24 October 2006

Ivy League Universities for the North

The North of England should aspire to have an "Ivy league" of universities to rival the very best in United States and the rest of the world, said Housing Minister Yvette Cooper.

An important first step towards this ambition was taken today with eight northern universities joining together for the first time to create pioneering world class research centres that will power new technological advances.

Harnessing expertise from business and academia, the virtual centres will develop research in 5 key areas - energy, sustainable water use, ageing and related health issues, regenerative medicine, and molecular engineering, where the North has the potential to become a world leader.

Funded by £6 million from the Northern Way, the centres will help the North to match and complement the research power of the golden triangle of "Oxford, Cambridge and London", driving innovation and boosting the Northern and UK economy.

Yvette Cooper said: "We know that our universities are paramount to our cities being able to compete on the global stage. These new centres are a real opportunity for the North to become world leaders in new technologies that will create jobs and boost prosperity in the region. 

"But while this is an important step, we need to go further. The challenge should be to strive for an Ivy league of universities for the North that can rival the very best in academic excellence, and drive forward innovation and productivity."

The research centres will consist of virtual networks from the N8 group of Northern research-intensive universities - Liverpool, Lancaster, Manchester, York, Sheffield, Leeds, Durham and Newcastle - and the project will run from next month (November) until 2011.

The Northern Way has approved £6million towards the cost of the overall project, with substantial additional support for the virtual centres being provided directly by the universities themselves.

It is the first time in the UK that a group of universities have formed a jointly held company, specifically to work together and do deals with business. Teams of researchers from each of the eight northern universities will work on programmes jointly developed from discussions with business and industry.

Businesses in the North will be able to become more competitive by using the world-class research excellence of N8 - and, ultimately, enabling them to innovate better and faster than they would have otherwise done and take a larger share of rapidly changing global markets.

The Northern Way stated its intention to fund the research centres to the tune of £6mllion in its Business Plan as part of its efforts to strengthen the North's knowledge base and drive innovation, and close the £30billion output gap between the North and the average for England. 

Professor David Secher, Chief Executive of the N8 universities, said: "This is an exciting and innovative initiative. By harnessing the research talent across the North, and by working closely with business, there is a real opportunity to make a global impact in these five important areas. All five areas are also of enormous socio-economic and public interest."

Professor Drummond Bone, Vice-Chairman of The Northern Way Management Group, said: "The combined resource of the eight universities and business is extremely powerful. This initiative is about maximising the impact of this resource economically and socially for the benefit, through the three northern regions, of the whole of the UK."

Steven Broomhead, Chief Executive of Northwest Regional Development Agency, said: "The importance of improving links between businesses and universities cannot by overstated. The North is home to a number of leading universities with world class research and development capabilities, which provide a vital resource that businesses must exploit in order to maintain a competitive edge. 

"This initiative, which will enable businesses to develop innovative new products, processes or services that will help them to compete on a global level, will be crucial in strengthening our knowledge base and will play a key role in driving forward the economic growth of the both the Northwest and the North as a whole."

Ends

Notes to editors:

The Northern Way is a unique collaboration led by the three Northern Regional Development Agencies (One NorthEast, Northwest Regional Development Agency and Yorkshire Forward) working with partners to close the £30 billion output gap between the North and the average for England over a 25 year period.

With a population of 14.5 million the North is equivalent to a medium-sized country (such as Sweden) with a large internal market. Its economy is worth in excess of £200 billion.

The North has undergone a period of revival over the last decade. Its economy is now stronger than at any time in the last 40 years and employment is at a post war high. Local authorities and RDAs have led the revitalisation of our regions, cities, towns and local communities.

The Northern Way's newly launched web site - www.thenorthernway.co.uk - has further information about how the unique collaboration aims to increase the North's knowledge economy and encourage further innovation. The Northern Way's submission to Government for the Comprehensive Spending Review 07 and a number of documents outlining the supporting evidence is available to download from the web site within the Publications and Documents section.

For further information contact Gardiner Richardson:
Sarah Banks or Laura White on 0191 261 4250 or
sarahb@gardiner-richardson.com / lauraw@gardiner-richardson.com