EUROPEAN decision makers will learn the central role science is playing in the North-East at an international event in Brussels this week.

Delegates from the region will attend the Science and Innovation in Regional Policy part of the Brussels Open Days, the biggest annual event on EU regional policy.

The North-East's representatives at the conference, which is expected to attract more than 4,000 participants from around Europe, will be led by regional development agency One NorthEast (ONE).

European funding is worth about 4m Euros (£2.8m) to the region each year.

Pat Ritchie, ONE's assistant chief executive, said: "It's all about sharing best practice and getting the experts together under one roof to adopt model policy principles.

"We can learn much from reciprocal and collaborative projects. We demonstrate our excellence in key strategic areas such as science and innovation."

European funding has been used in the North-East since 1989, bringing millions of pounds of investment to the region.