<P> Businesses investing in the region are supported by the Local Enterprise Partnerships Tees Valley Unlimited (TVU) and the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (NELEP). Both these organisations manage enterprise zones to encourage new business investors . There are also several Industry and Business led Cluster bodies in the region to network and engage companies on a sector basis and give local business - to - business advice and supply chain intelligence: the Northeast of England Process Industry Cluster (NEPIC) (chemicals - polymers - pharmaceuticals - biotech), the Northern Offshore Federation (NOF) (energy and offshore engineering), Service Network (accountants - finance - law firms - HR) and Northern Defence Industries (NDI) (defence related engineering), Design Network North (DNN) (design issues for all sectors .) </P> <P> RTC North provide business expertise in specific growth areas such as product innovation, market research, technology transfer, commercialisation, business growth . North East Access to Finance (NEA2F) operates a business growth fund to help small and medium - sized businesses (SMES). </P> <P> The North East Enterprise Zone, initiated by the North East Local Enterprise Partnership, was announced by the government in 2011 . The zone focusses on technology for low carbon vehicle development, marine offshore and subsea engineering, petrochemicals and renewable energy . At the time of announcement the enterprise zone included two clusters of sites, an Ultra Low Carbon Vehicle zone in Sunderland and a zone on the River Tyne North Bank . The Sunderland cluster is close to the Nissan plant and includes Turbine Business Park . It hosts Gateshead College's Future Technology Centre . The cluster on the Tyne includes the Port of Tyne North Estate, Swan Hunter in North Tyneside, and Neptune Yard in Newcastle . The zone was launched in April 2012 . In that year another cluster of sites, comprising the Blyth Estuary Renewable Energy Zone at Port of Blyth, was added to the zone . The enterprise zone contains ten sites over the three clusters, covering 115 hectares (280 acres) in total . </P> <P> There is also an enterprise zone in Teesside, the Tees Valley Enterprise Zone . </P>

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