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Seagull
The North Sea Connection

Seagull – The North Sea Connection - is a collaboration project between One North
East, Invest in Sweden (ISA), VINNOVA (The Swedish Governmental Agency for
Innovation Systems) and The Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth
(Tillväxtverket). It was established to facilitate investment and increase trade and
knowledge flows between Sweden and North East England. The group is working
together in areas where the knowledge and competence in Sweden and North East
England complement each other, and is focusing on the following sectors:
• New & Renewable Energy & Cleantech • Biotechnology
• Ageing & Health • ICT/Digital Media/Moving Images
The Seagull initiative will assist companies and agencies with:
• Direct investments • Joint ventures
• Research & development collaborations • Technology transfers
• Business co-operation with third parties • Strategic alliances
• EU Co-operation & common EU-calls

One North East – Inward Investment and Aftercare Team

One North East is the Regional Development Agency (RDA) covering North East
England. It was set up in April 1999 to help the people of the North East create and
sustain jobs, prosperity and a higher quality of life. Our aim is to build a vibrant,
self-reliant, ambitious and outward-looking region by promoting the benefits of living, Sweden
working and doing business here.
The Inward Investment and Aftercare team at One North East provides a single
point of contact for investors, giving access to a network of local knowledge and
expertise, market intelligence and funding opportunities. The team sits at the hub
of the knowledge economy in the North East and its skills lie in analysing projects on
a case-by-case basis and guiding investors to the most appropriate resources.
North East
Working closely with international offices in Japan, China, the USA, Korea, India, England
Sweden and Norway, the team helps to establish a clear path for investors.
Gun-Marie Östedt-Axelsson is the Swedish representative and liaises closely with
the Investment team in the North East.

For more information visit: www.northeastengland.co.uk

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North East England
Key sectors and opportunities for companies
Today the economy of North East England is worth
£40.2 billion, making it the fastest-growing economy
in the UK (in terms of GVA per head). Over the last
six years, more than £200m has been invested in
developing our world-leading expertise in emerging
technologies, and in the commercial exploitation of
those technologies.
This considerable investment in North East England
has focused on a number of key sectors, promoting
innovation and providing world-class facilities and
new approaches to integrating business and
universities. These areas of innovation include Low
Carbon Technology, Digital Media & Animation,
Process and Chemicals Industries, Engineering and
Production, Healthcare and Life Sciences, Oil and Gas,
Emerging Technologies and Professional Services.
Tap into North East England’s
Centres of Excellence
Each of the key sectors is supported by a Centre
of Excellence. Each centre provides a focal point
for maximising the commercial value of research
and new technologies created in the region,
representatives of some of the Centres of Excellence
sit on the Steering Group for the Seagull project.
The Centre of Excellence for Life
Sciences (CELS)
Cels provides commercialisation services across
the entire spectrum of life sciences, and builds
collaborations, partnerships and commercial
ventures in Stem Cells and Cell Therapy, Systems
and Cell Biology (including predictive biology),
Biomanufacturing and Bioprocessing, Ageing
and Health and Bio Metrology (including bio sensors
and diagnostics).
The New and Renewable Energy
Centre (NaREC)
NaREC is assisting the development and market
growth of new and renewable energy technologies
by helping to bridge the gap between innovation
and realisation. NaREC’s unique, world-class
facilities support an extensive range of engineering
application services for wind, biomass, wave, tidal
and solar applications, including mechanical, marine,
systems and electrical engineering.
Gun-Marie Östedt-Axelsson, Telephone: +46 (0)70 28 4 28 16 Email: gog.axelsson@telia.com
www.northeastengland.co.uk
The Centre for Process Innovation (CPI)
CPI develops products, solutions, services and
businesses in the process and manufacturing sectors.
Across its specialist technology areas, CPI delivers
a unique portfolio of services to the global business
community: process innovation, consultancy
and research, and the formation and management
of development partnerships and joint ventures.
Codeworks
Codeworks, the Digital Centre of Excellence, identifies
and backs new technologies and digital media
applications to reinforce existing - and establish new
- digital industries in North East England.
Its main areas of focus are accessibility, games
development, grid computing and web-based services.
Looking for a new low risk option
to establish a base in the UK?
Take a look at the European Business Centre
based at the Fabriam Centre in North East England.
The Centre provides the opportunity for companies
to establish a base in the region with minimum risk
and the support of an experienced and knowledgeable
team able to assist their business.
Other benefits of the Centre include:
• Temporary desk space in one of the region’s
most progressive business centres
• Assistance with identifying available grants and
financial incentives
• Support in finding suitable permanent premises
• Introduction to networking with the local and
national business community
• Access to a range of local business services
• Administration support
• Business development and marketing support
For more information visit:
www.europeanbusinesscentre.co.uk
Swedish representative
Gun-Marie is a One North East representative who
will manage lead generation for North East England
and collaborations for the Seagull project.
Gun-Marie is based in Sweden and represents the
Swedish market.