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North East leads the way in innovation

LONDON may be top dog when it comes to patents for new ideas, but the North East is the UK’s most innovative region, research has found.

New research from the British Library has shown that the capital is responsible for a quarter of all patents, trademarks and design rights filed in the UK over the last decade, with the South East and the North West taking second and third place.

Official figures have revealed that the North East contributes 3.1% of the UK’s total GVA, or added value, compared to London’s 23.5 per cent and 15.4% for the rest of South East England.

But when you factor in regional populations and the amount of money spent on research and development, the North East comes out as more innovative, considerably ahead of Wales in second place and London in third.

This news comes as no surprise to Mike Addison, head of new business at Procter and Gamble, who said: “The region combines talented people from five universities with an outstanding environment in which to live and work.

“The North East attracts people to an area which has the public structures to facilitate knowledge.”

According to the study, the least innovative regions in the UK by number of patents are Wales and Northern Ireland.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .