NORTH-EAST businesses and universities have been urged to “be bold” and look towards lucrative markets in the Middle East as a means of bolstering demand, a conference in the region heard yesterday.

Senior delegates from UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) were at Durham Emirates International Cricket Ground, in Chester-le-Street, to encourage businesses to bid for a share of Middle East infrastructure contracts worth more than £400bn.

Jeff Wilson, director of UKTI in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), alongside representatives from Qatar and Saudi Arabia, outlined the significant opportunities available to a wide range of North-East businesses.

Manufacturers could be set to benefit most as the North- East attempts to double the £150m-worth of products and services it sells to the UAE every year.

South-Shields-born Mr Wilson believes firms in this region are ideally-placed to take advantage of the growing opportunities on offer.

He said: “I want to see North-East businesses get as big a slice of the cake as possible.

I am well aware of this region’s heritage in manufacturing and the expertise of its workforce. That is of great appeal to potential partners in the Arab business world and it is my role to help build stronger links.

“I admit that there are significant cultural differences.

Arab business people want to get to know you as a person so they can trust you in business dealings. There is a certain politeness of approach that’s required which means deals can often take longer than they would between UK companies, but there are huge rewards for businesses that can be bold and forward-thinking.”

The North-East’s universities will also benefit from the strengthening of trade links.

Governments in the Arab states are willing to pay their students’ fees to see them educated at a British university.

Les Brown, head of international business development at the University of Sunderland, said it was keen to attract more students to Wearside from the Arab states.

The North-East’s commercial presence in the Middle East was strengthened earlier this year through a delegation from the region visiting the UAE. The North East Chamber of Commerce trade mission built on business links with UAE federal capital Abu Dhabi.