the North East of England. We focus on emerging technologies for flexible functional materials, ambient intelligence, consumer products and preventative medicine.
NStar: Early Stage Venture Investment
NStar is an independent early stage technology venture company based in the North East of England, enabling the creation of new businesses in the region, providing access to co-investment venture capital for high risk opportunities and proof of concept funds.
CELS: Centre of Excellence for Life Sciences
CELS is a centre of excellence for life sciences. CELS identifies and exploits markets at the cutting edge of technology that have significant commercial potential. CELS develops new concepts, forms business ventures and steers growth in global markets and its objective is to strengthen the bioscience industry in the North East of England.
NaREC: Centre of Excellence for New and Renewable Energy
NaREC is a centre of excellence aiming is to bring substantial benefits to the UK's new and renewable energy industry. NaREC is fast-tracking concept evaluation, feasibility studies and prototype evaluation and testing, through to early commercialisation.
CPI: The Centre for Process Innovation
CPI is a centre of excellence that stimulates and drives innovation within the process industries, focusing mainly on technologies for advanced processing, functional materials and fuel cells.
CODEWORKS: Centre of Excellence in Digital Technology and Media
CODEWORKS is leading business, academic and policy stakeholders in co-ordinated initiatives, establishing international leadership in specific digital technology and media sectors.
