TRADE Minister Richard Caborn has pledged his personal support for the creation of a £15million international centre of excellence for environmental research and technology in East Lancashire.

But after meeting leaders from local authorities, business and higher education, Mr Caborn warned that the area must work in partnership to achieve its ambitions.

The centre is the brainchild of the East Lancashire Partnership, which links all six local authorities in the area with MPs, business leaders and representatives from higher education. A key objective is to build a new generation of knowledge-based industries linked to environmental issues.

Speaking exclusively to the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, the Minister said he had taken a close interest in the plan to create a Centre for Environmental Education, Research and Technology (CEERT).

And he promised he would bring some of the UK's leading industrialists to East Lancashire when the initiative was better developed.

John Tilley, Director of the East Lancashire Partnership, which is drawing up a bid for finance from the North West Development Agency, said the the centre for environmental education, research and technology was central to its objective to transform the economy of the area.

The centre would be built in East Lancashire at a location yet to be identified. It would be the focal point for new research and technology with close links to Universities throughout the North West.

A network of small workshop units would be built within the centre complex to house new technology-based businesses during the early stage of their development.

Mr Tilley said the proposed centre would give East Lancashire full access to higher education support. "East Lancashire has the biggest population in the North West without its own university," he said. "The centre, linked to the region's existing universities will allow us to draw on that expertise."

"There is a real future for the centre," said Mr Caborn." The environment is a big growth issue and the concept is basically viable. But there needs to be a real partnership for that to succeed. You need to create a structure where you can encourage economic development."

Mr Caborn said he was encouraged with the progress that had been made by the East Lancashire Partnership since his last visit in June last year. He particularly welcomed the involvement of the higher education sector and a new emphasis on improving the skill base.

"One of the crucial issues is skills," he said. "You can lift aspirations by developing skills. We need to look at how to transfer intellectual property to industry, how we can facilitate this through lifting the skills base and how to encourage an entrepreneurial culture."

Mr Caborn said he had witnessed a major growth in confidence in his own Sheffield constituency when American aerospace giant Boeing invested in the city. He saw no reason why another multi-national company such as BP could not be attracted to East Lancashire if the plan for the environmental centre of excellence took off.