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Praise for University’s Tees Valley Hydrogen Innovation Project

14 December 2022

 

The work of the Tees Valley Hydrogen Innovation Project to help local businesses take advantage of Net Zero technologies has been praised by local authorities.

Simon Bradshaw, Project Manager of the Tees Valley Hydrogen Innovation Project, (left) and Dr Venkatesan Venkata Krishna, Senior Lecturer in Chemical Engineering (right), showcasing the project’s facilities.
Simon Bradshaw, Project Manager of the Tees Valley Hydrogen Innovation Project, (left) and Dr Venkatesan Venkata Krishna, Senior Lecturer in Chemical Engineering (right), showcasing the project’s facilities.

Representatives from Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA), Darlington Borough Council and Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council visited the project’s laboratory at Teesside University to understand how it is helping SMEs in the region develop new networks, products and processes to support a hydrogen economy in the Tees Valley.

The Tees Valley Hydrogen Innovation Project (TVHIP) supports eligible SMEs with business opportunities within hydrogen and decarbonisation economies. It is helping deliver ambitious plans for the Tees Valley region to become a clean energy powerhouse for the UK, creating thousands of jobs in the region.

The Tees Valley is responsible for almost 50% of the UK’s production of hydrogen and innovation in this sector and is predicted to be a huge driver of economic growth in the region. In 2018, a report by KPMG found that exploiting the opportunities of the hydrogen economy could add up to £7 billion to the Tees Valley economy by 2050 and create up to 1,000 high-value-added jobs.

The Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) aims to drive economic growth and creation within Redcar and Cleveland, Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees, Hartlepool, and Darlington and to elevate partnership working between the private and public sector to build a stronger Tees Valley.

Andrew Perkin, Business Growth and Investment Manager at Darlington Borough Council, said: “The Tees Valley Hydrogen Innovation Project is an exciting resource that will help local businesses explore the potential application of hydrogen solutions for business growth.”

Councillor Nigel Cooke, Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Housing said: “Teesside University has invested in state-of-the-art laboratory and research facilities to support and collaborate with local businesses for proof-of-concept and development of hydrogen technology for commercial use. The University can support all business types to innovate and develop products and services for future and current needs with funded projects and access to resources, specialists, and experts.”

The Tees Valley Hydrogen Innovation Project is an exciting resource that will help local businesses explore the potential application of hydrogen solutions for business growth.

Andrew Perkin, Business Growth and Investment Manager at Darlington Borough Council

Simon Bradshaw, Project Manager of the Tees Valley Hydrogen Innovation Project, added: “The visit to the hydrogen laboratory to see how the project can assist SMEs is part of an ongoing relationship with the TVCA business support team and will ensure businesses obtain the right support.

“The ERDF Tees Valley Hydrogen Innovation Project (TVHIP) is assisting businesses across the region from identifying growth opportunities, to developing prototypes that will allow a business to attract investors to help them grow.”

TVHIP is part-funded from the European Regional Development Fund and is available to SMEs in the Tees Valley employing fewer than 250 staff and with an annual turnover no greater than €50m per annum.

It is one of a number of ERDF-funded projects at the University, including the Net Zero Industry Innovation Centre (NZIIC) and the Industrial Digitalisation Technology Centre (IDTC), which are working in partnership and utilising complementary expertise to support the region’s SMEs.

Find out how Tees Valley Hydrogen Innovation Project can support business by contacting TVHIP@tees.ac.uk.


 
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