A TEES Valley-based digital business has been chosen to play an integral role in a European science project to generate a green energy.

Pearsons, based in Stockton, has fought off competition from Europe’s leading digital businesses to develop an internal communications system and a website for Fusion for Energy.

All European Union member states are part of the Fusion for Energy project, based in Barcelona, which has the longterm aim of developing fusion as a commercial energy source.

The world’s leading scientists believe that fusion, based on the way in which the sun creates energy, could become the most significant form of power generation of the future.

The challenge for Pearson’s, which also has offices in Newcastle and Leeds, is to create a site that not only makes such a complex subject easy for children to understand, but also attracts scientists and potential investors.

As part of the contract, Pearsons, which employs 57 staff, is also developing an intranet for the 400 multi-national staff working on the project, providing them with an internal communication system.

Pearsons managing director Lilian Hughes said: “Winning such a prestigious contract is a real coup for Pearsons and is a golden opportunity for us to showcase our expertise in website design and digital innovation on a global scale.

“The tender process began months ago and we have been up against Europe’s top-rated digital companies, but we have proved with our existing multi-national client base that we are easily capable of rising to this challenge, which we welcome.

“There is an awful lot of competition for European contracts like this, so for an organisation based in Barcelona to appoint an organisation from the UK is great.”

Ms Hughes admitted that the contract provided an interesting challenge for the firm, which began life as a recruitment advertising agency in 1986, before expanding into digital work in 1999.

She said: “It is a particularly interesting project because the subject matter is so technical.

“Our challenge is to bring the project to life for the public, including particular target groups such as children, while also maintaining the interest of scientists, Government heads and financial investors.

“To be able to incorporate such a diverse range of features seamlessly within a single website is the sort of rewarding challenge in which we excel.”

The Pearsons team is led by Sue Cant, who is responsible for the client relationship and overall project delivery.

She is supported by Simon Hawkins, who heads the development team, and Neil Donald, who is responsible for brand development and the creative aspects of the project.

Pearsons, which has an annual turnover of £16m, expects to have both the external website and the internal intranet operational by the April deadline.

Fusion for Energy oversees Europe’s contribution to the ITER project, a test fusion power plant being constructed in France. It is a joint venture between the European Union, Japan, China, South Korea, Russian, India and the US.

The project, aimed at developing fusion energy for peaceful purposes, was first put forward at the Geneva Superpower Summit in 1985 by the then Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, US President Ronald Reagan, President Francois Mitterand of France and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

Nuclear fusion uses the same process as the sun and works by fusing atoms together to release large amounts of energy.