New integrated trade and inward investment business support arrangements from April 2010

Companies across the East of England, and those looking to set up in the region, will benefit from new arrangements for fully integrated trade and inward investment business support from 1 April 2010.

EEIDB Ltd has been selected as preferred provider for both the East of England Development Agency’s (EEDA) inward investment activity and UK Trade & Investment’s (UKTI) regional trade development activity - a move which provides the best possible support for the East of England and value for taxpayers’ money.

EEIDB Ltd, which has an excellent track record of providing business support and brokerage under the Business Link brand, will help foreign companies to set up and flourish in the East of England (through EEDA’s £1.7 million inward investment grant) and support regional businesses looking to take advantage of huge exporting opportunities (via UKTI’s trade grant worth around £2 million) from 1 April 2010.

Richard Ellis, chair of EEDA, said:

“It’s crucial that we continue to attract inward investment to the East of England, to create jobs and support businesses choosing to move to this great region. This is a key part of EEDA’s package of support for businesses.

“That’s why EEDA went through a competitive tender process - to appoint the best possible provider to fight this region’s cause on a global stage, to attract much needed foreign investment, and to provide the best possible value for taxpayers’ money.”

“With a new and integrated support offer spearheaded by EEIDB Ltd, EEDA will reduce back office costs and re-invest that money into front-line support for businesses.”

From: http://www.eeda.org.uk/4721.asp

East of England: a global economic force

The East of England is an economic force to be reckoned with compared to other top-performing global regions but investment in high-level skills and infrastructure is holding back greater growth.

A report from Insight East, the economic experts at the East of England Development Agency (EEDA), compares the region with other international world-leading regions across 23 measures of competitiveness. The report shows that the East of England compares favourably with similar regions such as Massachusetts/Rhode Island, Virginia and California in the United States, and Tokai in Japan. 

The report provides a better understanding of the international strengths and weaknesses of the region’s economy will now help decision-makers make timely and appropriate investment decisions.

Key findings from ‘International insight: how the East of England economy compares’ include:

• In 2006 the East of England had the forth highest value of exports in the UK, worth £20.2 billion
• If the region was a nation, it would have ranked 18^th out of the 39 OECD nations prior to the recession
• Total investment in research and development (R&D) is double the EU average of 3.9% of the value of economic output
• 80% of all R&D investment is made by businesses which is comparatively high
• At 6 per the East of England has seen the highest recorded population growth between 1995-2005, higher than any UK region outside of London
• Over half use the internet to buy goods and service putting us in the top 10 of ‘web savvy’ regions compared to 97 European comparator regions
• At £44,423 of wealth generated per worker in 2005 our labour productivity is only average compared to European regions and only half that of US comparators such as Massachusetts/Rhode Island and Virginia
• 43% of us are employed in knowledge-intensive services, 15^th highest compared to other European regions and just behind South Sweden and the South East of England
• 20.3% of adults have higher level qualifications, ranking us below several leading global regions as well as below the UK average
• At 59 minutes it takes us a quarter of an hour longer than the average traveller in the UK to get to a town or city which is classed as a major economic centre

Glenn Athey, director of Insight East said:

“These findings help us better understand the region’s competitive strengths and weaknesses and help decision-makers here make the right investments at the right time for long-term economic prosperity.

“It is clear from this report that if the East of England is to continue to perform strongly against other comparative world-leading regions, skills and infrastructure issues need to be addressed. This is especially important if he East of England is to remain a key knowledge-based economy and capitalise on a rapid transition to a low-carbon economy.” 

The report is available on the Insight East website at:

www.insighteast.org.uk

 From: http://www.eeda.org.uk/4714.asp

WWF Green TV ‘Inside Cop15′

The critical Copenhagen climate change conference is now well underway. 

‘Inside Cop15′ is a WWF Green TV initiative at the conference, producing six podcasts and a live show (at 18:00 GMT; 19:00 CET) every day.   ‘Inside Cop15′ will be reporting the highs, lows and everything in-between in the negotiations for a global climate deal.

All of this content is available to view on Green TV as well as via a specially created website created by digital agency, Large Blue -
http://cop15.panda.org/. 

Green TV want as many people as possible to see the coverage, so all of it is available for organisations and individuals to use for free.

Exporting Environmental Goods & Services - Master Class Workshop

The environmental sector is the fastest growing area of industry and commerce today.  Markets across the globe, in both developed and developing countries, are investing heavily in cleantech, renewable energy and environmental services. Businesses of all sizes who can provide these environmental solutions stand to gain as a result.

However, it is predicted that as the market matures there will be a massive consolidation with both winners and losers. Those companies which operate on a global scale will be the winners as they will be more likely to survive this change in the market.

This workshop is intended to help you understand the benefits of bringing an international dimension to your business, as without a significant international presence there is a risk that your business may lose out to competition, including those in the home market.

Experts from Austria, China and France will present the opportunities for the trade of environmental goods & services into their home markets, and will be on hand for one-to-one discussions with participants.

The event will be held at the Peterborough Showground on the evening of Tuesday 15th September 2009.

To express interest in attending this event please email k.horne@cambscci.co.uk

Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research receives £4.5m boost

The Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research has received a £4.5m of new investment to further groundbreaking and independent research.

The funding which, is a combination of UK Research Council and University of East Anglia (UEA) investment, will ensure the long-term continued development of the Tyndall Centre - an influential partnership of seven leading universities researching sustainable responses to the changing climate.

The increasingly urgent dimension of climate change demands interdisciplinary and systems-orientated research. With this new investment the Tyndall Centre and its UEA headquarters are now further equipped to respond to these challenges.

“In a very short time the Tyndall Centre has developed an outstanding international reputation and the UEA is working together with the Tyndall partnership to ensure that its intellectual contribution continues to analyse what is needed for humankind to respond to climate change”, said Professor Trevor Davies, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research at UEA.

UEA’s ongoing support will aid the further internationalisation of the Tyndall Centre’s distinctive research and partnerships through new developments across science, the social and economic sciences and engineering.

The funding from the Research Councils is for a re-orientated research programme in three cross-cutting themes critical to responding to climate change: transitions to a low carbon society; food, water and human security; and resilience for vulnerable people and places. This new research programme maps to 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 Environmental and Rural Affairs. Engaging the wider international community, particularly the emerging industrial nations of China, India and Latin America, is central to tackling climate change mitigation and adaption. The Tyndall Centre and UEA are uniquely placed to contribute to this international agenda though its cutting-edge interdisciplinary research.”  

From: http://www.uea.ac.uk

Windier weather brings welcome boost to offshore wind-farms

The news is that it is getting windier down south. This unexpected quirk of climate change has given a welcome boost to offshore wind-farm developers.

Experts have said that as a result the waters off the coast of East Anglia and Essex could be home to many more wind farms.

Research from Atmos Consulting, has found that wind speeds in these areas have been rising so much that wind farms could generate 50% more electricity than imagined a decade ago.

10 GW of offshore projects - enough to power 10m homes - being planned for the southern part of the North Sea could benefit.

Research based on information taken from NASA satellite images found that the average annual wind speed in the southern part of the North Sea has increased from about 7.5 metres per second in 1990 to 8.5 metres in 2008. In comparison, wind speeds in the northern part of the North Sea just off the coast of Scotland, have remained the same during the period.

The good news is that if these trends continue, in a decade the south could be windier all year round than the north and therefore double the power generated by wind farms off the coast of East Anglia and Essex.

New software has been developed by Atmos Consulting to process 22 years of satellite images from space agency NASA. These images measure the size of small, capillary waves on the ocean surface, which indicate the strength of the wind.

In the past developers have relied on wind-speed levels taken on oil and gas installations or have used meteorological masts planted offshore. The Met Office has only limited satellite data to track offshore wind spends in the North Sea but work is underway to produce a comprehensive set of data of the last 30 years. It has been revealed that this would take two years to develop.

Head of offshore renewables at the British Wind Energy Association, Duncan Ayling, said “There have been wind-speed measurements on oil and gas installations that give some localised historic data, but a lot of the rest of it is extrapolation. If this technology provides an accurate measurement, it would be very exciting. More wind equals more money for projects. It would enable wind-farm developers to more accurately forecast revenues and have more certainty about the expected return on their investment.”

From: http://www.guardian.co.uk

Norfolk in fast lane of electric dream

Norfolk has been urged to seize the moment and put Norwich in the fast lane of the government’s £250m vision of getting more drivers into electric cars.

Ministers unveiled radical plans to make electric cars a reality with drivers accessing grants of up to £5000 to buy one from 2011.

Electric cars can range from £10,000 for a two-seater My Car to up to £70,000 for a top-range Tesla Roadster but ministers want to do more to bring them into the price range of the average motorist because of the impact on carbon emissions.

The government is also seeking bids from places interested in becoming “electric cities” to showcase and promote the technology and pay for the installation of charging points - with a strong belief locally that Norwich could be the perfect location.

Around 200 electric cars would also be available in city centres for the public to test drive.

Norfolk engineering firm Lotus, which has helped developed the Tesla Roadster technology, urged transport chiefs to get behind a city bid, claiming one in five motorists in and around Norwich could be driving electric within a decade.

Simon Wood, its technical director, said both city and region were perfectly placed to take advantage of the scheme and government grants to get motorists to buy electric were “exactly the right answer”.

He said it would bring business benefits to the wider region and boost the use of “ultra low carbon” cars which could also include those powered by biofuels.

“I think it would be fantastic for the city,” he said. “It just seems so obvious. As a regional centre it has got well defined boundaries and a good park-and-ride network.

“There are lots of people who live in or just outside of Norwich who commute daily. That’s really where the electric car wins, and £5,000 off one of the lower price cars is probably enough to make people have a look at it.

“If the city and county councils were really positive they could say no-one could come into the city centre unless they had an electric car - otherwise they could leave their car at the park and ride.”

Currently electric car owners can get free parking permits in Norwich, while Chapelfield Shopping Centre car park is the only one locally where drivers can charge up.

The plans would also allow areas access to £20m to improve infrastructure such as charging stations and other types of infrastructure.

Brian Morrey, Norwich city council’s executive member for sustainable development, said: “It sounds like a good idea if they are willing to put the money in.”

But he said with council funding tight it would be down to the government to find most of the cash, adding: “I would like to know more of the details because I don’t want it to become another one of these things that’s going to cost us an arm and a leg.”

Marcus Armes, of the Carbon Reduction Initiative (Cred), said he was planning to talk to bosses at UEA, which is developing a renewable power plant capable of supplying electricity to the cars, to see if they would support the idea.

“I don’t think it’s a panacea, but electric cars have really got a part to play - 60pc of journeys are under 25 miles, and there is a lot of commuting going on in Norwich, so it would be a sensible idea for the city,” he said.

Adrian Gunson, cabinet portfolio-holder for planning and transportation at County Hall, said he would be happy for Norwich to look at the electric city idea but feared vehicles would not be viable in rural areas. And he was against banning traditional cars from the city centre.

“Anything that reduces pollution in the city is a good idea and well worth looking at, but for rural areas there are questions about whether the technology has reached the point to encourage people to go to the extra trouble of having one,” he said.

But Rupert Read, Green Party transport spokesman at City Hall said the investment would only work if supported by a “massive shift” towards renewable energy.

The AA welcomed the initiative and said while cities like London and Manchester could be in pole position for the electric city roles, Norwich could also be well placed because it had a car club, where electric cars could be used.

Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon, who took a spin in an electric car with Lord Mandelson, said cutting road transport CO2 emissions was a “key element” to tackling climate change.

“The scale of incentives we’re announcing will mean an electric car is a real option for motorists as well as helping to make the UK a world leader in low carbon transport,” he said.

 From: http://www.edp24.co.uk

Government backs EERA’s £25 million housing renewal and regeneration programme

The East of England Regional Assembly’s Housing and Sustainable Communities Panel put forward sixteen local-authority led projects to the Government.

This includes over £6.6 million for domestic carbon reduction and refurbishment schemes in Essex and Hertfordshire; over £5.3 million for refurbishing properties and restoring long-term empty properties in Great Yarmouth; over £2.2 million towards energy efficiency measures and refurbishment work in Cambridgeshire homes; £1 million to produce a reduction in fuel poverty areas around Luton and Bedford; and £0.5 million to restoring properties in rural Suffolk.

The recommended projects were accepted in full by Housing Minister, Margaret Beckett, in an announcement to EERA last week.

“These improvements will not only benefit individual households, but the region as a whole” said Cllr Susan Barker, Chairman of EERA’s Housing and Sustainable Communities Panel. “Making houses warmer and cheaper to heat will help reduce fuel bills and contribute to improved health and wellbeing. Also, more energy efficient homes mean fewer damaging carbon emissions, which is good for the environment.”

“Reducing the amount of homes that are in disrepair will lead to communities where people are proud to live, making them more likely to there and contribute to the local economy. EERA will monitor the success of these projects, including their outputs and outcomes.”