Businesses were encouraged to take advantage of the 'green revolution' today.

At a meeting of the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership (Lep), leader of South Norfolk District Council, John Fuller, told Norfolk and Suffolk firms: 'We have an opportunity to redefine what green means.

'We should exploit for profit the challenges that are facing us and to generate the wealth and growth.'

He said East Anglia's life sciences could help feed the world.

Praising the region's potential for green growth, he said: 'Other parts of the country would be climbing all over our backs to get what we have got on our door step.'

The Lep was selected as the country's 'green pathfinder' last year, giving the region the chance to showcase its industries to the government.

Lep chairman, Andy Wood, told the 200-strong audience, at the Business Opportunities conference in the John Innes Centre, Norwich, that the partnership had successfully lobbied for East Anglia at Westminster, winning �12m in bids.

But he said progress in tourism had not been as strong.

Mr Wood warned: 'Unless we pool our resources we are going to be unlikely to be able to compete effectively.

'Individually we have great assets. Let's work together.'

Keynote speaker was Graeme Leach, the Institute of Directors' chief economist, who predicted Greece would leave the eurozone this year, taking Portugal with it.