Sites
The North East offers companies the space to grow, with ample development sites and some of the lowest costs in the UK for manufacturing operations. Industrial property costs are highly competitive, with rent starting from £2.50 per sq ft and bespoke, purpose-built manufacturing units are available. Industrial property costs are less than half as expensive as those in Southampton and 28% cheaper than Birmingham.
Development land such as Jade Business Park in County Durham, the International Advanced Manufacturing Park (IAMP) in Sunderland/South Tyneside and Ashwood Business Park in Northumberland are great examples of Enterprise Zone sites available in the region for the development of new manufacturing facilities.
Key research initiatives
North East England is renowned for its innovation. The region offers many cross-sector working opportunities and is pioneering testing new technologies and practices to further develop the UK rail sector. Newcastle University is one of three UK universities leading the Rolling Stock Innovation Centre.
Key university research institutes that support the rail sector include:
- Institute for Automotive and Manufacturing Advanced Practice (AMAP)
- NewRail, Newcastle Centre for Railway Research – Newcastle University
- Transport Operations Research Group (TORG) – Newcastle University
Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Advanced Manufacturing (CESAM) is an advanced manufacturing innovation centre that will provide the catalyst for manufacturing productivity improvement in North East England, through world-class open innovation, adoption and knowledge transfer. CESAM will connect the North East to the research excellence that exists in the UK and overseas, delivering the best solutions in a timely and cost-effective manner.
DER Centre North East, one of the four national centres of the Driving the Electric Revolution programme, seeks to make the UK a global leader in the manufacture of core technologies that underpin electrification: power electronics, electric machines and drives (PEMD). It will accelerate the UK’s ability to deliver next-generation electric vehicles, hybrid aircraft, energy generation, smart grids, industrial drives, consumer products, low-carbon off-highway for construction and agriculture, low-carbon maritime and rail.
CESAM, Sunderland/South Tyneside 
Jade Business Park, County Durham
