How the North East’s universities are
working together to help drive forward the Levelling Up agenda and grow the
region’s economy.
Durham,
Newcastle, Northumbria, Sunderland and Teesside universities have today (Friday
3rd Feb) launched a joint report highlighting the regional impact
made by universities across the North East.
The Innovating
Together – Universities in the North East (InTUNE) report showcases the contribution of the five universities to
the innovation and business growth agenda in the region, and their potential
role in delivering activities which contribute to the Government’s Levelling Up
agenda.
This
includes support for businesses and the creative industries, R&D
collaborations, and workforce training in key sectors.
As key
anchor institutions and major employers – between them they support more than
34,000 jobs and contribute £2.2bn annually to the North East economy – they
play a huge role in the health, wellbeing and resilience of communities across
the region.
With the launch of the report at
the Transforming Tomorrow Together Roundtable,
hosted by CEO of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), Dame Ottoline Leyser, the aim is to
explore the potential for further collaboration for the benefit of the region
and local people.
Professor Jane Robinson, Newcastle University’s
Pro-Vice-Chancellor Engagement and Place, said:
“The North
East’s five universities have a long history of generating economic, social and
cultural benefits for their local areas.
“Increasingly
we are working together to deliver even greater regional impact, developing the
talent and skilled workforce of the future and leading the research and
innovation to address the impacts of a changing global climate and improving
the health and wellbeing of local people.
“Together
with our partners in the public and private sectors, working with local
communities, we are adding real value, positioning us to help deliver on the
promises of the Levelling Up agenda and build a more resilient society and
economy in the North East.”
Professor Colin Bain, Durham University’s
Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) said:
“This report demonstrates our successful
track record of working together on key economic development and innovation
initiatives. Thanks to our complementary
institutional strengths we have created opportunities that would have not been
possible without working together.
Our strong ethos of collaboration is central
to the ambitious work we seek to do together in the future. Universities are
key partners in economic growth, underpinning place-making in our cities, towns
and communities and by working together we continue to make a positive
difference in the region.”
Dan Monnery, Chief Strategy Officer at Northumbria
University, said: “We
are proud to partner with our fellow northeast universities, working together
as anchor institutions to help drive forward the levelling up agenda and grow
the region’s economy.
“As a research-intensive university we embed
quality research at the centre of everything we do, enabling us to meet the
world’s changing needs and make a positive difference. This is significant for
the region, not only for local students who wish to benefit from a
research-informed education, but also for regional businesses who can access
impactful research and innovative partnership opportunities.
“With well over half of our students coming
from the local area and 63% of our graduates staying in the region for
employment, we’re also helping to create the conditions that retain a skilled
and talented workforce that is vital for the region’s pipeline of activity. All
this, combined with Northumbria’s sustained mission to drive social mobility,
will ensure we continue to unlock opportunities for students with potential and
ability, irrespective of background.”
Professor Michael Young, Deputy Vice-Chancellor
(Academic) at the University of Sunderland, says: “This report comes at an exciting
time for Sunderland with major investments underway in the city and our
University.
“Through
applied research and collaborative working with industry, the public sector and
our regional university partners, we are committed to making a positive impact
on our city and region.
“The
combined strength of our five universities will continue to drive economic
growth, provide social and cultural benefits and help to improve health and
wellbeing across the North East.”
Professor
Stephen Cummings, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation) at Teesside
University, said:
“At Teesside University, transforming lives and economies through
industry-focussed research and innovation is central to our ambitions.
“Therefore,
we are delighted that our collaborative work with North East partner
institutions is delivering such impact; helping to create jobs and
opportunities and addressing the economic and societal challenges faced in our
region and beyond.
“Working
together with our industry and academic partners, we are ensuring the North
East is a global leader in sectors which are vital to innovation and economic
growth in today’s society, such as Net Zero, digital technology and the
biosciences.
“We look
forward to further developing this work, enabling this region to continue to
benefit from progress and meet the challenges of the 21st century.”
Working together
Over the past seven years, 465 projects
involving two or more of the five universities have been
delivered with a research value of £243M.
In 2020/21, the five
universities collectively supported over 700 graduate start-ups and 59 spin
outs, with almost 80% of these being based in the North East and benefitting
the local economy.
The report focuses on nine
joint innovation projects which target some of the region’s priority sectors
and were set up to stimulate innovation, support business growth, and improve
productivity. To date:
Eight of the nine are forecast to contribute £33.3m and support 1,524 SMEs, generate an increase in employment of 662 FTE jobs, and help SMEs bring 768 new products/processes to either the market or the firm. To date, these eight projects have created 500 net new jobs and £23m GVA (net), with more jobs and GVA expected to be created in the future, as a result of the investment.
The ninth project, Northern Accelerator has been a game changer for commercialisation in North East England, significantly increasing the average number of spin-outs from 1.8 per annum pre-project, to an average of more than 8 per annum
Professor Dame Ottoline
Leyser, UKRI Chief Executive, said: "This report demonstrates very clearly
how collaboration between diverse regional partners can fuel innovation with
real impact. UKRI is committed to working with our partners in the North East
to shape a dynamic, diverse and inclusive research and innovation system that
creates high quality jobs and public services, benefitting the whole
region."
Case Studies:
Arrow
Arrow provides innovation support for
North East SMEs to develop the capacity and ability to innovate, with a focus
on developing new products/processes. Over the last four years, Arrow has
helped more than 150 regional SMEs innovate by connecting them with expertise
from across Newcastle University, strengthening the local economy along the
way. Following the initial programme’s success, which is forecast to generate
116.5 FTE new jobs by 2028, plans are underway to extend Arrow to other
regional universities; Arrow 2.0 is being developed by Newcastle University in
collaboration with Durham, Northumbria & Sunderland Universities.
https://www.ncl.ac.uk/business-and-partnerships/expert-solutions/arrow/
Northern Accelerator
Northern Accelerator is an innovative collaboration between
Durham, Newcastle, Northumbria, Sunderland, Teesside and York Universities.
Funded by Research England’s Connecting Capability Fund, the programme has
transformed the commercialisation of research in the North East, making a
significant contribution to the region’s economy and creating a great return on
investment.
Northern Accelerator delivers a targeted approach to build on
areas of research strength and address key areas that were constraining
economic activity in the North East. An integrated model provides end-to-end
support through the commercialisation journey, from awareness raising and
capacity building, through to seed investment funding.
Today the Northern Accelerator universities are part of a thriving
innovation ecosystem, with many spin-out businesses based in innovation
clusters in the Newcastle Helix and County Durham’s NETPark, accessing new
funding routes and support networks generated directly and indirectly through
Northern Accelerator activity.
https://northernaccelerator.org/
Intensive
Industrial Innovation Programme (IIIP), a collaboration between Durham, Newcastle, Northumbria and Teesside
universities to support PhD students become embedded in regional SMEs. Successful SMEs
are supported by a dedicated PhD research student for three years, as well as
gaining access to senior academic researchers and university research facilities.
The project is targeted at supporting businesses in (or hoping to access) the
priority sectors identified in the economic plans of the North East and Tees
Valley Local Enterprise Partnership. The ultimate aim of the IIIP is to
encourage a culture of innovation that benefits business, leading to greater
export opportunities and increased graduate employment, particularly in science
and engineering.
https://www.durham.ac.uk/research/helping-business/intensive-industrial-innovation-programme/
Creative Fuse
A unique partnership between the five
universities which has supported small businesses in the creative, cultural and
digital sectors, helping boost innovation, create jobs, and attract additional
funding.
https://www.creativefusene.org.uk/
Insights North East
A partnership between the NHS, North of Tyne Combined
Authority, Newcastle City Council, and the Universities of Newcastle and Northumbria,
which aims to improve the links between research and policy.
https://insightsnortheast.co.uk/
