Regional passion 

 Locally, we continue to drive prosperity in the North-East by supporting the commercialisation of research, spin-out companies, promoting innovation to build the economy of tomorrow. Our visiting fellows help regional businesses grow by engaging with our research and applying academic expertise to real life business challenges. As part of our Smart and Scale project, we offer a masterclass for individuals in leadership roles within small to medium sized enterprises (SME) based in the North-East of England.  

Waterside, our new flagship Business School building, has a city centre riverside location and strengthens our ties to the local community and city whilst being a beacon for the future. It will provide a cornerstone to the new Durham Innovation District adding talent, research and networks through our participation in the ‘quadruple-helix’ principal that brings academia together with business, local government and citizens in collaboration. Durham County Council see the Innovation District providing 4,000 jobs. In an independent study, it was shown that Waterside development could increase the Business Schools value to the economy by over a third, from £83.1m (Gross Value Added) in 2020/21 to £111.2m in 2031/32. It could also support more jobs in County Durham – up from 617 in 2021/21 to 770 in 2031/32 (BiGGAR Economics, March 2022).