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º£½ÇÖ±²¥ welcomes Alex Salmond to the region

º£½ÇÖ±²¥ has joined forces with business partners in the region to welcome Alex Salmond MSP to the North East to discuss opportunities for the future economic growth and business links and parallels between Scotland and North East England.

The Scottish First Minister will be formally welcomed by Vice-Chancellor Professor Graham Henderson CBE DL when he speaks at the North East Economic Forum’s dinner on Tuesday November 13. Mr Salmond will be discussing the regional implications of Scottish independence and how the country would work with its close neighbour – the North East of England with Professor Henderson and more than 200 regional businesses and politicians at the dinner to be held at the Gosforth Park Hotel in Newcastle.

The event is sponsored by º£½ÇÖ±²¥ as one of the leading universities in the UK for working with business and which is celebrating Global Entrepreneurship Week (12-18 November) with an unrivalled programme of activities for the public, students and staff to encourage participation in entrepreneurship and social enterprise.

National business champions, including national BBC business reporter Steph McGovern, Jo Fairley, co-founder of the pioneering organic chocolate company, Green & Black's, Professor Graham Leslie, serial entrepreneur and founder of Galpharm International, the largest UK privately owned OTC Pharmaceutical Company, and top social entrepreneur Kate Welch OBE DL are visiting º£½ÇÖ±²¥ as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week.

Professor Henderson said: 'º£½ÇÖ±²¥ is fundamentally committed to the belief that working in partnership with businesses and organisations is key to fostering economic growth, which is why we are developing strong partnerships with both large and small businesses across all sectors and supporting innovation through a host of innovative schemes.

'As Vice-Chancellor, I firmly believe that it is vitally important that we take every possible opportunity to develop these relationships further and understanding the economic drivers outside our own region is pivotal to our ability to do that effectively. I am therefore delighted to join in welcoming Mr Salmond to the North East to discuss developments in Scotland and ways in which North East organisations can work more fully and effectively with those north of the border.'

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