Despite more businesses working remotely than ever before, nobody anticipated most of the world’s businesses needing to go fully virtual. Whether you’re a mostly remote team or a large organisation that only operates on desktop computers, there were few businesses prepared to go fully remote and all situations come with their share of challenges in […]
Category: Blog
Connecting the Dots to Deliver Innovation in the North East of England
Graham Hillier, former Director of Strategy and Futures at CPI The North East has been a powerhouse of global innovation for the last 150 years. The work done in the region on ship building, steelmaking and chemicals changed the way we live. In recent times we’ve changed direction but continued to drive innovation in the […]
Final call for €5,000 worth of support available to SMEs in the North East
By Estelle Blanks, Executive Director at Innovation SuperNetwork. The latest opportunity from the Open Innovation 2.0LAB (OI2.0LAB) is an open call for SMEs in the North East to access cutting-edge support and guidance to help them innovate and businesses have just one more week left to apply. Successful applicants will receive a €5,000 voucher that […]
Don’t Panic. Plan: How to navigate challenging economic and political times
Chief Executive at TEDCO Business Support, Carole White Anyone who has ever attempted to run a business knows that life as an entrepreneur is rarely smooth sailing. Setbacks and scares are all part of the process, especially during times when the economic and political landscape are, shall we say, turbulent. Dealing with periods of uncertainty […]
Five of the toughest questions a potential buyer might ask
When you run your own business, there are frequent and often familiar issues to resolve. However, when you come to sell, you face an unfamiliar challenge. Potential buyers will want to get under the bonnet of your business and ask all kinds of questions, some of which you may have never considered. Below are five […]
Understanding Confidentiality and Licensing for Your Business
Every business, big or small, will own or use some form of intellectual property (IP) but in many cases don’t realise that it’s one of the most valuable assets you can own. The four main types of IP rights are: Patents – which protects the processes that make things work Designs – which protects the […]
4 signs it’s time to scale up your business (and 6 ways to do it)
Carole White, CEO of TEDCO Business Support Taking your business to the next level is a big step, and one you should approach with a healthy combination of enthusiasm, pragmatism and caution. Not forgetting that you should seek out the right advice and support along the way. It’s easy to get complacent when it comes […]
Spiders’ webs and neurons
By Estelle Blanks, Executive Director at Innovation SuperNetwork The ENGIE Innovation Showcase a real-life analogy to innovation ecosystems in action. When I was preparing for my keynote speech for the ENGIE Innovation Showcase, I looked for clever ways to explain Innovation Ecosystems. So, when ENGIE descended on the Newcastle Helix on 19th June as part […]
Talent Acquisition and Retention – Critical for a successful business
By Ben Gilhespy, Operations Director at Engineering & Manufacturing Network. We hear a tremendous amount of positivity in the press around low unemployment figures and in reality, its true. Whilst the North East is currently seeing slightly higher unemployment than the national average we are still at very low levels, and recognise that it’s impossible […]
What does the NWG Innovation Festival have in store for 2019?
By Nigel Watson, NWG Group Information Services Director With Northumbrian Water’s biggest ever Innovation Festival only two weeks away the festival founder and creator Nigel Watson shares his thoughts on how it’s shaping up. Here at NWG we are hurtling inexorably towards our third Innovation Festival at an alarming, and quite unbelievable rate. It’s only […]