THE Scottish First Minister will discuss opportunities for the future business links between Scotland and this region, when he speaks at the North East Economic Forum’s dinner on Tuesday.

Alex Salmond MSP will highlight the regional implications of Scottish independence and how the country can work with its close neighbour over the border.  

Professor Graham Henderson, Vice-Chancellor of Teesside University, will welcome Mr Salmond to the event which is being held at the Gosforth Park Hotel in Newcastle.

The evening is sponsored by Teesside University as one of the leading universities in the UK for working with business and which is celebrating Global Entrepreneurship Week (12-18 November) with a programme of activities to encourage participation in entrepreneurship and social enterprise.

Prof Henderson said: “Teesside University is fundamentally committed to the belief that  working in partnership with businesses and organisations is key to fostering economic growth, which is why we are developing strong partnerships with both large and small businesses across all sectors and supporting innovation through a host of innovative schemes.

“As Vice-Chancellor, I firmly believe that it is vitally important that we take every possible opportunity to develop these relationships further and understanding the economic drivers outside our own region is pivotal to our ability to do that effectively.  I am therefore delighted to join in welcoming Mr Salmond to the North-East to discuss developments in Scotland and ways in which North-East organisations can work more fully and effectively with those north of the border.”

About 200 business leaders and politicians are expected to attend Tuesday's dinner.