Millions of pounds of European funding could pour into Sussex businesses from next year as a result of Franco-Anglo collaboration.

Representatives from the Interreg III council in France have visited the county to see how a proposed budget of more than £70 million (108 million euro) could be allocated.

Interreg is a European Union funding programme supporting cross-border projects between neighbouring regions.

One of the themes for the third stage is research and technology, placing Sussex in good stead to play a major role when the scheme is officially launched early next year.

Alain Le Vern, president of the Interreg III Regional Council of Upper Normandy, along with UK partners from councils, universities and business organisations, took tour of the Sussex Innovation Centre as part of a fact-finding mission.

He said: "The Innovation Centre responds to the needs of small to medium-size businesses and it is exactly the sort of venture we need to be looking at.

"Its placing within the University of Sussex provides a vital link between training and enterprise.

"By learning about these opportunities, we can take information back to Brussels and the European Union to show what the money we have been given can be used for.

"We need to build an exchange of knowledge and information which allows our regions to work together."

The UK branch of French research and development company Mathematiques Appliances is based at the centre.

Managing director Nick Jakobi told the French visitors about his role in building links with Europe.

He said: "I work in both England and France and there are things to be learned on both sides of the Channel.

I fully support projects which help to break down barriers and build working relationships at a European level."

Brighton and Hove City Councillor Don Turner was present as member for economic development and regeneration.

He said: "We saw enormous benefits from Interreg II which ran through the late-Nineties and expect this third stage to be even better in terms of economic development, the cultural sector and training opportunities in the area.

"Co-operation between ourselves and our French partners is improving all the time, which is important in international terms because we are now an international city."

The Interreg III period will run until 2006.

The first call for projects is expected by the end of the year.

UK partners have encouraged potential bidders to begin working on their project ideas in preparation for applying for funds when more information is available later in the autumn.

Any Sussex company with a query about how to prepare bids should contact one of the Interreg partners:

The Government Office for the South-East (GOSE), the South-East England Development Agency (Seeda), East Sussex County Council, Brighton and Hove City Council or the Universities of Sussex and Brighton.