Project Title: Digital City Main Project

Project Description:
This project takes forward the preliminary work to develop Middlesbrough at the heart of a major Digital Cluster in the Tees Valley. Following extensive consultation, project development and evaluation by consultants the project has taken form with specific priorities. Single Pot funding will enable the first Digital City major project, Digital Studio Complex, to become reality whilst also providing funding to continue the development of other, more long term strands. The Digital Studio Complex will be a facility which will provide the digital/creative industries with: R&D and the development of Intellectual Property; new businesses; the stimulation of University staff consultancy; the development of graduates and fellows of the region’s universities and the attraction of alumni back to the region; professional training courses for its workforce. It will contain state of the art equipment and technology which will be available to the commercial sector. The project will also allow businesses to display their product in order to attract investment and to stimulate the uptake of technologies in the scientific, medical and technology fields. Digital City also encompasses development work for other potential major projects which include work to take forward the development of a Digital Business Cluster of digital/creative businesses in Middlesbrough town centre and a Museum of Digital Media at Middlehaven. It should be noted that the economic impact of the concept of Digital City is currently being evaluated through the ‘Start Up’ project therefore, at this stage, figures for outputs and private sector leverage are estimates and will be informed by the results of that evaluation.

Lead Organisation (underlined) and Key Partners:
University of Teesside, Middlesbrough Council and Town Centre Company, Tees Valley Regeneration Codeworks, One NorthEast, Gazette Media Ltd