WHILE the global economy and industries are constantly evolving, this has never been more apparent than now. There are opportunities on the horizon with the transition to a low-carbon economy and the ever faster advances in new technology.

The factories, power stations and coal mines of the past will be a far cry from the wind farms, robotics, nanotech, biotech and gaming software parks of the future.

The UK has a long-standing tradition in pioneering and leading new industries and even now we are still leading the way in the industries such as life sciences, information and communications technologies (ICT), advanced engineering and low carbon. The North-East is playing a major role in this success.

The UK life sciences market is among the strongest and fastest-growing in the world and the biotechnology, healthcare and pharmaceuticals industries have an outstanding record in drug discovery, a strong academic base and increasing Government support for research and development.

In the North-East, the medicines and pharmaceuticals sector alone is worth in excess of £2.3bn in exports and Newcastle’s Centre for Life is pioneering work in areas such as stem cell research, genetics and fertility.

The UK’s ICT sector is the largest in Europe, worth about £130bn last year and the region boasts Digital City initiatives in Middlesbrough and Sunderland helping pave the way for new technologies in this field, while Teesside is a hub for the computer gaming industry.

The automotive sector contributes £9.8bn to the UK economy, with six of the world’s top-ten vehicle makers based here, while our aerospace sector is the largest in Europe. Nissan, in Sunderland, is clearly the North-East’s most famous automotive name and, along with other companies such as Smith Electric and Avid Vehicles, they are leading the way in the development of electric vehicles.

Other UK innovations include climate science modelling and carbon technologies, offshore wind energy and wind, wave and tidal testing.

The North-East has Narec, a world leader in the renewable energy sector, while work continues to establish the region as a manufacturing centre for wind turbines. And, recently, Northumbria University secured funding for research for global climate change research. So many industries of the future are already here.

For information about UKTI, call 0845- 050-5054, email enquiries@ukti.rito.co.uk, or go to twitter.com/UKTINorthEast * David Coppock is international trade director at UK Trade & Investment North-East.