News

Universities launch regional mission

(27 February 2002)

Universities make a big difference to life in the North East and their special contribution is put under the spotlight on 4 March.

As well as employing over 15,000 people and teaching some 80,000 students, the universities of Durham, Newcastle, Northumbria, Sunderland, Teesside and the Open University play a major part in areas such as business development, healthcare, economic regeneration and the cultural life of the region.

With a combined turnover of more than £500 million, the region’s universities also have a tremendous impact on the local economy.

The benefits to the North East and its people have been summed up in a special report that is being launched at the National Glass Centre, in Sunderland, to other employers, policy-makers and economic planners. Sectors include electronics, finance, health services, training and skills organisations, the arts and media, education partners and local and national government.

Called the Regional Mission, it is one of nine reports commissioned by Universities UK and the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to provide a national picture of the value of universities.

The launch is being organised by Universities for the North East, a group that encourages collaboration in higher education.

Its chairman Professor Sir Kenneth Calman, who is also vice-chancellor and warden of Durham University, said: "Our active participation on regional affairs has resulted in the universities being placed at the heart of the regional economy, as declared in the regional economic strategy produced by One NorthEast."

The report highlights many different ways in which universities make a difference:-

* Business development is encouraged through university-backed organisations like Knowledge House, which helps companies access the skills, expertise and specialist equipment within the universities.

* Regional policy on urban and rural regeneration is informed through research centres at Newcastle, Durham and Northumbria. The universities also contribute directly with expansion and redevelopment of their campuses, most notably in recent years at Stockton, Middlesbrough and Sunderland.

* Raising the regional skills level is achieved through the supply of graduates and opportunities for further study through lifelong learning schemes, continuous professional development facilities and, of course, the Open University.

* Universities are involved extensively in the cultural activity and heritage of the North East through museums, theatres, galleries, libraries and sporting facilities as well as teaching and research.

* They are also a central element in the health and social well-being of the region, through the medical school at Newcastle (now partnered in a new course by Durham at its Stockton Campus), the School of Health and Social Care on Teesside and work with groups such as Health Action Zones.

The Regional Mission also highlights the way in which the North East’s universities, while competing for students and resources, have agreed work together for the good of the region.