Dr Fay, Chair of the regional development agency One North East, started her lecture, ‘Preparing the region’s economy for growth’ by congratulating Teesside for its award of University of the Year from The Times Higher Education magazine.
She said, ‘It’s an absolutely fantastic achievement. It will build the profile of the University, the town and the region.’
Dr Fay also highlighted the important role that the region’s Universities are playing to the overall economy.
She added, ‘The contributions of Universities are becoming increasingly significant, for example they are attracting record numbers of overseas students, up by 30% in some regions.’
Dr Fay highlighted the DigitalCity initiative and the Institute of Digital Innovation as good examples of the creative and digital sector in the region.