Written evidence from the University of
the West of England, Bristol
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
— Universities are economic generators
in their own right and operate in national and international markets
which bring innovation, growth and inward investment to local
economies. — Incoming LEPs need to recognise the importance
of universities including their potential to provide strategic
leadership and strengthen local enterprise and innovation through
provision of cutting edge academic support to business. This must
not be diluted.
— With a large existing range of interactions
with business and the community, Universities can act as efficient
expert brokers for partnerships.
— LEP activity must demonstrate impact
and value to all partners and benefit the local economy.
— Bristol has the most competitive and
productive economy of any large English city outside of London.
This provides a valuable launch pad for economic growth driven
by the private sector.
— Skills support needs to deliver against
both individual and business requirements customised to deliver
both economic value and wider participation. Universities are
ideally placed to deliver against LEP requirements.
— University networks span local administrative
boundaries.
— The Knowledge Transfer Partnerships programme
(KTP) is a highly successful tool for knowledge exchange and business
support between Higher Education and the private and public sectors.
— Plans for an ordered transition to the
new framework need to ensure that value from previous activity
is built upon.
— It will be important that arrangements
for access to EU funding are not adversely affected by the new
LEP structures.
THE SUBMITTER
1. The University of the West of England
(UWE) is a modern, growing university in the thriving harbourside
city of Bristol. UWE Bristol is one of Britain's most popular
universities with around 30,000 students and 3,000 staff and is
the largest provider of Higher Education in the South West of
England. Students come to UWE from all parts of the UK, as well
as a significant and growing number of international students
from nearly 100 countries worldwide.
2. UWE is at the hub of some truly dynamic
and engaging collaborations that have a real impact on the world
around us. Interactions with thousands of business and community
organisations bring together knowledge, experience, networks and
facilities to deliver the very best student experience and teaching
while generating innovative solutions to some big issues.
3. Our students benefit from a curriculum
that is informed by employers and professional bodies, guest lecturers
at the top of their careers and a diverse range of exciting, contemporary
projects. Impressive employment statistics show how employers
value UWE graduates. http://www.uwe.ac.uk/aboutUWE/uwe.shtml
FACTUAL INFORMATION
AND RECOMMENDATIONS
4. Following on from the letter concerning
Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) from the Secretary of State
for Business, Innovation and Skills, Rt Hon Dr Vince Cable MP,
we recognise an opportunity for UWE to play a pivotal role in
both shaping and supporting local LEPs. Whilst the letter recognises
the importance of universities to the local economy, it does not
highlight the contribution that HE institutions make to economic
growth and their potential to provide strategic leadership and
strengthen local enterprise through provision of cutting edge
academic support to business.
5. Universities can best serve the government's
needs by highlighting this aspect of our role and by articulating
how we can best aid economic growth and the work of the LEPs going
forward.
6. University of the West of England, Bristol
(UWE) supports "right player" identification as leadership
at local level which is key to achieving civic and public engagement.
UWE has a strong record in working with Local Authorities, public
sector organisations and sector networks to drive the South West
Economy forward. We would support the LEPs including locally elected
members and direct business involvement at strategic level.
7. Meaningful engagement from business needs
long term involvement with key anchor institutions and companies
whose activity is likely to be directly engaged in the intial
target areas of the LEP. Activity must demonstrate impact and
value to all partners and the local economy (size of employee
base/financial contribution to local economy/wider community engagement).
8. The Bristol economy has been relatively
resilient during the recession and will return to growth quickly
as a centre for those sectors of the economy set to blossom in
coming years, eg creative industries, microelectronics, advanced
engineering including aerospace and environmental technologies.
The significance of Bristol's contribution to future UK economic
growth is highlighted by the fact that, outside of London, Bristol
produced the highest level of private sector employment growth
in England between 1998-2008 (Centre for Cities, 2010). These
knowledge intensive industries attract and retain high level skills
and are key building blocks for economic recovery.
9. In the West of England area (around Bristol
and Bath), there are a range of world class organisations that
could provide options for a LEP anchor focus. Companies include
Airbus UK, Rolls Royce, Aardman Animations, BBC, AXA, Toshiba
Research Europe, ST Microelectronics, Lloyds TSB, Orange, Hewlett
Packard, Environment Agency, Garrad Hassan and the Procurement
arm of the MoD.
10. Providers of education and expertise
must also be viewed as key partners (HE and FE). Universities
are economic generators in their own right and operate in national
and international markets which bring inward investment to local
economies.
11. UWE is home to a number of enterprising
and inspiring partnership schemes to facilitate and drive collaborations
and get new ideas off the ground. Examples of UWE's strategic
partnerships which could also provide a focus for LEP engagement
include:
Pervasive Media Studio
UWE, BBC and Hewlett Packard created a multi-disciplinary
laboratory exploring and producing pervasive media content, applications
and services aimed at growing new business ideas. This was opened
by the then Chancellor of the Exchequer in 2008 and cited as an
example of best practice. http://www.pmstudio.co.uk/about-pervasive-media-studio
Bristol BBC Anchor Project
Bristol already has an undisputed reputation
for creation of world-class content from the BBC Natural History
Unit drawing upon cutting edge skills, and research strengths
in innovative digital media and mobile technologies. A key aim
of this collaboration is to build on this expertise in the development
of a media innovation testbed. http://bristol-bbc-anchor.org/
Bloodhound SSC project
Rolls Royce and Intel are amongst key international
collaborators in the forthcoming world landspeed record attempt
(1000mph) in which UWE is a founder partner. UWE is leading the
university level engagement activity and has set up Bloodhound@University.
The university has developed teaching material and projects for
use with engineering and other students at schools and colleges
with colleagues from Southampton, Swansea and a growing number
of other universities aimed at inspiring interest in the STEM
subjects. The project is exciting global interest. http://www.bloodhoundssc.com/
The Bristol and West of England Continuing Professional
Development in Aerospace (CPDA):
Aerospace is a key sector for the sub region
and UWE. This is a part time professional postgraduate programme
aimed at people working in industry led by UWE with support from
the University of Bristol. Companies supporting the programme
include Airbus UK, Agusta Westland, Marshall Aerospace, Rolls-Royce
Plc, QinetiQ and the MOD. CPDA offers flexible part time study
options such as short courses, bespoke training as well as Postgraduate
Masters qualifications. http://www.cpda.org.uk/
BRIG-H
Brig-H is an ambitious Bristol-wide strategic
research and innovation partnership to realise the full potential
of research and innovation to benefit patient health. The partners
in BRIG-H are: University of West of England, University of Bristol,
University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, North Bristol
NHS Trust, NHS Bristol, Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership
NHS Trust. http://www.bris.ac.uk/fmd/brig-h.html
12. There is obvious disparity between job
losses in high growth businesses and from the public sector and
a disproportionate number of local public sector jobs may be at
risk. It will be important to provide access to the whole skills
continuum locally (HE and FE) in order to support longer term
engagement by businesses and individuals in enterprise and innovation
and to support sustainable private sector growth and jobs.
13. Large universities like the University
of the West of England are able to support the whole range of
higher skills required and to deliver flexibly in the workplace.
UWE has bucked the national trend amongst UK universities on improving
the prospects for unemployed graduates by instituting a basket
of options through its Solutions4Recession Programme which can
be customised to individual and company requirements. http://rbi.uwe.ac.uk/solutions/
14. This closer match with industry requirement
also offers a timely step by step approach to individual engagement
with training and personal development and support to people who
have been out of touch with a culture of learning. UWE's programme
of paid internship opportunities have proved very popular in the
marketplace and can be targetted at under represented groups and
support community engagement. http://www.uwe.ac.uk/careers/graduateinternships/
15. High growth is obviously an aspiration
for targetted business support but we feel that there needs to
be clarity on how that is interpreted. Much extra value could
be gained by operating across genuine economic areas in key sectors.
Less than a one hour's drive time around Bristol includes Cardiff,
Gloucester and Swindon. University networks already span these
administrative and national boundaries and could be supported
by the Regional Growth Fund through coordinated LEP bidding.
16. The prospect of limited Business Link
support will need new constructs both via the LEPs and centrally.
It would be a mistake to rely on arms length signposting or a
retread of current solutions through third parties. It has been
conclusively proved that the more customised the diagnosis of
organisational need and the less generic the advice, the faster
is the route to progress. Universities are a valuable source of
knowledge and innovation which benefit start ups as well as local
business. We need to ensure that the economic role of universities
in local economies is maximised to ensure connectivity between
companies and the knowledge base.
17. A key tool for knowledge exchange and
business support between HE and the business sector is the Knowledge
Transfer Partnerships programme. KTPs deliver significant commercial
and economic value, higher level skills and organisational learning
between Universities and industry. Such projects can change a
company's culture and future growth prospects as well as benefit
profitability in the short term. They also develop a new generation
of change managers with both technological and management skills.
UWE has been one of the largest partners in KTP since the late
1980s and and in the last ten years has delivered projects to
a value of £5.5m with attendant GVA and jobs. It is important
that the advent of the LEPs supports these interactions at a local
level as well as through national policy. http://www.ktponline.org.uk/
18. The speed of change needs to include
plans for an ordered transition to the new framework in order
to ensure that where value exists from previous activity that
is built upon. Partnership universities such as UWE invest in
long term strategic engagements with industry stakeholders and
key academic partners. UWE's specialist multi disciplinary institutes
aim to enhance local, national and international collaboration
bringing industry and Higher Education together to inform policy
development. Collaborations with the University of Bristol include
the National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement, Bristol
Robotics Laboratory, Science City and Bristol and Bath Science
Park (with University of Bath). LEPs will need to recognise and
benefit from the potential for further economic impact from existing
activity.
19. It will be important that arrangements
for access to EU funding are not adversely affect by the new LEP
structures. This needs to be continued in a seamless manner as
EU funding sources are a essential support to HE engagement with
business and the wider community. Without a regional structure,
these could connect to a competitive stream based on national
priorities where LEPs could join together to achieve greater market
penetration.
16 August 2010
APPENDIX
EVIDENCE FOR HOUSE OF COMMONS SELECT COMMITTEE
ON LOCAL ENTERPRISE PARTNERSHIPS.
University of the West of England, Bristol
12 August 2010
1. EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY UWE'S
KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE
STRATEGY
— A key component of the Vision for UWE
is that, by 2012, we will be "a University that is an internationally
acknowledged centre for knowledge exchange, drawing upon its excellent
teaching, scholarship and research in order to prepare students
for the various needs and challenges of work and society".
— To grow our many areas of excellent knowledge
exchange so that we are able to thrive in an intensely competitive
and increasingly global marketplace, we need to focus our energies,
identify key audiences and ensure we are a first-rate partner
for businesses, the public-sector and communities.
— Equally, to sustain our commitment to
knowledge exchange we need to create schemes that recognise staff
involvement and achievement in a wider spectrum of activity than
has previously been the case, and which supports staff involvement
in business, community and public engagement.
— Knowledge Exchange is more than merely
a "third stream" revenue creation scheme. Our vision
for Knowledge Exchange is predicated on our long standing and
deep responsibility as a Civic University, contributing to wider
social agendas, developing civilising values, engaged with a spectrum
of stakeholders, making a positive difference to our students,
business and society.
— The Vision of UWE as a leader in Knowledge
Exchange requires a broad platform of activities that is built
on three interlocking layers of engagement and externally-facing
endeavor—with business, community and the wider public.
2. SPECIALIST
EMPLOYABILITY SUPPORT
FROM UWE
(Customised support programmes for businesses
and graduates impacted by the recession currently funded by BIS
via HEFCE and delivered across UWE faculties, careers service
and business development departments also linking with external
partners in FE and skills projects)
Solutions4Recession
http://rbi.uwe.ac.uk/solutions/
UWE Graduate Internship programmes
http://www.uwe.ac.uk/careers/graduateinternships/
Client Feedback
"I am completely happy for Solutions4Recession
to quote my Feedback. It is vital that the Government maintain
support for such outstanding services. It is we who are likely
to gain and make good use of them, and thus find the right way
back to the right work at a sustainable level and/or find self-employment/small
business solutions, and thus help to regenerate the economy and
the community!"
I found the professional attitude, quality of
commitment and all hand-outs to be the best I have experienced
in years. The standard of support and help and after care is and
has been brilliant, and to be treated with respect and sensitivity
at all times has given me back some trust in myself. I found that
as these people were highly professional and skilled they could
deliver to groups and the individual at the same time. So at all
times my needs felt met. I still have a long way to go it seems
in finding a job, and getting my own small business up and running.
But due to Solutions4Recession I feel I am progressing in the
correct way. All course contents and one to ones have been invaluable,
insightful and made a lasting impression. Also, all were conducted
within good environments, correct boundaries with other facilities
of a really high standard.
All I can say is thank you so much. I do so
hope funding is continued as these services are very important
for people such as myself, caught between age groups and highly
qualified /skilled professionals. I have been at the top and know
professionalism, but the JSA scenario just doesn't comprehend
people such as myself in need of a professional high calibre attitude
and input to get back into the market place at the correct level
within the right milieu.
I am so glad to be able to give you positive
feedback. I even asked if I could do some work within these courses
and then heard that they are due to end at the end of September.
To me that is a tragedy".
(Received 12 August 2010—contact details
are available. UWE is hoping to extend the service in some form
following the end of the funding support perhaps through engagement
with LEPs).
3. SCIENCE CITY
BRISTOL AND
BATH
A partnership across three universities (Bristol,
Bath and UWE), local authorities, legal firms, Science Park, and
regional development agency now incorporated as a company to Science
City Bristol will support and develop the area's science and innovation
assets to deliver sustainable economic and social benefit by:
— Bringing business, academia and government
together.
— Creating a more connected scientific
community.
— Promoting the area's scientific achievements
to help us attract even more world-leading scientific enterprise
and research.
Creating a culture for all which understands
and celebrates science and technology
http://sciencecitybristol.com/
4. NATIONAL COMPOSITES
CENTRE ON
BRISTOL SCIENCE
PARK (SPARK)
The NCC is a £25 million investment supported
by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the
South West RDA (Regional Development Agency). Opening in summer
2011 at SPark, the Bristol and Bath Science Park will bring together
dynamic companies and enterprising academics to develop new technologies
for the design and rapid manufacture of high-quality composite
products. The Bristol city-region is already at the forefront
of composites development, both as a research hub and as a manufacturing
base, and the NCC will capitalise and build on this. Partners
include: University of Bristol, GE Aviation, Airbus, GKN, Rolls
Royce, Augusta Westland and BIS.
— Provide manufacturing facilities at an
industrial scale and rapid manufacturing processes capable of
building prototypes to validate design concepts.
— Be the hub of the UK's effort to develop
and implement rapid composite manufacturing technologies and systems.
— Lead the co-ordination of a strengthened
network of regional centres of composites excellence.
— Provide direction and focus for fundamental
research and collaborative links with UK universities.
— Help to develop and co-ordinate training
to support the skills base necessary for applying advanced and
specialist composite technologies
http://www.nationalcompositescentre.co.uk/
| 
