GROWING businesses need to foster a closer working relationship with academics if they are to fulfil their potential.

This was the message to delegates at the International Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation Conference in Durham.

The event, hosted by the Barclays Centre for Entrepreneurship in partnership with the Foundation for SME Development at Durham Business School, attracted leading academics from around the world, along with dozens of North-East firms.

It aimed to bridge the gap between academic ideas on entrepreneurial issues and the realities that businesses face.

Paul Unger ISD UK Ltd, of Durham, said: "Academic institutions contain a wealth of information and resources which can provide a valuable resource for local businesses.

"The difficulty for people like me is just how to access and interpret this information.

"There is real value in academic institutions playing a proactive role in helping us to achieve this."