Euro tech entrepreneurs urged to invest in Telford

As part of a combined trade mission being run by the Department for International Trade and the Midlands Engine – the region's equivalent of the Northern Powerhouse scheme – more than a dozen businesspeople from Eastern Europe visited the Iron Bridge and the University of Wolverhampton's engineering campus at Priorslee.

It was part of a three-day trip that also took in visits to Birmingham and Nottingham, and was aimed at encouraging the companies to set up operations for their innovative businesses in the region.

Tim Luft from Telford virtual reality company Woote helped organise the visit, and said: "It's all about bringing entrepreneurs from Eastern Europe in to look at the Midlands.

"When we visited Eastern Europe just before Christmas we were inundated with companies that wanted to come. A lot of these countries are quite small, and when they build a product they look into the UK to grow the businesses. The appetite we have had has been excellent."

Businesses from Latvia, Slovenia, Italy and Poland were among those represented, with expertise ranging from testing of titanium for use in aeroplanes to new virtual reality products to support surgeons with operations.

Some of the businesses noted the impact of Brexit on the prospect of opening an operation in the UK, but said it was not a "deal-breaker".

"It would be easier if all the trade systems and partnerships were in place as they are now," said Luka Mokoric of Slovenian company Animacel, which specialises in stem cell treatment for animals.

"There's some uncertainty with the Brexit situation, but programmes like this one can be a good bridge between the mainland and the UK to continue to collaborate.

"The Midlands is an interesting place to start looking because there's an entrepreneurial spirit, a good support system and a passion to drive innovation."

Dmitrijs Kononovs, of Latvian company Alloy Advisor, added: "It would be good if the UK stayed in the EU, but it's not a deal breaker.

"It's about aerospace and titanium companies. The UK produces about five per cent of the world's titanium alloys, which is pretty dense for the population given it's about one sixth of the 30 per cent produced by China.

"It looks interesting, there's a lot of support and the industry is here."

Damjan Rotar, of Slovenian firm Adora, which makes virtual reality items which allow surgeons to access information without touching screens while carrying out procedures, said: "We are looking for partners to help us expand not just in the UK but also in Europe.

"We have found good options. The location and the logistics are very good int he Midlands, and all the supported we were presented with seems to be okay."