Tees Valley's universities are playing a huge part in the development of the region. As well as training talent of tomorrow, investment in expansion is fuelling the region's regeneration.

The University of Teesside is one of the top ten modern universieis for graduate prospects and has more than 75 years experience of innovation in education.

Major investment at the Middlesbrough campus has created world-class facilities at the heart of Teesside.

It's Institute of Digital Innovation and Centre for Creative Technologies - representing a £20m investment - are now helping nurture and develop students and fledgling firms in the high-tech digital and creative sectors.

It's work with the DigitalCity initiative is aiming to attract, retain and grow a cluster of digital and creative industries in the Tees Valley.

Provide Expansion

Further development in Middlesbrough includes a £9.9m sport and health building which will be connected to the Centuria Building and include new dentistry training and sports therapy facilities and also provide expansion for the School of Health and Social Care.

If given planning approval, it's expected to be completed in July 2010.

The building on Victoria Road will specialist dental, biomechanic and hydrotherapy facilities. Facilities in dental care and sports therapy will be open to the community.

The North-East Strategic Health Authority, Stockton-on-Tees, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough and Redcar and Cleveland Primary Care Trusts will be contributing £1.3m towards the building's dental equipment.

The university is also strengthening links with local business.

It has secured £5.13m in funding to develop new relationships with employers and support business growth and workforce development in the region.

Strong Presence

A new university building is set to open in Darlington in 2010.

This development will take the form of a free-standing building adjacent to the Darlington College in Central Park - to create a strong university presence within an enhanced further and higher education campus.

It will build upon the longstanding partnership between the college and the university.

Queen's Campus

Durham University also has plans to expand its presence in the Tees Valley.

It has already announced plans to expand its Queen's Campus at Teesdale, Thornaby across the River Tees to the North Shore regeneration site in Stockton.

Plans for the development are still in the early stages and could include a new college to house students or a research centre.

The Queen's Campus has come a long way since the idea for a university centre for Teesside was expressed by former vice-chancellor Fred Holliday in the late 1980s.

At the time Teesside had a polytechnic and was the largest conurbation in the country without a university.

Now the campus has more than 2,000 students, up from the 190 when it opened in 1992, and is home to two colleges, the Wolfson Research Institute, a health and fitness club and the Sleep Laboratory.