SURVIVING Innovation was the theme of the latest Hampshire Economic Partnership conference held at the Southampton Institute Conference Centre.

Paul Lester, chief executive of the VT Group and president of the Engineering Employers' Federation, presented a business perspective of the challenges and opportunities that will face organisations over the next five years as a result of accelerating innovation and technology.

He outlined his company's plans for the new site within the Portsmouth dockyard and explained the huge investment will mean that "the VT Group will become the most modern manufacturing ship-building facility in the world."

Tony Davies, executive chairman of Bowman Power presented an impressive case study of how an innovative idea can be developed through the start-up phase and then built into a sustainable business.

Mark Eaton, head of the Manufacturing Advisory Service for the south-east emphasised the need to create a 'climate of innovation' within a company. The right climate supports a creative team, empowers staff and generates a flexible structure, integrated procedures, knowledge-based systems and external partnerships.

Delegates also heard from Dr Adrian Mears of QinetiQ and Tony Howells from the Small Business Service.

The conference was closed by Alan Stevens, executive manager of the Hampshire Economic Partnership who confirmed that the HEP has become a powerful and influential body within Hampshire and with regional and national government.

The partnership has grown into a highly effective public-private partnership between business and government at all levels. It now has a wide range of trade-sector task groups each with specialist fields of interest - aerospace, construction, defence, education and skills, environment, engineering, Hampshire ambassadors, marketing and investment, innovation, research information, rural economy, tourism and transportation. Each have a rich blend of industry and local government membership and actively promote plans for change and development within these areas for Hampshire.

Chairman Jennifer Miller concluded: "It is these task groups that form the cornerstone of the Hampshire Economic Partnership, as it is the task groups that effectively inform us of the challenges faced by businesses in Hampshire - a true working partnership between local government, education and business, which influences and drives change for the future economic prosperity of the county.''