June 2009

NEWS

IMF praises UK’s ‘bold’ action but calls for cut in public debt
The UK Government’s response to the global financial crisis has been “bold and wide-ranging”, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which said in May that “aggressive action” had succeeded in containing the crisis and avoiding a breakdown. However, the institution warned that the pace of any recovery was still uncertain due to high levels of household and bank debt, and it urged the Government to adopt more ambitious plans to reduce the huge scale of its borrowing.

The IMF is standing by its forecast that the UK’s GDP will decline by 4.1 per cent this year, compared with Chancellor Alistair Darling’s Budget forecast of about 3.5 per cent. It said that, in the short term, the contraction of the UK economy would slow. However, it also observed that the financial system was “still under stress” and that the UK economy remained “susceptible to potential shocks”, partly due to the sharp increase in public sector borrowing. “It remains to be seen whether the recent efforts to recapitalise the banks will be sufficient to sustain credit provision at a level required for a robust economic recovery,” it added. “Faced with falling house prices, significant reductions in the value of pensions and other assets, a deteriorating and uncertain employment outlook, consumers are likely to retrench spending to reduce debt and rebuild savings.”

The IMF also said that the speed and strength of recovery was very uncertain, “given the unprecedented nature of the crisis and the importance of confidence effects”, but added that the depreciation of the pound could aid recovery by shifting demand to domestically produced goods and services. Despite this, the UK had a “particular exposure” to global shocks because of its large financial sector, overheated property markets, high household indebtedness and strong cross-border links. It warned that there was a need for “greater international coordination” in the event of a crisis involving a major international bank with strong cross-border links.

The IMF called on the Chancellor to spell out in more detail how he intends to return public finances to a sustainable downward path. It suggested that spending cuts were “more durable” than tax rises in reducing public borrowing over the long term, and said that a “broad public consensus” was needed on making a “sizeable fiscal adjustment”. It also urged the Bank of England to expand its programme of credit easing by purchasing more private sector debt, as opposed to its current focus on buying up government debt. Mr Darling meanwhile reaffirmed his growth forecast, saying: “I am not going to change my forecast. I remain confident that we will see a return to growth by the end of the year.”

Previously, the Bank of England said it would pump $75 billion into the UK economy in a substantial expansion of its programme of government bond purchases. As part of its ‘quantitative easing’ policy, the Bank has already purchased a little over two-thirds of its initial target of $112.5 billion of government bonds and other assets, equal to 5 per cent of national income. The Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee said that it saw signs that the pace of decline had begun to slow and hoped that the economic stimulus “should in due course lead to a recovery in economic growth, bringing inflation back to the 2 per cent target”. However, it echoed the IMF by adding that “the timing and strength of that recovery is highly uncertain”. In May the Bank held its main interest rate at 0.5 per cent, while the European Central Bank (ECB) cut its rate by a quarter of a percentage point to 1 per cent, its lowest yet. The ECB’s action reflected a gloomy outlook for the eurozone, which is expected to suffer more severely from the slowdown than the US or the UK.

The UK’s annual inflation rate slowed in April as energy and food bills continued to fall, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) fell to 2.3 per cent from 2.9 per cent in March, further than economists expected and the lowest annual inflation reading for more than a year. Another measure of inflation, the Retail Prices Index (RPI), fell further to -1.2 per cent from -0.4 per cent, the biggest drop since records began in 1948. The CPI is important as the rate that is targeted by the Bank of England in setting interest rates, while the RPI is used by many companies as the starting point for wage bargaining. The key difference is that the RPI measure includes mortgage costs, which have dropped significantly as the Bank has cut interest rates over the past year. The official CPI figure is still above the Government’s target of 2 per cent, but the Bank expects it to fall further during this year.

Producers’ output prices meanwhile rose by 1.2 per cent in April, the weakest annual rise in five years and down from 2 per cent in March, according to the ONS. The slowdown in prices was driven by sharp falls in the cost of petrol, down 17 per cent from a year ago. Both producer prices and consumer prices have been holding up more strongly in recent months than economists had expected, as the sharp depreciation of the pound during the credit crisis has made imported goods more expensive in sterling terms. However, economists expect that inflation will to continue to fall as rising unemployment reduces demand and drives down prices.


Record number of firms win Queen’s Award for Enterprise
A record number of companies from across the UK, large and small, have been named as winners of The Queen’s Award for Enterprise 2009, the UK’s highest accolade for business success. A total of 194 Queen’s Awards were made this year, the largest number awarded in 44 years of the scheme. Previously, the record number of Awards made in a single year was 175, in 1990. The Awards are made in three categories, and this year 135 companies won Awards for International Trade, 49 for Innovation and 10 for Sustainable Development. In addition, 11 individuals received The Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promotion (QAEP) for their efforts to encourage UK entrepreneurship.

A number of UK businesses owned by overseas companies were among the winners. In the International Trade category, for example, two companies based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear in North East England were honoured: Liebherr Sunderland Works, UK subsidiary of German crane manufacturer Liebherr, and the Sunderland plant of Japanese car manufacturing giant Nissan. In the Innovation category, another German-owned firm was singled out – Knorr-Bremse Systems (UK) Ltd, which produces rail brake control valves and is based in Melksham, Wiltshire in South West England. In the Sustainable Development section, Shotton Paper, owned by UPM-Kymmene (UK) Ltd, part of the UPM-Kymmene Group of Finland, won an Award for product and business improvement in the manufacture of newsprint.

Eleven individuals were honoured with the Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promotion, the only category of the Awards to honour individual achievement. Taking the highest honour this year was Professor Allan Gibb OBE, the former director of Durham University’s Small Business Centre. He was chosen for the award because of his innovation in educational and business development programmes geared towards new and existing entrepreneurs, educators and policy-makers. According to the National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship, Professor Gibb has had a greater impact on the way enterprise training is delivered than any other person in the UK.

The Awards were very diverse geographically, with companies all over the UK gaining recognition. One region that did particularly well was the East of England, which was home to 20 winners across all categories, its highest total ever. Winning companies here ranged from a small tour operator, CHR Travel Ltd of Saffron Walden, Essex to Johnson Matthey Emission Control Technologies of Royston, Hertfordshire, which picked up two Awards, one for International Trade and one for Innovation. The winners also included a pioneering industrial recycling company, F.J. Church & Sons Ltd of Rainham, which dates back to 1887 and is also a previous winner.

Business Minister Lord Mandelson said: “These inspirational firms have proved they are amongst Britain’s very best businesses. They are flying the flag for British enterprise, innovation and corporate responsibility, both here and abroad.” Minister for Trade and Investment, Lord Davies of Abersoch, added: “A Queen’s Award for Enterprise is an internationally recognised symbol of business success. It is a standard that I believe all good businesses should aspire to. Past International Trade winners consistently tell us how their Award has helped open new doors for their company overseas."

Nissan plans to launch ‘small car of the future’
Nissan’s Sunderland Plant won its Queen’s Award for Enterprise for continued achievement in International Trade. The Award recognised the plant’s increase in overseas sales from 2005 to 2007, which saw an increase in revenue by 51 per cent to more than $3.35 billion over the three-year period. This was the fourth time that the plant has won the award in its 23-year history; this included a three-year run from 1992 to 1994, following the launch of its successful Micra model. Senior vice president for manufacturing Nissan Europe, Trevor Mann, said: “The award recognises the long-term achievement of [the] Micra and Note as well as the outstanding success that followed [the] Qashqai’s introduction in 2007.”

The decision to put the company’s small car future in the hands of Sunderland and the London-based Nissan Design Europe (NDE) studio means that more than 1,000 jobs have been safeguarded and the total investment in the Sunderland plant has risen to $3.75 billion since 1984. Nissan is the leading car producer and exporter among the UK’s eight volume manufacturers. It currently exports from Sunderland to 45 markets worldwide, with the period 2005–2007 seeing the introduction of 11 new markets, including Dubai and the company’s home country of Japan.


Malaysian firm invests to secure future of UK van-maker
The Government has helped to broker a rescue deal for struggling UK van-maker LDV, making a one-off bridging loan of $7.5 million to Malaysian firm Weststar, which has agreed to take over the company. About 850 people are employed at LDV’s factory in Birmingham, West Midlands, with a further 1,200 in dealerships, and the rescue will secure hundreds of jobs in the short term. LDV was put up for sale late last year by its Russian owner GAZ, which is controlled by Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska. Its plant has been at a standstill since Christmas, and the company was due to go into administration on 6 May. It has a long-term association with Weststar, which has been selling LDV’s Maxus van in south east Asia and the Middle East since 2007. Production is now expected to restart by July, once the takeover deal is finalised, and Weststar also intends to expand its manufacturing operations in Malaysia.

Meanwhile German car-maker BMW is expanding trials of its electric-powered Mini E to include the UK. The company has pledged to support the Government’s plans to develop an ultra-low carbon transport system, and the field tests of 40 cars will form part of that support. The vehicles will be built at Mini assembly plants in Oxford, South East England and Munich, Germany and charging points will be provided by Scottish and Southern Energy. The project was launched in Scotland by business secretary Lord Mandelson and transport secretary Geoff Hoon. Ian Robertson, BMW group sales and marketing director, commented: “We believe the Mini E is an excellent vehicle for trialling this alternative form of sustainable mobility.”

The UK’s expertise in alternative automotive technologies has also been showcased with the launch of a new biofuel-powered racing car developed by researchers at the Warwick Manufacturing Group and the Warwick Innovative Manufacturing Research Centre, at the University of Warwick in the West Midlands. The WorldFirst Formula 3 racing car is a competitive racing vehicle which can reach speeds of up to 125mph. It runs on fuel made from waste chocolate and vegetable oil, has a steering wheel derived from carrots and other root vegetables, a flax fibre and soybean oil foam racing seat and bodywork made from potatoes. James Meredith, the research team’s project manager, said: “It’s been very exciting working on the project and important for our team to develop a working example of a truly ‘green’ motor racing car. The WorldFirst project [explodes] the myth that performance needs to be compromised when developing the sustainable motor vehicles of the future.”

The riverside factory was founded in 1929 and its first vehicle, a Model AA truck, rolled off the production line in October 1931. Since then it has produced nearly 11 million cars, trucks and tractors, along with 37 million engines. At its peak in the 1950s it employed 40,000 people, but today the site employs a total of 4,000 workers in engine, stamping and transport operations. Ford engineers and production specialists at Dagenham are responsible for the development and assembly of diesel engines fitted to 28 different Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover and Peugeot Citroën models worldwide.

Engines are taken from the production lines by on-site transport operations for onward delivery by road, rail and sea. Railway lines service the site, which boasts a deepwater jetty used to load and unload vessels travelling between Ford plants. Dagenham’s transport operations import and export 300,000 vehicles a year. They also handle the 15 million stampings, such as vehicle body panels, bonnets and boot lids, and 1.8 million wheels produced by its stamping and tooling operations.

Ford was an early pioneer of recycling, fuelling Dagenham’s on-site power station by burning 2,000 tons of London waste per week until 1939. Today it is working with a renewable energy company on a plan to use household waste diverted from landfill, turned into a synthetic gas, to power the site. The Dagenham Diesel Centre is entirely powered by two 120-metre-tall wind turbines, with a third on order. A 2.4-litre engine produced at Dagenham is part of the hybrid technology used in London’s new Wrightbus Electrocity single-decker bus, while the plant’s eco-friendly policies have helped Ford to win the accolade of ‘Greenest Manufacturer of the Year’ from Green-Car-Guide.com.

Ford’s Dagenham Diesel Centre is entirely powered by two 120-metre-tall wind turbines, with a third on order.

 

Scarborough wins top European enterprise award
The seaside resort of Scarborough in Yorkshire and Humber has won the Grand Jury Prize at this year’s European Enterprise Awards, making it the overall winner of the competition and, in the view of the jury, home to the most creative and inspiring entrepreneurship initiative in Europe. Already named winner of the annual Enterprising Britain competition, run by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR), Scarborough’s work to encourage people to start up and grow businesses and create jobs won it the top European accolade, announced at a gala dinner held in Prague. The Yorkshire town, with a population of just 50,000, was up against the best of European enterprise, including Finland’s capital city, Helsinki; Spain’s second biggest port, Valencia; and Liege in Belgium, known for its beer and chocolate exports.

The European Enterprise Awards, organised by the European Commission, recognise outstanding initiatives that support enterprise and entrepreneurship, and are inspired by BERR’s Enterprising Britain competition. Scarborough’s winning bid was led by the Scarborough Renaissance Partnership, a coalition of local entrepreneurs, Scarborough Borough Council staff and residents, which transformed a seaside resort in decline into a thriving enterprise hotspot. Achievements include eliminating seasonal unemployment, diversifying to grow new industry sectors and attracting more than $300 million of private sector investment. The Partnership’s work reduced the town’s economic dependence on its declining tourism and fishing industries, capitalised on the physical regeneration of its harbourside area, kickstarted a boom in business start-ups and introduced free wi-fi internet access along the coast, making the internet accessible to all.

Scarborough businessman Tony Peers, leader of the Partnership’s Town Team, which steers the project, said: “The whole town has embraced the enterprise cause and to be recognised again in this way will really spur us on to become even more enterprising in the future – especially given the current economic climate. … I hope what we’ve achieved inspires people to see that there is light at the end of the tunnel if entrepreneurs are supported and encouraged.”

The Secretary of State for Business, Lord Mandelson, added: “A strong enterprise culture inspires communities and creates jobs – something which is vital during these uncertain economic times. I would therefore like to congratulate the Scarborough Renaissance Partnership on their success and in being recognised not just as the most enterprising place in UK but in Europe.”

Technology initiatives underline strength of research base
A groundbreaking new facility to support companies in the aerospace supply chain is to be established in Manchester, North West England. The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) is to invest $7 million in the Composites Certification and Evaluation Centre, while a further $3.75 million of academic commitment and resources will be provided by the University of Manchester. The centre will form a new part of the Northwest Composites Centre, which was launched in 2006, and will work towards researching composite materials for aerospace design and manufacture for more fuel-efficient aircraft. It will also provide expertise and evaluation techniques to support companies of all sizes in the development of new composite products and manufacturing processes. The North West is home to over 800 aerospace companies, which contribute some $10.5 billion a year to the regional economy.

Meanwhile a $37.5 million centre that will develop new manufacturing technologies for the aerospace, energy, marine and automotive industries is planned near Glasgow in Scotland. The centre will be the first of its kind in the UK and will work with some of the world’s leading engineering companies to support the design and manufacture of new products, including parts for planes, cars and ships. The purpose-built Advanced Forming Research Centre at Inchinnan, near Glasgow airport, will open in 2010 and will employ 50 people. It is a collaborative venture between the University of Strathclyde, Scottish Enterprise and global engineering firms including Boeing, Mettis Aerospace and Rolls-Royce. “This new centre highlights Scotland’s commitment to being at the forefront of developing new technologies,” said Scotland’s First Minister, Alex Salmond.

The University of Leeds in Yorkshire and Humber – one of the top 10 research universities in the UK – has partnered with King Saud University (KSU) in Saudi Arabia to develop collaborations in nanoscience, technology and engineering. This major agreement will also provide new funding for PhD research and scientific exchanges and, it is hoped, will lead to breakthroughs in medicine and health, biology, chemical manufacturing, electronics and other sectors. The initiative is administered through the University of Leeds’ NanoManufacturing Institute, which was established in 2005 with the aim of becoming Europe’s leading academic centre for nano-manufacturing research for consumer and related products.

Dr Sean Kelly, programme manager at the Leeds NanoManufacturing Institute, said: “The agreement enables the University of Leeds to join with a prestigious Middle Eastern institution, bring our research experience and expertise to the region and develop markets for our various spin-out companies.” The UK/Saudi partnership will focus on research into nanotechnology’s potential to meet large-scale societal needs, such as healthcare, energy and water provision.

The industry-led Industrial Biotechnology Innovation and Growth Team (IB-IGT), set up by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR), has published a report setting out its vision for industrial biotechnology (IB) by 2025 and its recommendations to Government and industry. The body’s work over the past year has focused on how to put the UK in the strongest position to maximise benefits from the new strategic market in renewable chemicals and low-carbon manufacturing. IB provides a sustainable, commercially viable route for the UK out of dependence on fossil fuels, according to the body. IB is also vital to maintaining the UK’s competitiveness in global markets, where bio-based systems and processes are rapidly gaining strength and scale, it concludes.

Estimates of the global IB market by 2025 range from $225 billion to $540 billion, with estimates for the UK market ranging from $6 billion to $18 billion. The IB-IGT has identified five critical recommendations that will ensure the UK is best placed to take advantage of IB: provide leadership to promote and connect IB activities across all supply chains; de-risk access to new IB products, processes and technologies; accelerate the innovation and knowledge transfer process for IB; position IB to attract and retain high-quality scientists, engineers and managers; and create a truly supportive public and business environment for IB.


Cambridge to host new genetics sequencing facility
The University of Cambridge, in Eastern England, is to host one of three genetic research hubs created by the Medical Research Council (MRC) to give scientists access to cutting-edge resources for DNA sequencing. In creating the three hubs, in Cambridge, Scotland and the North of England, the MRC is investing over $10.5 million in fundamental genetics research to support gene scientists across the UK. Cambridge has been given funds to buy high-throughput sequencing machines, enabling the UK to retain its world-leading standing in DNA research. It will also provide MRC-funded technical support and bioinformatics expertise, allowing academics to make the most of the equipment.

The East of England hub will be hosted by the University at the Cambridge Biomedical Campus at Addenbrooke’s Hospital. It will be part of a collaboration with the European Molecular Biology Laboratory’s European Bioinformatics Institute, the Babraham Institute, the NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre and the next-generation sequencing technology companies 454 Life Sciences (part of Roche) and Applied Biosystems, a division of Life Technologies Corporation. Known as the Eastern Sequence and Informatics Hub (EASIH), the hub will have the potential to re-sequence up to 100 human genomes a year.

As part of the EASIH initiative, the Babraham Institute will house a new genome sequencing facility. This high-throughput facility will enable researchers to mine the genome more rapidly and cheaply for insights into the causes of diseases and the effects of environmental factors. It will also play a pivotal role in defining the epigenetic basis of healthy ageing and certain diseases, illuminating how actions and lifestyles can have a detrimental or beneficial impact, at a genetic level, on the health of future generations.

Professor Wolf Reik, associate director at the Babraham Institute and Professor of Epigenetics at the University of Cambridge, said: “The ability to unravel whole epigenomes during normal development and healthy ageing, and to understand how epigenomes are modified by the environment and nutritional factors, is hugely exciting. Altered regulation of the epigenome is likely to underlie many common human diseases, including diabetes or cancer. Unlocking the principles of epigenome reprogramming is key to being able to harness the promises of regenerative medicine and stem cell therapy.”

Elsewhere in the sector, US firm Champions Biotechnology, which specialises in the development of cancer treatments, has set up a new UK subsidiary in London to expand the personalised oncology sector of its business, after seeing a sharp increase in European sales. The company’s president, Doug Burkett, said: “Much of the increased activity in our personalised oncology business is from leading oncologists in Europe … Champions Biotechnology UK Ltd. will enable our services to be accessible to many more physicians in Europe and beyond.”

Likewise, Spanish pharmaceutical firm Almirall is expanding further into the UK by opening a new headquarters in the capital. The company’s offices at Stockley Park, near Heathrow Airport, will house 50 workers responsible for the market in the UK and Ireland. The Barcelona-based company makes a number of dermatology products covering a range of conditions and plans to launch additional new products in the UK market in the near future. Its new west London headquarters are served by excellent road, rail and air transport links, which the company hopes will help it increase its European presence.

Despite the economic downturn, UK biotech companies continue to be held in high regard by the stock market. Two have recently been promoted to the FTSE 250: in March, drug delivery group Vectura joined the mid-cap index, four months after speciality pharmaceuticals company BTG was promoted. Vectura’s entry to the index followed a rise of almost 50 per cent in its share price since last October. The company reformulates medicines so that they can be delivered via an inhaler device. It is collaborating with big pharmaceutical groups such as Baxter and has licensed its drug formulations and inhalers to leading companies such as Novartis, Boehringer Ingelheim and generics maker Sandoz. Vectura is not yet profitable due to its heavy R&D spending, but it has substantial cash reserves and is confident that it is able to fund future growth.


Diverse sources harnessed for future energy needs
The Government’s plans to expand the nuclear power sector have taken a step forward after a joint venture between RWE npower and E.ON UK purchased potential sites for new nuclear power stations at Wylfa in Wales and Oldbury in South Gloucestershire, South West England, in an auction run by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA). The RWE and E.ON joint venture plans to develop both sites with the aim of delivering at least 6GW of new nuclear capacity in the UK, with the first station coming online towards the end of the next decade. Added to EDF Energy’s plans to build 6.4GW of capacity, this takes the total declared plans for the first phase of new build to 12.4GW. According to the Department of Energy and Climate Change, this would be enough to meet a quarter of the UK’s electricity needs and would exceed the existing capacity of its nuclear power stations, all but one of which will have closed by 2023.

Land at a third site, at Bradwell in Essex, has been bought by EDF Energy, next to land the French company acquired in January when it took over British Energy. EDF Energy’s preferred new-build sites are Hinkley Point in Somerset, South West England and Sizewell in Suffolk, Eastern England. Subject to various conditions being met, including the level of progress at these two sites, EDF Energy has agreed to sell its land at Bradwell. EDF Energy is also committed to offer land at either Heysham or Dungeness to potential new build developers. Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband said: “The successful outcome of this site auction is yet more evidence of major energy players gearing up for investment in low-carbon energy in the UK.”

Her Majesty the Queen opened the South Hook terminal in Milford Haven, West Wales in May – the world’s first fully integrated chain supplying liquefied natural gas (LNG). She described the new facility as a “truly ground-breaking achievement”. Accompanying her at the official inauguration ceremony was the Amir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani. An audience of more than 300 key figures from the State of Qatar, the UK and the global energy sector witnessed the ceremony at the largest LNG terminal in Europe, which also marks Qatar’s first involvement in the downstream gas industry.

Ed Miliband commented: “With our own supplies from the North Sea in decline, it’s projects like this terminal in Milford Haven that are vital to ensure we have a diverse range of options for importing the gas we need. This inauguration heralds the first of many shipments from Qatar, which will help to maintain a diverse and secure gas supply for the UK for years to come.” With LNG shipments via the Pembrokeshire terminal, Qatar will in future supply up to 20 per cent of the UK’s peak gas requirements.

Meanwhile Mr Miliband has put forward proposals to curb emissions from new coal-fired power stations and to put the UK at the forefront of developing carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology. He set out to Parliament proposals for the basis on which coal-fired power would be permitted in the future, with no new coal capacity being allowed without CCS demonstration from day one and full-scale retrofit of CCS within five years of the technology being independently judged as technically and commercially proven. The proposals form part of a consultation that will be released in the summer. “In order to ensure that we maintain a diverse energy mix, we need new coal-fired power stations, but only if they can be part of a low-carbon future. CCS is the only technology with the potential to reduce emissions from fossil fuels by up to 90 per cent. But there must be a global effort to develop this technology, and the UK is in a strong position to lead this charge,” said Mr Miliband.

The Government is hoping to encourage the creation of more jobs in advanced green manufacturing and to establish CCS clusters in regions such as the Thames, Humberside, Teesside, the Firth of Forth and Merseyside. It also envisages a new future for the North Sea industry, capitalising on the UK’s abundance of offshore storage sites for CO2. According to the Department of Energy and Climate Change, carbon abatement technologies could sustain 50,000 jobs by 2030. Coal currently accounts for 37 per cent (29GW) of the UK’s electricity capacity, generating 31 per cent of its electricity in 2008. This is set to decline to 21GW as stations close in accordance with EU controls on sulphur and nitrogen emissions.
 

Regional news
Office equipment supplier Canon Europe has chosen a location in London for its new headquarters. The company, a subsidiary of Canon of Japan, will be based in Stockley Park, near Heathrow Airport. The decision will see key departments move to London from the company’s current base in the Netherlands, and will also involve the consolidation of sales and marketing functions in the UK. Canon has made the move in a bid to support improved communications and better decision-making across Europe, the Middle East and Africa and to create a more effective organisation to support its customers. President and chief executive Ryoichi Bamba commented: “A London location will be beneficial for both our customers and partners, and bring us closer to key players in the global business community.”

A professor based in South East England has been named Chemistry World Entrepreneur of the Year. Hagan Bayley, a Professor of Chemical Biology at the University of Oxford, was recognised at the Industry and Technology Forum Awards for his contribution to British industry. The founder of technology company Oxford Nanopore, which is aiming to develop a label-free method of sequencing DNA, he raised investment totalling $36 million in 2008. Oxford Nanopore is developing a system entitled BASE, which will be useful for genome science and the biological industries as it is being built at an affordable cost. Professor Bayley commented: “This award … not only recognises the exciting work under way at Oxford Nanopore, but also the strong British tradition of producing revolutionary scientific ideas.”

The European Commission, the executive body of the European Union, has awarded the University of Kent a prestigious prize for undertaking measures designed to make its graduates attractive to firms on the continent. The university, in South East England, is one of only three in the UK to have received the EC’s Diploma Supplement Label. This initiative was created by the EC so that European employers are able to compare programmes of study undertaken in the UK with similar courses in their own countries. Professor Alex Hughes, Vice Chancellor External at the university, said: “It complements and underlines the many European credentials that combine to make us ‘the UK’s European university’.” The University of Kent has locations in Canterbury and Medway and provides a wide range of European-focused programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

The Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, headquartered in Norwich, Eastern England, has received $6.75 million of new investment to further its research. The funding, from the UK Research Council and the University of East Anglia (UEA), will ensure the continued development of the centre, which is an influential partnership of seven leading universities researching sustainable responses to climate change. The funding from the Research Councils is for a re-orientated research programme in three critical cross-cutting themes: transitions to a low-carbon society; food, water and human security; and resilience for vulnerable people and places. This new research programme will complement the recently launched Living with Environmental Change partnership of the Research Councils and Government and public bodies. “The UK and EU cannot tackle the issue of climate change alone,” said Professor Robert Watson, Tyndall’s director of strategy and chief scientist at the UK’s Department for the Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). “Engaging the wider international community, particularly the emerging industrial nations of China and India and Latin America, is central to tackling climate change mitigation and adaptation.”

Neptune Innovations, a Canadian-owned customer services firm, is to relocate its UK premises to Manchester, in North West England, after outgrowing its previous sites in Glasgow and Basingstoke. The company will create up to 130 jobs when it moves to Towers Business Park in Didsbury, in the south of the city. Managing director Mike McKenzie said that Manchester was the top choice for the company thanks to its good transport links and skilled potential employees. “I’m confident that we’ll be able to recruit a strong team with the right skills and flexibility by tapping into the diverse workforce in and around south Manchester,” he remarked. Neptune provides customer contact services, credit card activations, debt collection facilities and automated payment solutions to industries including retail, healthcare and telecommunications. It has 1,000 employees worldwide and provides services to some of the biggest financial firms in the US and Canada, as well as in the UK.

German domestic appliances manufacturer Miele is to open a new office and training centre in North West England. The Miele Experience Centre will be built at Cheadle Royal Business Park in Stockport, Cheshire, after the firm was granted planning permission. The investment will see the creation of 40 new jobs at a 20,000 sq ft complex, which will include state-of-the art office space, along with a training and development facility for Miele staff, engineers, authorised dealers and end users. The company’s UK base is in Abingdon in the South East, and the success of its first experience centre there has encouraged it to expand. Tony Stephens, director of facilities, said: “Cheadle Royal was our undisputed first choice for establishing a strong presence in the North. Its unrivalled amenities and excellent location matched our requirements precisely.” To date, more than more than 600,000 sq ft of commercial office space has been developed at Cheadle Royal Business Park, attracting a number of high-profile international brands, including Nike, Capita and DeVere.

Oilfield services firm Tronic, part of the US-based Expro group, is to invest $18 million in a new factory in Ulverston in Cumbria, North West England. The company, which provides services and products for the oil and gas industry, already employs 275 people in the town, and the new plant will be big enough to accommodate its expected growth to around 450 employees over the next few years. The 484,000 sq ft factory in Low Mill Business Park will produce under-sea power and communications electrical connectors for offshore oil and gas wells, among other products. It will consolidate Expro’s Connectors & Measurements division’s operations in Ulverston, which are currently spread over six buildings at three different sites. Mark Jones, general manager of Expro Connectors & Measurements, said: “Over the last 30 years, we have built up a world-class business as a leading manufacturer and supplier of reliable sub-sea connection systems. Now we will have a base to truly match our capabilities and reputation.” Expro employs over 4,500 people in 50 countries worldwide.

The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) is to invest a further $14.25 million in Manchester’s Biomedical Research Centre, exactly one year after it helped to establish the facility with an initial investment. The new funding will allow the BRC to cover its operating costs, as well as further development and expansion, up to 2012. Based on Oxford Road in Manchester, the BRC is one of 12 elite medical research centres in the UK, and aims to deliver a number of health benefits through research and development. The facility covers genetic and developmental medicine, experimental therapeutics and tissue injury and aspires to tackle some of the region’s highest-priority diseases, giving patients access to pioneering treatment. Steven Broomhead, chief executive of the NWDA, said: “The North West is committed to developing and nurturing an internationally recognised knowledge base with science and innovation at the core of its global competitiveness.”

Australian IT company Enex TestLab is to expand into British and European markets from a new base in South Wales. The firm, an independent commercial IT testing laboratory with operations in Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra and Shanghai, will manage its planned expansion into Europe from the new Technium Springboard innovation centre in Cwmbran. The company’s plans have been supported by International Business Wales and the Welsh Assembly Government through the Single Investment Fund. Welsh Minister for the Economy and Transport, Ieuan Wyn Jones, said: “Enex is the leading company in its sector in Australia … [Its] decision to locate its only European facility in Cwmbran is excellent news that will help reinforce Wales’ position as an important centre for this sector.” Malcolm Higgins, manager of Enex’s UK and Europe business, added: “The area has a good cluster of technology-related organisations including Cardiff University, the University of Glamorgan’s IT campus and Newport University, which is excellent for recruiting purposes and offers potential for carrying out collaborative research in the future.”

Telecommunications firm Intune Networks, based in the Republic of Ireland, is to invest $13.9 million to establish a new telecoms R&D centre in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The investment is expected to create nearly 80 ICT jobs. Intune Networks builds highly advanced optical networking platforms for high-definition video and IT services. Its new telecoms networking platform will focus on improving high-speed internet connectivity in cities and towns, known as a Metro Area Network. The Intune Belfast centre will design key parts of the platform and will provide test and customer support facilities. The investment has received support from agency Invest Northern Ireland, which has provided about 10 per cent of the funding.

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