Dr Jo Noble, also of Teesside University, said some new projects in the area were trying to marry technology with the region’s traditional industrial base.

For example, she said, researchers for the oil industry had been able to develop animations detailing how cables could connect to rigs.

“If you’re able to animate that and provide simulations before they are actually built – that’s a huge advantage,” Dr Noble said.

One of the biggest success stories from the region is the game developer formerly known as SockMoney Studios, which was set up in 2013 in Middlesbrough by two Teesside University graduates.

The company was bought by Canadian gaming firm Behaviour Interactive in 2023.

“Now we’re working on similar things like [major brands such as Assassin’s Creed] right in the centre of Middlesbrough,” said SockMoney co-founder Bob Makin.