A FORMER centre of traditional heavy industry is in line for an "intelligence" award for adopting new technology.

Sunderland is among seven short-listed finalists nominated for the title of The World's Most Intelligent City.

It ranks the former shipbuilding and coal-mining city alongside contenders including Taipei, in Taiwan, Yokosuka, in Japan, the Western Valley, in Nova Scotia, Canada, and Victoria, in Australia.

A second British contender is another former shipbuilding city, Glasgow, in Scotland.

Selection for the Intelligent City award is based on technological and social criteria.

The city won its nomination from the US-based World Teleport Association, specifically for developing communication links to attract big players to the Doxford International Business Park, which has attracted 8,000 jobs, and Sunderland Enterprise Park, bringing a further 4,000 jobs.

The association's citation reads: "Among intelligent communities, Sunderland stands out for the comprehensive nature of its transformation and continuing commitment to its vision over nearly a decade."

City council chief executive Ged Fitzgerald said he was delighted that 13 years' hard work transforming Sunderland's economy had earned such international recognition.

* The winner will be announced on Friday, June 11.