NEPIC

NEPIC
Name	NEPIC
Caption	North East of England Process Industry Cluster
Formation	2004
Type	industry cluster
Headquarters	Teesside
Location	United Kingdom
Region served	North East England
Membership	chemical, pharmaceutical, petrochemical, energy companies

NEPIC

NEPIC is an industry cluster organisation founded to support the process industries in North East England, with particular emphasis on chemicals, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and low-carbon energy. The organisation acts as a business-led partnership delivering supply chain development, skills programmes, inward investment support and collaborative research links between manufacturing sites, universities and public agencies. NEPIC operates across a geographic footprint centred on Teesside and Tyne and Wear, engaging major multinational firms, specialist suppliers and academic institutions.

Overview

NEPIC functions as a cluster development body linking multinational groups such as SABIC, INEOS, BP, Shell plc, LyondellBasell with suppliers, logistics firms and research centres including Teesside University, Newcastle University, University of Durham, University of Sunderland and Cleveland College of Art and Design. The organisation liaises with regional development agencies like Historic England-adjacent stakeholders and with national initiatives including Innovate UK, UK Research and Innovation, and investor organisations such as British Business Bank and North East Local Enterprise Partnership. NEPIC promotes projects that span chemical manufacturing, carbon capture and storage alongside process intensification and circular economy initiatives connected to entities such as National Grid plc, Net Zero Technology Centre and Energy Technologies Institute.

History

Formed in 2004, NEPIC grew from earlier regional clustering efforts that attempted to preserve and revitalise heavy industry in the aftermath of 20th-century restructuring that affected firms like ICI, British Steel Corporation, ConocoPhillips and Phillips Petroleum Company. Early activity concentrated on supply chain mapping and the attraction of inward investment from companies such as SABIC and LyondellBasell to Teesside Chemical Complex sites. Over subsequent decades NEPIC broadened its remit to include low-carbon technologies, collaborating with projects linked to Net Zero ambitions and national programmes led by Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and Department for Transport. The cluster has been associated with major regional initiatives and infrastructure projects involving Teesport, Humber Estuary, Port Clarence and industrial decarbonisation programmes coordinated with BEIS-funded competitions and pilot demonstrations alongside academic consortia including Centre for Process Innovation.

Membership and Structure

NEPIC’s membership spans multinational corporations, independent manufacturers, engineering firms, logistics providers and research organisations. Significant corporate members have included INEOS, SABIC, Tata Steel, Huntsman Corporation, Johnson Matthey, BASF, ExxonMobil and Evonik Industries. The organisation’s structure combines an industry-led executive board with specialist working groups covering areas such as skills, inward investment, carbon capture and supply chain resilience; it engages trade associations like Chemical Industries Association, Make UK and Confederation of British Industry as strategic partners. NEPIC coordinates with regional public bodies such as Middlesbrough Council, Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council and national training providers including Skills for Health and Institute of Chemical Engineers.

Key Activities and Services

NEPIC delivers supply chain audits, procurement facilitation, business-to-business matchmaking, skills development programmes, and cluster promotion for sites and investors. It runs supplier development initiatives modelled on provenance schemes used by Siemens and Rolls-Royce supplier networks and supports workforce development through apprenticeship links with Teesside University and training providers aligned to standards from Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education. The organisation also facilitates research partnerships with centres such as Centre for Process Innovation and university spin-outs, and promotes capital projects involving carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) in coordination with consortia involving National Grid Ventures, Equinor, TotalEnergies and technology providers like Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.

Economic Impact and Regional Projects

NEPIC has been credited with helping attract inward investment that safeguarded and created thousands of jobs across the Tees Valley and Tyneside conurbations, contributing to the resilience of supply chains for chemicals, pharmaceuticals and polymers. The cluster’s activity has been associated with major regional projects including Teesside-based CCUS proposals, industrial decarbonisation clusters linked to Humber Zero and partnership bids to UK government programmes such as the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund and investment initiatives coordinated by Northern Powerhouse. NEPIC also supports circular economy projects involving plastics recycling and advanced manufacturing with partners including Veolia, SUEZ, PlasticsEurope and technology developers from the Harwell Campus ecosystem.

Governance and Funding

NEPIC operates under a governance model combining an industry board, a chief executive leadership team and advisory working groups that include representatives from member companies, academic partners and regional authorities such as Tees Valley Combined Authority and North East Combined Authority. Funding derives from membership subscriptions, project-specific grants from bodies like European Investment Bank (historically), competitive grants administered by Innovate UK and contracted support from local authorities and enterprise agencies. The organisation also derives income from delivery of consultancy, supply-chain surveying and trade promotion services for inward investors and international delegations from markets including United States, Germany, Saudi Arabia, China and India.

Category:Industry clusters Category:Organisations based in North East England