COUNTY Durham will welcome some of the world's most talented companies next week. Intertech 2003 will showcase innovation and is expected to act as a catalyst for growth.

It is another opportunity for the North-East to prove there is more to the region than the grittier, more traditional industries people tend to associate with the region.

It will also be a feather in the cap of County Durham Development Company, building on the success of previous events such as the Interprise events in 1998 and 2001.

Firms attending include Space Hardware Optimization Technology, which worked with NASA to launch eggs into space to assess the effect of zero gravity on embryo development, and Russian firm Mining and Chemical Combine, which is looking for partners to make biodegradable medical dressings out of natural raw materials.

The event complements the efforts of regional development agency One NorthEast to set up centres of excellence, one of which is profiled on page seven of this supplement.

I would urge any company considering visiting Intertech 2003 to get involved. The opportunities it presents are far too valuable miss.

RECENT months have seen major changes in the pub industry, rapid consolidation keeping everyone on their toes.

Scottish and Newcastle has sold its chain of 1,450 pubs, hotels and restaurants to the Spirit group.

But it would appear that this is far from the end of that compacting process.

It is early days yet, but Punch Taverns' interest in Hartlepool's Pubmaster is raising more than a few eyebrows.

For the staff, a sale is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, there is a potentially lucrative payday - many workers are shareholders in the company - but on the other, there is the uncertainty new ownership would bring.

I hope, for them, Punch makes its intentions clear sooner rather than later.

Mike Parker

Business Editor

Published: 07/10/2003