GROWING links between university academics and the North-East business community received ministerial endorsement yesterday.

Minister for Small Business Nigel Griffiths paid a glowing tribute to the multi-million pound NetPark proposed for the former Winterton Hospital site in Sedgefield, County Durham.

As revealed in The Northern Echo yesterday, Durham University announced it will be the first tenant of the science and technology park. The university is one of a number of partners in a showpiece project led by Durham County Council, which is providing £7m investment to see the scheme advance from the drawing board.

Emerging from a briefing at the the university business school, Mr Griffiths said: "I don't think I could have had a better presentation in Silicon Valley in California.

"There's a real focus here on the complete range of start-ups, from senior school kids with a good idea, right through to exploiting high-tech companies."

Mr Griffiths said the NetPark development was "fantastic news", not just for the North-East, but for the UK as a whole.

"What we are seeing is the scientific expertise we know resides in the university being made available for the products of the future to transform medicine, astronomy and even many consumer goods."

County council economic development director Mark Lloyd said the NetPark dream was becoming a reality, with world-class expertise such as the university teams pledging to relocate to the site.

Mr Griffiths completed his visit by calling at Bede Scientific Instruments' Belmont Business Park site, also in Durham.

Bede is considered among the region's best "spin-out" companies, co-founded by Professor Brian Tanner, of the university's physics department, who is also a non-executive director.