Universities partnership 'a blueprint' for others

The Universities for North East England partnership could be a blueprint for the rest of the UK, an MP has told an event in Parliament.

Chris McDonald, Labour MP for Stockton North, said Universities for North East England (UNEE) was an ‘incredibly important alliance’, providing a single, unified voice for the region, and it had the ‘utmost support’ of himself and his Parliamentary colleagues.

Speaking at a UNEE event in Parliament on Monday 12 May, Mr McDonald said universities were facing ‘tough times’ and needed to consider their purpose and how to operate in the national interest. The event brought together politicians, policy makers, business leaders, universities and other partners.

 

They must be embedded in their ‘place’, he said, and commended each UNEE member: Durham for its energy research; Northumbria for its work on space technology; Newcastle for widening access to university; Sunderland for its medical research; and Teesside for its progress towards a medical school.

Also speaking at the event, Kim McGuinness, Mayor of North East England, said she was very grateful that the region’s universities had come together as UNEE, the collective had ‘massive potential’, and she was excited about what could be achieved.

What is Universities for North East England?

A unified voice of higher education in North East England, advocating for evidence-based policy development, investment, and widening access and participation in higher education.

Last week, UNEE universities secured £8.9 million for a five-year programme to strengthen collaboration between universities, businesses and others to drive growth and create jobs. They are also working with the North East Combined Authority on significant support for spin out businesses.

 ‘Skills, growth, collaboration’

Also addressing the event was Baroness Elliott of Whitburn Bay, a Labour member of the House of Lords and former MP for Sunderland Central.

She identified three priorities: skills for the future; growing business and encouraging investment; and collaboration.

The five universities support more than 50,000 jobs, are educating 125,000 students – many of whom are the first in their family to attend university, have attracted £200 million in research income, and over the next few years expect to train 11,000 nurses, 4,000 medics, and 8,000 teachers, she said.

Identifying ‘a moment of challenge and new possibilities’, Baroness Elliott said UNEE’s work was of national significance – ‘not only timely, but vital’; pledged the Government would work with UNEE; and called on business to back the partnership.

“At a time when politics can feel fragmented and institutions, stretched, UNEE offers a powerful example of working together for shared outcomes – not competing for prestige, but co-operating for progress,” she said.

Marco Amitrano, Alliance Senior Partner of the multinational professional services network PricewaterhouseCoopers and a Newcastle University graduate, highlighted the 1,100 new businesses spun out of UNEE universities since 2014, and called on Government and business to back the partnership.

Professor Andy Long, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive at Northumbria University, said: “It was a privilege to introduce Universities for North East England (UNEE) to partners old and new at Westminster, providing an opportunity to showcase the collective power, impact and ambition of the region’s five universities. It was inspiring to hear from Chris McDonald MP, Baroness Elliott of Whitburn Bay and Marco Amitrano, who celebrated our shared commitment to the economic, social and cultural success of the North East and highlighted their support for the UNEE partnership.

"As five independent institutions, we each bring unique strengths to the region. Building on the foundations we've laid, our vision for the future is to work even more collaboratively through Universities for North East England, forging deeper connections with businesses and local communities to advance opportunity for people in the region. This includes working together to enable more academic spinouts and graduate start-ups to flourish, driving innovation, creating jobs and supporting economic growth in the North East and beyond.”

Find out more:

Explore the Universities for North East England website.

Read about the North East Strategic Commercialisation project.

The universities of UNEE and York work together on Northern Accelerator, which creates impact from research, commercialising innovation and boosting the region’s economy.

For more information about UNEE, please contact info@unee.ac.uk.