THE legacy of the North-East's most famous engineering family is living on in a new business venture.

The Stephenson centre, at Newcastle University, opens today in a bid to build better links between business and universities.

The centre is named after North-East rail innovator Robert Stephenson, son of the "father of railways", George Stephenson.

The £600,000 centre brings together six outreach units under one roof, providing consultancy, commercial services, training facilities and international partnerships for business in the region and worldwide.

It is also expected to provide a boost for the region's economy, with the units already turning over £3.5m each year, and with growth forecast at ten per cent annually, jobs are expected to be created in the university and local businesses.

The Stephenson Centre has been created following a Government call for UK universities to increase their links with business.

The six units will collectively be known as the Stephenson Group.

Professional courses will also be offered at the units, which include engineering, design, statistical research and education. One unit, Knowledge House, is a collaboration between the North-East universities and will provide a single point of contact for businesses, into higher education.

Professor Barry Clarke, Dean of Business Development at the university's faculty of science, said: "Stephenson was a marvellous engineer and businessman whose spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship is an inspiration.

"We are sure the new centre will make a long-lasting, strong contribution to regional businesses and the North-East economy, in the same way that Stephenson's pioneering work on the Rocket and other ground-breaking projects brought great benefits to the region over many years."