The Role of Northwest Universities in Raising the UK’s Business Competitiveness

1. Northwest Region

The Northwest is already, for most, a very good place to live, work, learn, visit and invest. It is a £119bn economy with 6.9 million people and 250,000 businesses. The Northwest has a number of key assets and opportunities on which to build its future success and provide a focus for driving international competitiveness. There are specific sectors and technologies where the region is well placed to compete internationally as well as a range of other assets we can develop and exploit. The new Regional Strategy 2010 seeks to build on our regional distinctiveness by:

Developing our strengths in internationally competitive sectors Strengthening our concentration of knowledge-based assets driven by our universities and

science and innovation base Improving our international connectivity through Manchester Airport and the Liverpool

Superport and Developing our world-class sporting/culture/quality of place offer and the attraction of

Manchester, Liverpool, Chester and the Lake District as international destination.

Northwest Universities have had, and continue to have, a key role in delivering the strategic vision, and this documents highlights the key strengths and the value that the Universities based in the Northwest bring to our economy. HEIs are important economy shapers through their roles in education and skills provision; in research and knowledge exchange; and more generally to the development of the knowledge-based economy through thought leadership. They play significant roles as place makers, contributing to the character and brand of the region’s towns and cities, and through providing other cultural, community and civic assets.

2. Impact of Northwest Universities to the Northwest Economy

The Northwest has a vibrant and diverse HE sector, consisting of 14 HEIs plus the Open University’s NW base. The HE sector is an asset to the Northwest region, employing over 36,000 people1, with 74,395 graduates in 2007/08), and 70% of graduates going into employment being retained in the region2. Considerable world-leading Research and Development takes place, as highlighted in the RAE assessment rankings.3 Overall, Northwest HEIs and their graduates contributed c.£3.5bn to the regional economy in 2007. The main contribution of the HEI sector to the economy comes through the deployment of the knowledge and skills of its graduates. Using data on graduate earnings’ premium and based on the number of Northwest HEI graduates entering employment in the region in the last ten years, we estimate the contribution to the region’s GVA in 2007 as c.£2bn. HEIs’ business and community interactions in 2007 generated:

Contract research, consultancy services and facilities equipment for clients in the region to the value of £27.7m

CPD/CE to individuals, businesses and other non-commercial organisations in the region to the value of £23.4m

Licensing IP to businesses and non-commercial organisations in the region to the value of £0.4m

Contributions to new company formation summarised as: 1 HESA Staff Record 2006/7 (Excluding the Open University)2 HESA Student Record 2006/7 – figures for 2005/63 Research Assessment Exercise 2008, percentage of staff rated as 4* (world-leading) where the proportion of NW compared to UK is higher than 11% (which corresponds to the relative size of the NW in simple population terms)

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o 25 spin-offs with formal HEI ownership o 6 spin-offs with no HEI ownership o 8 start-ups by HEI staff members o 254 start-ups by graduates in06/07 and 165 in 2007/8

Estimated employment (full time equivalents) in all active firms (all categories) at 2006-7 is 1,676 FTEs

Estimated total turnover in all active firms at 2006-7 of £64.8m, and £71m in 2007/08) Annual income from sale of shares in spin-offs of £6.4m

The spend of HEIs in the Northwest on employment, goods and services and capital projects generates output in the Northwest economy of c.£1.8bn p.a. and contributes c.£1.1bn p.a. GVA. Students also spend a significant amount within the economy, generating demand on and output from businesses in the region. Total off-campus student expenditure in 2006/07 is estimated to be c.£2.7bn. The expenditure in the region by incoming students only is estimated to be c.£993m, generating £432m of GVA for the regional economy.

Participation by Northwest HEIs in regeneration and development programmes has attracted funding from sources external to the Northwest region of £27m and from sources within the region of £14.8m.

3. Capability supporting key sectors

We have a number of industrial sectors where we have the potential to be world-class, including energy and environmental technologies including nuclear, advanced manufacturing/engineering (including aerospace), biomedical and digital, creative and media. These align well with the focus for New Industries New Jobs, and in all of these areas HEI activity is substantial, with the depth and breadth to respond to the challenges that the NINJ paper describes.

The following section outlines the key sectors for the region and highlights examples of specific research capacity in Northwest Universities to support this.

ADVANCED MANUFACTURINGAerospaceThe Northwest is the UK’s largest centre of aerospace manufacturing in employment and overseas income generation. It provides one third of the UK’s entire aerospace turnover with £6.3bn annual sales, with 75% of sales being exported.

Major industry players include OEMs of BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce as well as other key companies such as Aircelle (part of Saffran Group), APPH and Brookhouse. BAE’s Warton and Samlesbury sites are renowned as world-class manufacturing facilities. More than 100 aircraft types have their roots in the Northwest.

Aerospace expertise University of Manchester – UMARI, which operates on an interdisciplinary basis, bringing

together every aspect of aerospace research. The Doctoral Training Centre in Advanced Metallic Systems provides a national training centre for doctoral scientists and engineers in metallurgy and related disciplines. The Advanced Metallic Systems centre is a collaboration between The University of Sheffield and The University of Manchester. The Power Conversion Group includes the Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre in Electrical Systems for Extreme Environments

University of Bolton – Bolton Automotive and Aerospace Research Group - a leading research centre of excellence in the field of Structural Crashworthiness, Impact Biomechanics, and Safety and Accident Investigation

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University of Central Lancashire – Applied Digital Signal and Image Processing Research Centre - focuses on signal and image processing applied to aerospace non-destructive evaluation (NDE)

AutomotiveThe Northwest is the UK’s second largest automotive region for the manufacture of both vehicles and vehicle components. 60% of products are exported, twice the national average. Globally acclaimed marques include Bentley, Vauxhall, Jaguar/Land Rover, Leyland Trucks / PACCAR.

There are over 500 automotive companies and a highly skilled workforce of 43,000 employees generating £9bn turnover per year.  There is annual production of 220,000 cars covering the markets for volume, prestige, heritage and sports in addition to 20,000 trucks. Jaguar and Land Rover’s Halewood plant is one of the world’s most advanced automotive facilities. General Motors’ Vauxhall plant at Ellesmere Port produces the best-selling Astra. This includes the recently launched new-generation Astra, one of only 4 GM plants worldwide.

Automotive Expertise: University of Manchester – Electric and Hybrid-Electric Vehicle Systems Group - The drive to reduce emissions and increase energy efficiency has provided added urgency to the development of electric vehicles. This group is currently working with a number of vehicle and equipment manufacturers to devise more efficient, light-weight solutions for future electric and hybrid-electric vehicle systems.ChemicalsIt is the largest centre for chemical manufacturing in UK, generating almost £10bn in sales, almost a quarter of UK sector output. 60% of the world’s Top 50 companies are based in the region. The sector employs 43,000 highly skilled employees helping support a further 120,000 jobs. Major businesses include Unilever, PZ Cussons, Brunner Mond, INEOS Group, Fuji Film and Shell UK. A high sector productivity with GVA of £55,000 per employee.

Chemicals Expertise: The Knowledge Centre for Materials Chemistry is a virtual centre of expertise providing

multi-disciplinary research and innovative knowledge transfer based on world class capabilities in applied materials chemistry. A single point of contact for companies of all sizes to access a substantial range of facilities and expertise in applied materials chemistry. The centre brings together leading edge academic research facilities, knowledge and expertise in applied materials chemistry at the universities of Bolton, Liverpool, Manchester and the molecular modelling capabilities of the Science and Technology Facilities Council at Daresbury.

The University of Central Lancashire - The Centre for Materials Science (CMS) brings together research staff and students studying interdisciplinary subjects including: Novel materials, Materials processes and Theoretical Modelling.

Lancaster University –Centre for Chemicals Management (CCM) has been established to provide an integrated approach covering all aspects of chemical fate, behaviour and effects.

University of Liverpool - The Centre for Materials Discovery (CMD) champions the use of high throughput (HT) technologies for materials research.

Liverpool John Moores University - The Drug Delivery and Materials Science research group brings together researchers in chemistry, polymer science, materials science, pharmaceutics and biological sciences encouraging a multidisciplinary approach to research.

Advanced Flexible materials65% of the UK market, making the Northwest the largest cluster of advanced flexible materials manufacturers in Europe, with an annual turnover of £2.5bn, 25,000 employees in 350 companies. The sector services the technology-manufacturing sectors such as defence, aerospace, automotive, biomedical.

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High strength composites have gained great acceptance in areas where their lightweight and exceptional strength outweighs cost issues, for example in the aerospace sector. Improvements in materials and labour intensive manufacturing processes mean composites can be used economically in a growing number of applications and industries.

Advanced Flexible Materials Expertise: Northwest Composites Centre - established by the Universities of Bolton, Lancaster,

Liverpool and Manchester to create a centre of international scientific reputation to the benefit of industry. A research centre offering new, low energy, rapid manufacturing techniques for industry and academia

Composites Certification and Evaluation Facility (CCEF) - The £4.7m funding allocated by the NWDA is backed by additional funds and in-kind support provided by the university and Industry that will bring the value of the programme to £8.2m.  It will work directly with industry to allow the qualification of flight critical parts by companies with limited resources and possibly limited experience in working with composite materials

Manchester Metropolitan University - The Centre for Materials Science Research specialises in the production of novel materials, the evaluation of their properties and the modification and characterisation of surfaces for a wide range of applications, academic and industrial.

ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIESLow carbon expertise:Whilst Northwest academic research activities change regularly, a snapshot includes:

Power systems (Manchester, Liverpool) Wave and tidal technology (Lancaster, Liverpool and Manchester) Nuclear engineering and its impacts (Manchester, UCLan and Lancaster) PV cells and materials (Manchester, Salford & Bolton) Micro generation (Manchester & UCLAN) Built environment (Salford, Liverpool, UCLan and Manchester) Intelligent monitoring and sensors (Liverpool, Salford, Manchester) Catalysts and fuel cells (Liverpool, Salford, Manchester) Energy efficiency of large industrial processes and refineries (Manchester, UCLan) Socio-economic analysis, impact and assessment and energy policy (Lancaster, UCLan,

Manchester, MMU, Salford, Manchester) Energy from waste, anaerobic digestion (Liverpool, Manchester) Energy storage (Salford, Manchester) Aviation and sustainable energy (MMU, Manchester) Hydro-power technology (Lancaster) Environmental impacts of energy systems (Lancaster, Liverpool, UCLan)

In particular, there are a number of key centres which provides specific expertise in this area.

Joule Centre for Energy Research & Development – supports the NW Energy Council to exploit opportunities in energy.

University of Manchester - The Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre - a focal point for research on electrical systems for extreme environments. Rolls-Royce opened the centre at the University in 2004 to pursue research into innovative electrical technologies for aerospace, marine and energy applications.

University of Salford - Energy Centre - a focus on the development of renewable energy resources, including micro-generation. It is developing Hydrogen Storage Technology which can be utilised in the automotive sector.

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NuclearOne of world’s largest concentrations of nuclear facilities with world class expertise in nuclear R&D, with home to four of the UK’s ten proposed new nuclear sites. The sector has 25,000 highly skilled employees, comprising over half of the UK nuclear workforce, and 300 businesses contributing to £3 billion annual turnover.

Major businesses include Westinghouse, Urenco, Amec and Serco as well as headquarters of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, the National Skills Academy for Nuclear and the National Nuclear Laboratory.  It is the only UK region to have capability across the whole fuel cycle, from fuel enrichment via electricity generation through to decommissioning.

Nuclear Strengths University of Manchester - Materials Performance, Radiochemistry, Engineering and

Sustainability Lancaster University is home to the Lloyd's Register Educational Trust Chair in Nuclear

Engineering and Decommissioning and runs highly successful, industry based Masters programmes in Nuclear Safety and Decommissioning

The University of Liverpool has a radiometrics research group specialising in instrumentation and modelling

The Nuclear Technology Education Consortium, based in Manchester, is a consortium of UK universities and other institutions providing postgraduate education in Nuclear Science & Technology

There are extensive facilities at the Institute of Materials at the University of Salford for the study of atomic collisions

The University of Central Lancashire is home to the new John Tyndall Nuclear Research Institute with expertise in fuel cycle and analytical science, ventilation engineering and contaminated land remediation. In addition UCLan offers a number of Foundation Degrees, many delivered in West Cumbria, which have been created for the nuclear industry (e.g. Nuclear Related Technologies, Nuclear Decommissioning).

The University of Bolton’s Centre for Materials Research and Innovation has key strengths in the modelling, design and development of advanced materials of relevance to the Nuclear Industry as well as in methods for the detection of radiolytic products in foods and human body fluids

West Lakes Research Institute in Cumbria has expertise in epidemiology and radiological assessment modelling

BIOMEDICALThe Northwest is Europe’s largest biomanufacturing region, with over 200 companies and 20,000 highly skilled employees.  We are the leading exporter of pharmaceuticals (UK #2) with the U’Ks largest balance of trade with significant output of vaccines. 

Seven multinational pharmaceutical companies - AstraZeneca, Novartis, Eli Lilly, Sanofi Aventis, Bristol Myers Squibb, Teva and Mediummune are based in the Northwest, with home to AstraZeneca’s largest global R&D site at Alderley Park, Cheshire. 

One of Europe’s leading biopharmaceutical design centres, the £34m National Biomanufacturing Centre, is based in Speke, Liverpool.  It provides significant healthcare, diagnostics analytics and clinical supply chain sector including: Molnlycke, Baxter, Terumo, Fresenius-Kabi, Unilever, Depuy (J&J), Applied Biosystems, Waters Corporation, Shimadzu, Thermo Fisher, ICON.

Biomedical strengths: The National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) has established eleven Biomedical

Research Centres across England. These centres are focussed on “translational” research that will take advances in basic medical research out of the laboratory and into the hospital clinic.

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o The NIHR Specialist Biomedical Research Centre in Microbial Disease is based in Liverpool with strategic partners including the University of Liverpool, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool Primary Care Trust, North West Development Agency, NHS Northwest (NW Regional Strategic Health Authority) and TrusTECH

o The NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) is a partnership between the Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and The University of Manchester. The Manchester BRC focuses on genetics and developmental medicine

o Northwest Institute for Biohealth Information (NIBHI) is a collaborative venture between the Universities of Manchester, Liverpool, Lancaster, Central Lancashire (UCLAN), Salford, Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) and AstraZeneca. The central mission of NIBHI is to facilitate the application of Bio-Health Informatics theory into practice and to ensure that Bio-Health Informatics research is informed by the needs of the biological and clinical research communities and those of the regional pharmaceutical and biotechnology sector

The UK Centre for Tissue Regeneration - University of Manchester - The UKCTR Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) Clean Laboratory is the first of its kind in the Northwest to engage in the quality controlled production of tissue engineered and stem cell constructs and operates within stringent regulatory requirements. It facilitate research into tissue engineering, injury and repair

The North West Embryonic Stem Cell Centre (NWESCC) - a joint project between Central Manchester NHS Trust and The University of Manchester, the Paterson Institute for Cancer Research and the University of Liverpool

The Institute of Healthcare Science at Manchester Metropolitan University, which includes the world-class Institute for Biomedical Research into Human Movement and Health (IRM), is a group of biomedical researchers who work in close collaboration with local healthcare services, industry and the community to facilitate research ranging from molecular, micro and cellular biology to neurophysiology, whole body and biomechanical analyses of the regulation of human health and disease

Liverpool Knowledge Quarter - The knowledge assets in the bio-medical sector in the Liverpool Knowledge Quarter combine to offer probably the largest national grouping of complementary health and bioscience-related disciplines in Medicine, Veterinary Science and Tropical Medicine, including responses to many of the world’s most serious health challenges, including HIV and other retroviruses, malaria and obesity

Biochemistry, Drug Design and Cancer Research Centre – University of Salford - focuses on the biochemistry of development of anti-cancer drugs. The Centre has its own children’s cancer charity, Kidscan, based within the Centre and also works alongside major drug companies

FINANCIAL & PROFESSIONAL SERVICESThe UK’s largest financial and professional services location outside of London. A sector GVA of £11.7bn with 280,000 employees. The home to over 80 banks, 50% overseas-owned.

Major businesses include Royal Bank of Scotland, Co-operative Financial Services, Bank of New York Mellon, Bank of America/MBNA, Halliwells and Hill Dickinson.

Expertise:All Universities provide a strong synergy between applied research and enterprise, enabling knowledge transfer between academia and business, industry and the community via consultancy, funded projects, training, conferences and research, including:

The University of Bolton - MBA designed for small business owners, and has international connections

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The University of Chester – Chester Business School is a member of the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD), which provides networking opportunities with international business schools and companies worldwide.

The University of Cumbria – has a dedicated team of small enterprise support specialists whose expertise lies in the delivery of small business support and initiatives to help boost the regional economy.

The University of Central Lancashire – the Business School has established two Research Institutes, the Institute of International Business and the Institute for Innovation, Enterprise and Entrepreneurship.

Edge Hill University – current work in the Business School is investigating the most effective strategies for employing Cloud Computing as a widely used technology, addressing both the technical and governance aspects.

Lancaster University – Lancaster University Management School (LUMS) research undertaken engages with practice through policy bodies such as the EU and the Council for Excellence in Management and Leadership.

The University of Liverpool – the Management School is a leader in the research and teaching of transformational growth. The focus is on growing enterprises, growing innovation and growing communities and regions.

Liverpool John Moores University – Liverpool Business School (LBS) has external research activity in corporate governance, the banking and finance sectors, the Department of Health, local and regional health authorities, and local government authorities in the Northwest region.

Liverpool Hope University – is committed to social and economic transformation. The University of Manchester – Manchester University Business School (MUBS) delivers

programmes with global relevance, international perspective, and a focus on key management challenges.

Manchester Metropolitan University – Manchester Metropolitan University Business School (MMUBS) offers entrepreneurship and innovation, accounting and finance. With the city of Manchester emerging as the second largest financial and professional services centre after London, MMUBS was the first to create a qualification in partnership with the Institute of Financial Planning.

The Open University in the NW – the Open University Business School works with thousands of organisations to promote professional and management development.

The University of Salford – the Business School has a portfolio of programmes that deal with the wide concerns of modern businesses and organisations.

DIGITAL AND CREATIVE Europe’s second largest media hub with 31,000 businesses employing 320,000 individuals. Since 1995, the sector has expanded at around twice the rate of the overall UK economy, with growth consistently outstripping national performance. MediaCityUK4 at Salford Quays is one of only a handful of new media cities around the world. It will be home to 6 BBC departments, 1,000 media-related businesses and 15,000 employees. Major businesses include BBC, ITV Granada, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, Red Productions, Lime Pictures, and Trinity Mirror. Liverpool is home to the European headquarters of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, one of the world’s biggest games manufacturers

4 www.mediacityuk.co.uk

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MediaCity UKMediaCity UK is an ambitious 200 acre development at Salford Quays which will create a media hub with 10,000 jobs and support 1,150 creative businesses, the largest cluster outside London and the South East. The development will also complement a growing cluster of creative and digital organisations in Greater Manchester that inward investment agency MIDAS estimates totals 5,800 businesses and 64,000 employees. Salford University has become a key component in the wider regeneration plan and the MediaCity UK development and will invest over £200m over the coming years. The higher education community will be fully engaged with this development, particularly in the short to medium term, through the BBC Education and Community Partnerships and activity through the Create and Connect network. In addition, a large collaboration led by Salford University involving the BBC, Lancaster University, Goldsmiths College, Cambridge University and MIT with the support of NWDA and other regional agencies has been developed with an initial focus around a significant funding bid to the EPSRC. This aims to provide a framework for innovation and research in MediaCity UK.

Media Enterprise Centre at MediaCityUK – the MEC has the vision of being the enterprise and innovation hub at the heart of MediaCityUK, creating an international centre of expertise enabling UK businesses to access the global D&C market. Being market focussed, it will ensure that the activity is geared towards accessing the emergent digital content market in the UK and internationally. It will be a facility that joins businesses with the support they require to expand and flourish by providing links to international expertise in industry and science. When combined with the physical infrastructure investment already made and the range of already supported projects, the MEC is an opportunity to create a hub from which innovation and discovery can be turned into long term economic gains. The MEC is the type of ‘bridge’ that the Hauser Review encourages between the technological/scientific concept, and the commercialisation opportunity.

Digital and Creative expertise: HighWire – Lancaster University5 - based on expertise in IT, design and management.,

supported by a range of companies including: AT&T, BBC, BT, Clifford Chance, CSMTC, HP Labs, Knowledge Partners, Microsoft, Mott MacDonald, O2 and Sony in addition to 20 micro-businesses and SMEs in the Northwest.

The Digital Cluster - University of Salford6 combines and leads on informatics, digital media, and new and convergent technologies.

InfoLab21 – Lancaster University7 - a 300+ strong academia department, proficient in ICT research, business development and training personnel.

Media Factory - University of Central Lancashire 8 - home to Sandbox, the lead representative in the Northwest for engagement with the EU think tank on Digital Content – a cluster of digital media centres based across Europe led by Digibusiness Helsinki.

Edge Hill University – Grid and Autonomic computing - particular expertise in Web Systems Development and Software engineering, Grid and Autonomic computing.

4. Commercialisation

Universities are at the heart of the UK’s knowledge economy and contribute to business growth through collaborating with business, to exchange knowledge through research and consultancy activities, and fostering start-up and growth of new businesses through incubation and innovation centres, including spinning-out and spinning-in of businesses, and licensing of their intellectual property for exploitation by business. Notwithstanding distinctive individual institutional missions, a clear feature of the wider NW HEI landscape in recent times has been the stronger emphasis on working with business, and enabling access to knowledge and expertise, in order to maximise the beneficial impact of the sector on local and the Northwest regional economies. Mechanisms to achieve these objectives are now commonplace across the sector.

The breadth of the university role in this respect is significant and it is encouraging to see the importance attributed by the universities themselves to collaborating with industry, supporting small and medium enterprises (SMEs), addressing skills needs and technology transfer. However, supporting spin-off activity is a relatively low volume activity for all but the largest Universities.

To this end, the NWDA has supported Manchester University to become Britain’s largest, single site University. UMIP (The University of Manchester Intellectual Property) is helping to commercialise the University’s world leading research.

5 http://highwire.lancaster.ac.uk/. 6 http://www.digital.salford.ac.uk/. 7 http://www.infolab21.lancs.ac.uk/. 8 http://sandbox.uclan.ac.uk/home

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5. Research and Innovation

The research-base within the Northwest includes concentrations of world class research facilities and expertise, including one of the largest concentrations of Universities within Europe. Research expertise has already been highlighted in section 3, capability supporting key sectors.

The results of the latest Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) published in 2008 demonstrate the region’s research excellence, including work in areas identified as key priorities for the future development of the region. This is an indication of the sector’s importance to achieving future ambitions for the region’s industry and economy.

A summary for the region’s top 25 Units of Assessment in the RAE ranked by scale of research capacity (Full Time Equivalent active researchers) identifies particular strengths in:

Primary care and other community based clinical subjects, nursing and midwifery, allied health professionals, pharmacy, pre-clinical and human biological sciences, chemical engineering, metallurgy & materials, architecture and the built environment, business & management studies, library and information management, sociology, development studies, Iberian and Latin American Languages, Linguistics.

Some of the key locations for scientific research and innovation in the sub-regions are based around Universities, e.g. in Manchester (Manchester City South) and Liverpool (Knowledge Quarter). They provide significant economic opportunities by bringing together students, researchers, facilities and professional services in close proximity. The region has some long-standing facilities of importance, including the Daresbury Laboratory and Science and Innovation Campus; the Heath Business and Technical Park; and the National Nuclear Laboratory at Sellafield. There are also a number of more recent developments of relevance to engagement by the HE sector, including the Oxford Road Health and Biotechnology Corridors, the Lancaster Infolab and the Biomedical Research Centre in Liverpool.

The Northern Way’s N8 initiative at the supra-regional level has brought together a group of eight

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University of Manchester Intellectual PropertyNWDA supported the University of Manchester’s technology transfer company, University of Manchester Intellectual Property (UMIP) which helps to commercialise the University’s world-leading research. A limited company with almost 40 employees, UMIP is wholly owned by the University of Manchester. The company consists of faculty oriented business management teams backed up by a central corporate office which provides company secretarial, marketing, legal and financial expertise. UMIP’s key activities are managing IP created at the University, identifying, protecting and evaluating the commercial potential of research from all faculties and commercialising IP via the most appropriate route: sale, licence or spin-out. UMIP holds the University’s patent budget, manages its Proof of Principle awards and provides access to spinout investment funds via The UMIP Premier Fund and has access to an extensive network of industry experts, consultants, professional advisers and investors. UMIP has helped to create hundreds of jobs, has an annual rate of 20 licences with UK and international companies and regularly sells shares and collects royalties. In the last five years businesses that have emerged from the University have attracted over £150m in funding. UMIP raises £10-20m of venture capital funding per annum in support of its businesses and has total returns of over £200m.

Merseybio Bioincubator - University of LiverpoolAt the MerseyBio Incubator, an environment has been created that accelerates the successful development of new start-up businesses. The Centre is a state-of-the-art facility for developing biotechnology businesses that consist of Category 2 laboratory units and associated office spaceAvailable to house up to 15 companies at any one time.

research-intensive universities specifically to work with the business community. Teams of researchers from each of the universities are now working on programmes developed jointly with industry in the following areas: energy; sustainable water use; ageing and related health matters; regenerative medicine; and molecular engineering.

Northwest Innovation Vouchers

The Innovation Voucher project was developed to directly increase the number of businesses accessing/working with the knowledge base. This project is focused on ‘demand pull’ for knowledge whereas previous interventions had been ‘knowledge push’.

One thousand one hundred ‘Innovation Vouchers’ with a value of £3,000 and a further 150 larger £7,000 vouchers, which include a financial ‘match’ by the SME of £3,000, are available to small and medium sized businesses to encourage the use of the knowledge base to resolve innovation issues or problems facing those businesses.

The SMEs can ‘spend’ their voucher with one of the 26 knowledge providers which range from HEIs and FE colleges to private sector organisations, these providers were procured through an open tendering competition in the summer of 2008.

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Company: Magma EffectKnowledge Provider: Manchester Metropolitan UniversityInnovation Theme: New or Improved Service Development/consultancy

"The Innovation Voucher helped us in more ways than just one. It helped to review data within a unique psychometric diagnostic tool and analyse using SPSS and other appropriate tools to identify significant findings and advise on improvements. The process also succeeded in matching us with the perfect knowledge provider for our question: MMU Crewe had the right people, the right tools and the right approach to help us make the most of this opportunity."

Company: Harappa LtdKnowledge Provider: University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)Innovation Theme: New Product Design

The Innovation Voucher helped us to create a 3D digital asset that reflected the unique packaging design of our product that can be posted on the internet and on various flyers. The work included producing an animated storyboard, a shooting script, a 3D model of the character, shoot stop-frame animation and the production of a digital asset for incorporation within our website.

6. Collaboration

There is a well-established culture of collaboration between Universities and between the Universities, the NWDA and other important organisations such as the TSB and NW Science Council. These collaborations are seen across the wide spectrum of activities and provide strong foundations in making a step change in economic output for our region. A range of examples is highlighted below.

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The George Wright Brewery Ltd Knowledge Provider LJMU

George Wright Brewery Limited feel that small businesses tend to be reservoirs of creative talent and innovative thinking, they also tend to be very focused on the day to day challenge of survival and just running the business. This often means that they are not able to make the most of their creative energies. The George Wright Brewery Ltd, an award winning craft brewery based in St Helens recently found a way to break this deadlock; working with the Centre for Tourism, Consumer & Food Studies at Liverpool John Moores University in a project funded by the North West Development Agency’s Innovation Voucher Scheme the brewery met and asked Dr Leo Stevenson’s team to “flavour map” their best selling beers. This enabled them to move from anecdotal evidence about consumer opinions to hard facts with clear detailed data that the brewery can now use to develop beers for specific consumer niches.

Chief brewer Keith Wright commented; “We started this work with high expectations and they were exceeded. The structure and technical excellence that LJMU brought to this project have given us a very valuable insight into the relationship between recipe and consumer response. We can now use that data to make our beers even better. We won Silver at last year’s Great British Beer Festival so watch this space!”

Daresbury Science & Innovation Campus is a world class location for hi-tech business and leading edge science. It provides a unique environment for innovation and business growth, with knowledge sharing, collaboration and networking. Home to the ground breaking Daresbury Laboratory and the Cockcroft Institute as well as nearly 100 hi-tech companies, its stakeholders are the NWDA, the STFC, Halton Borough Council and the Universities of Liverpool, Lancaster and Manchester. The most recent development is the start of construction on Vanguard House, which will offer grow on space for the rapidly growing companies on the campus and will take NWDA’s total investment in the campus to £67m.

The IDEAS (Innovation Design Entrepreneurship And Science) at Daresbury project brings together the Lancaster University, University of Liverpool Management School, University of Manchester Business School and Daresbury Science and Innovation Campus. The partners and their networks are co-located on site at Daresbury to allow world class research to be disseminated in ‘real time’ to SMEs. IDEAS is an innovative approach to giving the region a competitive edge in developing and delivering innovative and effective knowledge exchange at the interface of SMEs, large corporations, universities and strategic government funded science. The Cockcroft Institute, is also co-located on the Daresbury Campus. It is an international centre for accelerator science and is a major collaboration between STFC and the universities of Lancaster, Liverpool and Manchester. The organisation employs over 200 scientists and has extensive international connections.

7. Higher Level Skills expertise - Employability

The NW HE sector offers more than 3,500 undergraduate courses, over 1,000 postgraduate courses and around 1,000 CPD opportunities or short courses, with many of these offered on a part time basis suitable for those already in the workforce. There is a wide range of short course

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Eco Cities: The Bruntwood Initiative for Sustainable CitiesEco Cities is an initiative led by the University of Manchester and funded by Bruntwood, drawing on the expertise of the Manchester Architecture Research Centre, the Centre for Urban Regional Ecology and Brooks World Poverty Institute. The project will focus on the response of urban areas to the impacts of climate change, looking particularly at how we can adapt our cities to the challenges and opportunities that a changing climate presents. Eco Cities seeks to provide Manchester, by the end of 2011, with its first blueprint for an integrated climate change adaptation strategy. This will be based on leading scientific research, extensive stakeholder engagement, and best practice examples of new programmes successfully piloted during a three-year period. Eco Cities is directly instigating and resourcing a series of core research projects that will provide the foundation for the adaptation strategy blueprint.

UNITE - is a Northwest Placement and Graduate Retention programme. It is hosted by UCLan and part funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Other partner Universities are Chester, Cumbria and Lancaster, Bolton and Salford. UNITE provides support to SMEs through the use of free 4 week student and graduate placements, with student salaries paid by the project. The programme also aims to help students to develop business skills, enhance their CVs, make contacts and gain valuable work experience. This programme serves the dual purpose of promoting graduate support and retention, whilst also facilitating knowledge transfer to SMEs in the region.

N8 Energy Research Centre - The N8 (a group of the eight most research intensive Universities in the North of England) aims to maximise the impact of this research base by stimulating and encouraging innovation of global significance. The N8 Energy Research Centre is focused on addressing specific issues related to energy and energy industries in the North of England. Research is concentrated on three themes - Energy Efficiency, Embedded Generation and Distribution Network - underpinned by socio-political considerations. There is a strong connectivity between these areas, underpinned by the need to translate technological advances into real life changes.

Joule Centre - The Joule Centre for Energy Research & Development, based at the University of Manchester, is a partnership of Northwest Universities, commercial organisations and other stakeholders associated with the energy industry. It has emerged out of the complementary strengths of the participating organisations across a range of disciplines and energy areas. The Joule Centre provides a focal point for the Northwest to make a growing contribution to national and international challenges in the field of sustainable energy R&D. The centre capitalises on the regional knowledge base in both academia and industry to develop an innovative R&D agenda that supports the work of the Northwest Energy Council to exploit opportunities in energy systems and technology development that are pertinent to the Northwest. A key ambition of the Joule Centre is to develop an internationally recognised capability in energy assessment and modelling.

and CPD activity which complements the full offering of PT and FT provision from entry level HE through to high level PG provision.

Through NWUA’s involvement in the Regional Skills and Employment Board (RSEB) (and previously in the Regional Skills Partnership (RSP), higher level skills have been a critical part of skills activity in the region over the last five years. The Regional Economic Strategy 2006 clearly articulated the need for an increase in the percentage of the workforce with higher level skills and the NWDA have clearly prioritised their engagement with HEIs to achieve this in recent years. Higher level skills are still a priority and, in the work undertaken over the last 12 months in developing the Regional Strategy 2010, HEIs have been a key partner and higher level skills a key area where the HE sector can contribute. In 2006 the Northwest produced a Regional Statement of Skills Priorities (RSSP) that covered all skills levels, and NWUA facilitated the HE engagement with this detailing both generic and sectoral skills needs at level 4 and above. This work was refreshed in late 2007 and will provide a strong baseline for the development of the new Regional Skills Strategy (RSS). Higher level skills will again be a key aspect of this strategy along with lower level skills, and NWUA are currently working closely with NWDA and other skills partners to assist with the development of this strategy which will be fully integrated into the RS2010.

NWDA, NWUA and the Northwest HEIs have been working closely together to understand the higher level skills requirements in relation to the New Industry New Jobs priority areas. Through the work of the NW Higher Level Skills Partnership, NWDA agreed to the ring fencing of £350,000 to fund the development of new provision specifically relating to the needs of the Northwest workforce during the economic downturn, and the needs of Northwest employers in preparing them for the upturn in the NINJ priority areas. Projects have now been funded in areas relating to low carbon, digital industries, advanced manufacturing and advanced materials, smart metering, the energy sector and innovation and technology enhancement for leaders. These projects will all be developed in partnership with industry. NWDA, NWUA and the Northwest HEIs are continuing to work closely to further understand the existing capabilities of the Northwest HE sector in relation to NINJ, identifying areas of specific expertise as well as gaps and areas for further development.

Through the NWDA sector work, relationships with Sector Skills Councils and projects such as the NW Higher Level Skills Partnership with clear priorities for higher level skills development have been established and HEIs are responding to these through the development of new courses in partnership with industry, the teaching of employability skills to UG students and the development of large numbers of industry relevant Foundation Degrees. Over 60 courses are now in development with employers defining the course content, assessment methods and delivery style, in many cases this employer involvement will continue into the delivery stages ensuring that the courses are fit for purpose and produce a highly skilled workforce with the exact skills needed by industry.

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NW Higher Level Skills Partnership

A successful bid to HEFCE led to the setting up of a Higher Level Skills Pathfinder project for three years from October 2006. This has since been extended to 2011 by NWDA funding. The partnership brings together the region's fifteen Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), FECs, Government Office, the Association of Colleges, the Sector Skills Councils, the RDA, the LSC, the NW Provider Network, Business Link NW and the Regional Skills and Employment Board.

The pathfinder model is demand driven and has two main areas of activity; the first supports Business Link NW Skills Brokers in delivering specialist HE advice and brokerage. This is fully integrated with the Train to Gain service. Specialist advisers work with skills brokers to identify and meet employers’ needs, therefore assisting Business Link to provide a complete skills service from skills for life to post graduate CPD; the second works with Sector Skills Councils and employers to identify gaps in HLS provision and then commissions HLS providers to develop demand led provision to meet these employer needs in collaboration with businesses.

To date: The partnership has funded 60 projects (28 HEFCE funded and 32 NWDA funded) to

develop more than 65 courses from foundation degrees to masters, including continuing professional development, and bite sized chunks of learning. Twenty two of these projects are now at delivery stage

Over 350 learners have already enrolled and at least a further 600 learners are expected to enrol on the first cohort of the 34 courses funded with the HEFCE development funds, NWDA funded projects are still in the development stages but are predicting more than 4,500 learners by March 2013

The projects involve 11 HEIs, more than 15 Further Education colleges, and over 350 employers

Each project has secured in-kind support from employers for project development and cash contributions to student fees at the delivery stage

Business Link NW have received over 1,000 HLS referrals since April 2007 with more than 150 of these receiving additional support through the NW HLSP team.

The focus on STEM activities is especially important to the regional economy and the HEFCE funded STEM project at MMU is an example of this. NWDA is closely involved in this work to ensure it complements their activity and the work of the NW Science Council. This is further linked to the work of NW Stemnet and the Sector Skills Councils with the intention of maximising the impact of STEM activities in the NW.

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MMU - The NW Spoke for the HE STEM ProjectThe Aim of the National HE STEM Programme is to contribute to the development of a national Higher Education STEM sector which:

Engages collaboratively to increase and widen participation Promotes, supports and champions the STEM disciplines and Is increasingly responsive to the skills needs of both employers and employees

In order to support the development of a strong, diverse and sustainable workforce that will meet the economic needs of the UK for the 21st century.

MMU is leading for the Northwest and is responsible for bringing together other HEIs in the region and engaging them directly in the activities of the National Programme. They will be responsible for enabling a regional network that brings together Professional Bodies, the NWDA, schools and colleges and FE providers, in order to meet the Programme aims.

The Open University / University of Central Lancashire / University of Salford / MMU work with National Skills Academies (funded through the NW HLSP)Many of the regions HEIs are working closely with the National Skills Academies, especially the National Skills Academy for Nuclear (The Open University and UCLan), The National Skills Academy for Construction (University of Salford) and The National Skills Academy for Food and Drink Manufacturing (MMU).

Liverpool John Moores University – World of Work Liverpool John Moores University’s World of Work ® (WoW) initiative aims to ensure that every student is equipped with the skills they need to successfully engage in the world of work, either because they possess skills which are highly valued by employers or because they are well equipped to set themselves up in their own business. The programme, developed and delivered collaboratively with employers, identified the need for higher level skills most valued by employers covering Self-Awareness, Organisational Awareness and Making Things Happen. It also identified eight graduate transferrable skills as being essential for employment: analysing and problem solving, team working and interpersonal skills, verbal communication, written communication, personal planning and organising, initiative, numerical reasoning, information literacy and IT skills. All students are encouraged to develop these key skills within their subject and also at the purpose-built Graduate Development Centre. These employability skills are developed and recognised through the WoW ® Certificate which comprises a skills gap analysis, workshop and a filmed one-to-one interview with an employer and the “Ready for Work” Programme of group sessions, employer master classes and student profiles demonstrating skills attainment. The programme also encompasses conventional careers advice and guidance.

The NWDA, National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship and Universities have developed the University Champion role to encourage an enterprise culture by raising awareness, motivation and insight into entrepreneurial opportunities and motivating students towards considering entrepreneurship as a career or life option.

8. Wider impact

The HEIs of the Northwest are all rooted in “place”. Indeed, nearly all the institutions have the name of their geographic location in the institution’s name. The places in which HEIs are based to some extent shape each institution in terms of organisational culture, education provision, nature of the physical campus and the nature of partnerships. The NW HEIs also have a major impact on the communities that surround them in terms of the physical environment, property values and use, transport infrastructure and labour patterns.

Some of the region’s HEIs have a direct impact on civic brands with global reach. Whilst the brands of, for example Manchester, Liverpool and Lancaster, all have attributes wider than their Universities, Manchester Airport, Manchester United and the Manchester historical and political legacy all feature, for example, strongly in the make up of the Manchester brand, HEIs are nevertheless major components of modern civic brand propositions and an essential element of England’s Northwest “attack brands” approach. It is through the lens of the region’s HEIs that many individuals and companies will see the cities of the Northwest, either because of direct experience as a student there or the student experience of their partners, parents or children.

HEIs also play a critical part in the region’s competitive global positioning, including their contributions to export earnings through international students and global research contracts. Manchester Airport’s global route infrastructure is, at least in part, dependent on travel generated by University staff, their students and their visitors. The region’s conference trade is significantly enhanced by “academic tourism”. Numerous conferences only take place in the region because of connections to the HE base and indeed often to individual academics held in international esteem.

The presence of research intensive Universities in the region is seen as an attraction for inward investing companies who seek proximity to a world leading research base. Universities generate global knowledge networks of academics, entrepreneurs and financiers that support the movement of capital, knowledge and talent into the Northwest. These networks gravitate to academic excellence and also to complementary entrepreneurial approaches to academic/business engagement and the exploitation of intellectual property. These relationships cannot be fully measured in terms of turnover, profit and loss. They are, however, an integral component of the regional asset register and balance sheet.

Education-led regeneration has been a prime focus with investment for the NWDA supporting increased access to HE within Blackburn, Burnley through the HE/FE Enterprise Campus, University of Cumbria and Manchester through MMU’s Birley Fields campus. The benefits have been significant in providing local people aspiration and progression to HE and through increasing their employment opportunities, along with the significant impact the investment has on social regeneration.

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Partnerships with the third sector are also a significant area of value-adding activity for the region’s HEIs. One example is Urban Hope, a wholly owned subsidiary of Liverpool Hope University which is working in the field of regeneration. Urban Hope has initiated and project managed six major capital projects and initiatives with third sector organisations. These have raised some £25-30m to enable the initiatives to become self sustaining within deprived areas of Merseyside. Typically, an initiative will involve fund raising from various bodies such as Kensington New Deal, Sure Start, Big Lottery Fund etc. and then project managing the development of a building that can form a community asset in a deprived area.

9. Future areas of growth to support the economy

Substantial work is underway between the NWDA, Universities and NWUA to identify where there is a key economic driver, a bringing together of key specialities through interdisciplinary working and where there is potential market. The adaptability of Universities is vital in supporting both the economic and social regeneration of our region. Work in progress has been identifying potential areas aligned with the NINJ agenda, and areas worthy of further work are outlined below:

Creative Media, including;o Media/Creative Industries and Managemento Healtho Games, journalism and multiplatform technologies (content / Technologies)o Education technologies / training needs

Health, including Bio-health, biomedicine, health, allied professionals and Industrial Opportunities in an Ageing Society;

o Ageingo Rehabilitationo Biopharmaceuticals/Biochemistry, and

Sustainable Energy including Nuclear;o Built Environmento Nuclearo Energy Efficiency Biomass energyo Power generation and technologies for carbon capture and storageo Transportation, including new fuels, policy & economics and LCA.

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