The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) leads the economic development and regeneration of England's Northwest. As a business-led organisation, the NWDA provides a crucial link between the needs of business and Government policies. As such, a major responsibility for the Agency is to help create an environment in which businesses in the region can flourish through offering business support, business finance, encouraging new start-ups, matching skills provision to employer needs and bringing business investment into the region.