We have been thinking about this a lot at University Alliance, and there are three questions we have been asking that are particularly important to this debate.

1. Changing economy – industrial world to entrepreneurial world

Firstly, how do universities need to be responding to the changing economy? For the past 18 months, we have been running a futures project called university_vision, looking at the changing economic and social drivers over the next 20 years and what that means for universities.

university_vision

One key theme that has dominated these discussions has been the changing dynamics of the way we work. We are already seeing a major shift from the industrial economy of the 20^th Century to a much more entrepreneurial and enterprising economy.

In the industrial economy work is predominantly about having a career that is well-defined and generally in a large organisation engaged in making, selling or delivering goods and services.

By contrast, the entrepreneurial world is made up of relatively small enterprises and individual entrepreneurs often forming and reforming around changing opportunities for applying new technologies and approaches to create innovative solutions. Work in this environment is highly creative and focused on outcomes.

Alongside these changes to the way we work are the massive global challenges growing up around us such as climate change, fuel poverty, an ageing population and food and water shortages.

However, despite the changing economy the vast majority of the education sector is still geared up to deliver for the industrial world. These shifts are hugely relevant to how higher education operates and prepares individuals and communities for these changes, in particular by supporting the growing need for social entrepreneurs.

2. Universities as social enterprises within an entrepreneurial world

Secondly, how do we harness the power of universities as social enterprises within the entrepreneurial world? Perhaps a helpful way to frame this change is to think about the role of universities as social enterprises themselves.

Universities are essentially in the business of offering transformational experiences and generating and sharing knowledge to improve the lives of individuals and communities locally and globally – the definition of social enterprise.

Growing the Future

As with the description of the entrepreneurial world, universities need to be working collaboratively, forming and reforming around the opportunities presented by new technologies and connectivity and the challenges we face globally.

What organisations are better placed to develop social entrepreneurs than universities? While I would argue none, there is also need for rapid transformation to keep up with the pace of change externally.

A culture of collaboration and partnership is going to need to be prevalent for this to work. Universities working together around common localities or themes will be key. We see good examples of this happening already, for instance social entrepreneurs in Oxford  are very harmoniously supported by the two universities there, Oxford and Oxford Brookes.

As anchor institutions, universities have strong networks cutting across sectors and social, environmental and economic needs. For example, the Social Enterprise University Enterprise Network run out of Plymouth University is a partnership between industry, the public sector and universities dedicated to extend and demonstrate the value of social enterprise, drawing on local, national and international expertise and knowledge. They have created a network for innovation, and sharing best practice and research in social enterprise.

We will need to see more of this kind of approach and connectedness to really harness the value of universities as social enterprises.

3. Growing entrepreneurial graduates

Finally, how do we grow individuals to grasp the opportunities of the new economy? Fundamentally, universities need to be modelling this approach in order to be growing social entrepreneurs. It will be graduates who are the driving force behind the UK’s success in the entrepreneurial world.

Start-up: a story

We can already see the impact the entrepreneurial world is having on student and graduate behaviour. This is something that we highlighted in our recent ‘Start-up: a story’ project. In 2009 there were 12 university enterprise societies, now there are 130. Turnover from graduate start-ups doubled between 2008 and 2010 to over £270m. Alliance universities are particularly strong in this area, with turnover from Alliance start-ups accounting for more than half of the total. These universities are leading the way by embedding a culture of entrepreneurialism and collaboration across their teaching and research.

Universities need to be structuring their courses, campuses and teaching in a way that prepares their students, and staff, to succeed and lead in the entrepreneurial world. They need to be equipping them in a way that harnesses their power as changemakers in an increasingly challenging global environment; building their creativity, agility, resilience and flexibility to respond quickly to new opportunities and rising challenges.

I do believe this change is critical. Apart from universities I cannot see an institution able to meet the need for more social entrepreneurs in the UK. The work UnLtd and Hefce are doing is a vital source of support for social entrepreneurs in our universities. But more than this I see it as a powerful catalyst in supporting the wider change we need to see within our university sector as a whole that builds a stronger framework for entrepreneurialism and growing social entrepreneurs in particular.

This will be key to the future health and success of the UK’s society and economy.

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Libby Hackett, Chief Executive of University Alliance, said: 

“The future success of economic growth in the UK will be based on the talent and innovation of people from across the country. This welcome investment recognises the crucial role that universities play in delivering high impact research and building innovative projects in order to drive growth.

“The Government’s commitment to research funding following excellence wherever it exists will safeguard the UK research base and is indeed welcome. Only by continuing to invest in our research-base in this way can we ensure it remains both world-leading and sustainable.”

Notes for editor 

• Press contact: Contact Andrew Henry | 0207 839 2757.
• Press release from HEFCE.

University Alliance institutions projects:

Sheffield Hallam University: The University will develop a National Centre of Excellence for Food Engineering working closely with industrial partners including Cargill, Dalehead Foods, Mars, McCain Foods, Nestlé, Premier Foods, Warburtons and William Jackson Food Group who will contribute equipment, facilities, mentors or advisers. The project addresses a recent finding that many food manufacturing plants suffer from a lack of skills amongst engineers to identify and rectify breakdowns. The Centre will be fully operational by 2017, and will see the University become a leading education provider for the food and drink industry, providing state of the art facilities and creating a supply of skilled engineers. The Centre has an ambitious target to help add £1billion in Gross Value Added to the food and drink industry, as well as to get more graduates engaged in the industry.

Coventry University: The university will establish a Manufacturing Institute as part of a formal partnership with the Unipart Manufacturing Group, with the twin aims of developing innovative approaches to education, training and research in engineering, and stimulating the Unipart supply chain and the wider high-value manufacturing sector across the UK. The project includes design and implementation of a new dedicated academy building on the Unipart site in Coventry, together with new courses and training developments, joint academic-industry appointments and research and development, and technology road-mapping. The project will support the ambition of the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) for 5,000 new or upskilled engineers by 2015, and increases in the numbers of SMEs active in research and development in the area.

The Open University: The project will draw together multiple partners to create a Milton Keynes Data Hub, with a view to exploring the solutions to urban problems through data storage and sharing, as well as creating economic growth in the Milton Keynes area. The hub will bring together a number of universities (including Cambridge and Bedfordshire), Catapults (initially Satellites Applications), commercial companies and local government to build and operate a data hub to solve the demand problems of cities in terms of critical areas of transport, energy and water. The Hub will also provide a resource for student and SME entrepreneurship and the exploitation of commercial opportunities, and will explore the commercialisation of the underlying data platform as an integrated city system. British Telecom and Dell will work with the university to build the data hub, with the local authority as the trusted data custodian.

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“On the 20^th April, The *TeaShed launched its very first pop-up Tea Shed inside Newcastle’s busy and prestigious Fenwick Foodhall. The launch of this pop-up is quite a landmark in the life of The *TeaShed. Fenwick was our first stockist and it is absolutely fantastic that in May we will be celebrating our 2nd Birthday there with our exciting and unique concession.

*TeaShed at Fenwick

Our pop-up is like no other! We have a shed with a lawn out the front and a picket fence. We have ‘blend your own tea’ out of test tubes and a range of fantastic food supplied by Fenwick. Not only that, but we have an outstanding team who will make sure you have the best unique experience.

The *TeaShed, was born in Newcastle two years ago and is still brewed there today. We are renowned for our excellent quality teas, which are exclusively sourced and imported from Sri Lanka to the North East, where they are then packed into quirky packaging, that is designed by me and other young designers.

With the pop-up Tea Shed we are staying true to our brand values and employing local young people and giving them the opportunity to take on serious responsibilities and even put on their own events as part of the pop-up. Of course I will oversee it all, but it is very much a team effort and I am really proud to have such a fantastic group of hard working people. This will just prove how brilliant young people are!

There is much more to come too. We are now with the two of the UK’s biggest food retail wholesalers, Cotswold Fayre and Hider and this will see a dramatic growth in *TeaShed listings across the UK. Over the next few years we also will expand the export side of the business with distribution already lined up for Japan. In addition to this, depending on the scale of success of the first *TeaShed pop-up, we would roll out a nationwide pop-up *TeaShed plan, with a *TeaShed in every major city by 2018. Move over coffee houses, it’s time for Tea Sheds!”

Read Jules’ full story here and visit The *TeaShed.

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Our featured graduates with
Vince Cable MP & Paul Blomfield MP

The sun shone over the Thames as the great and good of student and graduate enterprise gathered at the Terrace Pavilion in Parliament for the launch of Start-up: a story. The room quickly filled, there was wine and cake, much talk and introductions while the 10 Alliance entrepreneurs, featured in the project, showcased their businesses.

Paul Blomfield MP, a passionate advocate of graduate entrepreneurs who kindly sponsored the reception, kicked off the speeches. He described how entrepreneurs and small businesses have taken over as the source of jobs and growth from the large industry that once shaped Sheffield, and cities like it. Entrepreneurs are key drivers of growth and graduates and students are a hot bed of creativity. We heard of the importance of the city’s two universities, with Sheffield Hallam’s Enterprise Challenge and Venture Matrix receiving high praise for getting students interested in enterprise and equipping them to start-up.

Rt Hon Vince Cable, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills

The Rt Hon Vince Cable also looked to the UK’s recent past to make clear how far we’ve come. From students protesting about business and universities working together, he then described how entrepreneur societies across our universities are now a real source of hope for the future. It was great to hear him describe small entrepreneurial companies as key to our economy and to hear of his eye opening experience of visiting the University of Huddersfield – entrepreneurial university of the year and home to THAT Creative.

Professor Steve West, Chair of University Alliance and Vice Chancellor of UWE, pointed to the future in his remarks. He said that the event was highlighting a ‘good news story’.  We can not only celebrate that spring appears to have (finally) arrived but, as the stories of our graduates show, we can celebrate new business growth as graduates are starting and growing their businesses across the UK. He urged all those listening in (MPs, business leaders, university leaders, entrepreneurs, other interested individuals and now you) to do what they can nurture and support talent.

It was then over to Hushpreet Dhaliwal, CEO of NACUE, who spoke passionately about the importance of peer-to-peer support and the role of enterprise societies in catalysing entrepreneurship on campus. To truly capture the important role graduate entrepreneurs are playing two individuals, who have benefited from university and NACUE support, came to the stage to give their thoughts. Neomi Bennett, of Neo-Innovations UK, believes she could not have set up her business without the university. She said, “I got more than I’d bargained for when I decided to study nursing at Kingston University.”  Michael Kashioulis, founder of Smart Cookie Design, agreed and told how he met so many creative people through the enterprise society and university. He said it was meeting these people that made him realise that he really enjoyed business and the thought of starting-up.

Naomi Weir, Bill Beaumont and Philip Davies MP

As we look to the future and ask questions about how to create growth, increase employment and address underemployment, I’ve been challenged (and inspired) by seeing individuals taking initiative and creating opportunities for themselves and others. New jobs are being created. New products are being manufactured here in the UK. Products and services are being exported internationally. Yet one of the things that has been most encouraging as I’ve met and interviewed these graduates, is that it isn’t about growth at any cost.

It has been seeing their desire to give something back and to do business well. Graduates are going back into their universities and schools to inspire and mentor other students. They are keen to offer internships. They are using their business as a platform to promote the skills of others. They are keen to keep their manufacturing in the UK and to grow their business to help their region. They are keen to ensure their suppliers are doing business well too. That’s the kind of growth I can buy in to. So, needing some inspiration? Have an idea and want to find out more about starting-up? Unaware of how universities are supporting students and graduates to start-up? Take a look at the start-up stories, top tips and helpful links at startupastory.org.uk.

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The scale of, interest in, and support for graduate enterprise is growing and entrepreneurship is in a powerful position to shape economy and culture in the UK today. Appetite among the student body continues to grow; there are now 130 NACUE Enterprise Societies in universities and colleges, up from just 12 in 2009. Student-led enterprise uniquely catalyses entrepreneurship on campuses, complementing and enhancing the impact of the variety of enterprise education and activities available through universities.

Read the student stories

Students and graduates among the NACUE network are leveraging entrepreneurship not only as a solution to the question of employment, but to finance their time at university and to creatively solve real social problems. At the heart of this, the relationship between student enterprise societies and universities is a critical partnership in exposing students to entrepreneurship as a career option.

Herts Entrepreneurs make the most of the diverse student population at the University of Hertfordshire by commissioning a team of student reps as ambassadors for the society in every department. These ambassadors make sure every student has the opportunity to get involved, get connected and get starting up.

Universities are contributing and responding to demand by growing their enterprise education and support, and Alliance universities are leading the way. Turnover from graduate start-ups has doubled from 2008-2010 to over £270m, with turnover from Alliance start-ups accounting for more than half of the total. More people are self-employed than ever before and more unemployed people who enter the private sector go on start a business or work for an SME. We are convinced that students and graduates have an integral role to play in creating the growth which will provide – and sustain – those jobs.

Find out more

Universities are ideally placed as regional hubs for enterprise. While London and the South East are often perceived to be a magnet for businesses and talent, these stories highlight how our universities and their student networks are enabling graduates to start and grow their businesses in every region across the UK. University and enterprise are also powerful players in transforming lives and driving social change. Graduates are seeing issues around them and finding solutions, from medical aids to rethinking charity and tackling youth unemployment. Consequently, universities should be key partners when developing Government schemes such as Start-Up Loans and the new national fund for local enterprise.

UWE Innoventors are making the most of the great links UWE has with the local community by hosting regular start-up drinks, connecting students with local SMEs to share their ideas and build their own networks. This is great for local businesses, giving them direct access to potential hires, as well as giving students the chance to find new mentors.

Students want to ensure that their degree and time at university will help set them up for a rewarding and fulfilling career. These are stories of talented and determined graduates; some knew they wanted to start a business and chose their university and course accordingly, others came up with an idea while at university. Each found the support they needed through their course, student enterprise societies, lecturers, friends and university enterprise teams to make it a success. These stories illustrate that a successful graduate outcome is no longer constrained to securing a ‘graduate job’. Instead, students and graduates are creating jobs for themselves, and others, that fully utilise their expertise and abilities.

We are pleased to see that graduate employment data is beginning to change to reflect the diversity of graduate destinations, including starting a business. However, there is some way to go. Reflecting graduate entrepreneurship more fully in employment and business data will drive a wider recognition of entrepreneurship as a legitimate graduate career. There needs to be a cultural shift integrating entrepreneurship into the wider employment narrative or we risk failing to realise the full potential of the graduate workforce.

Entrepreneurial graduates are a huge driving force for innovation, employment and economic growth. Alliance universities and NACUE societies alike are fully committed to ensuring all students and graduates have the opportunity to turn their idea into a reality.

Entrepreneurs @Tees are taking the initiative to become self-sustaining by setting up a t-shirt printing company, drawing inspiration from local landmarks for their designs. They’re hoping it’s going to help them create even more opportunities for students at Teesside University.

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The stories of ten graduate entrepreneurs give a rich insight into the realities of starting up and the important contribution of our graduates and universities to society and the economy. With economic growth high on the national agenda and employment rates under scrutiny, universities and their graduates have a central role to play in realising Government ambitions.

Click here to read the stories and start-up toolkit

The scale of, interest in, and support for graduate enterprise is growing and entrepreneurship is in a powerful position to shape economy and culture in the UK today. Appetite among the student body continues to grow; there are now 130 NACUE Enterprise Societies in universities and colleges, up from just 12 in 2009. Students and graduates among the NACUE network are leveraging entrepreneurship not only as a solution to the question of employment, but to finance their time at university and to creatively solve real social problems. At the heart of this, the relationship between student enterprise societies and universities is a critical partnership in exposing students to entrepreneurship as a career option.

Turnover from graduate start-ups has doubled from 2008-2010 to over £270m, with turnover from Alliance start-ups accounting for more than half of the total. However, we are seeing a decline in start-up confidence with 10% fewer people feeling they have the skills to launch a business and 2.2% fewer believing starting a business is a good career choice.

We are calling for the Government to:

• Build stronger links between government financing for enterprise and universities, so that they are able to inform the design of schemes, such as Start-Up Loans, to ensure that those that would benefit from this support are better able to do so.
• Widen access to critical enterprise support available for graduate start-ups to enable enterprise growth across all key sectors.
• Target money from the new national fund for local enterprise to strengthen local networks and provision of university support for graduate start-ups.
• Proactively use and promote empty properties for the use of graduate start-ups, helping to nurture local start-ups.
• Recognise entrepreneurship as a legitimate graduate career, reflecting it more fully in employment and business data

Our call to government for greater support was made at the launch of Start-up: a story at the Houses of Parliament. The Rt Hon Dr Vince Cable MP, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, addressed student and graduate entrepreneurs, those involved in running university incubation centres and enterprise support, businesses, Parliamentarians and others with an interest in supporting entrepreneurs.

Find out more about the project and follow us on Twitter #StartupaStory.

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The University, with campuses in Cardiff, Newport and the South Wales Valleys, is among the top 10 campus universities in the UK for size and provides Wales with a major regional university, well equipped to compete with counterparts across the border. We are thrilled that Professor Julie Lydon, formerly of the University of Glamorgan, will be Vice-Chancellor of the new University and look forward to continued work with her and the rest of her team.

The University continues to promote the values of University Alliance, the University is a member of the St David’s Day Group, recognised as one of Wales’s five major research-active universities. Professor Lydon states: “On a public level, the University will be an intellectual forum that brings together the business leaders, elected representatives, think tanks, and public servants. We are renowned for our applied, relevant research which informs key decisions by business chiefs, ministers, public service leaders, and entrepreneurs.”

For more information on this, please visit the University of South Wales’ new website or their University Alliance member profile.

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We are delighted to welcome the University of Greenwich into University Alliance.

University of Greenwich is a multi-faculty, campus-based university, which is home to a diverse community of nearly 26,500 students studying in the UK, one in five of them postgraduate. People from more than 100 countries study at one of the university’s three magnificent, historic campuses. These are based at Greenwich, at a world heritage site; at Avery Hill, in south-east London, and in Medway, Kent. Greenwich is one of the largest universities in London by student numbers.

The university has a reputation for superb teaching and high levels of student satisfaction. The latest Sunday Times University Guide rated Greenwich as the best in the country for teaching excellence in Law and Economics. The UK’s Universities and Science Minister, David Willetts MP, praised “excellent and innovative teaching” at Greenwich when he visited in 2012. The quality of the university’s research work has been recognised in many national awards, including three Queen’s Anniversary Prizes. World-leading research and training is carried out by its Natural Resources Institute to support global food security, sustainable development and poverty reduction in developing countries. Students and staff also regularly win major awards and prizes for their work and contributions to society. Four prestigious National Teaching Fellowships have been awarded to academic staff.

The university’s Strategic Plan, launched by Vice-Chancellor Professor David Maguire, is aimed at achieving continued excellence in teaching, research and enterprise, and has a goal of positioning Greenwich as a leading London university. More than 12,000 international students also study with an extensive network of Greenwich’s partner universities and colleges across the world.

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From The Australian by Andrew Trounson

A new alliance of technical universities will aim to develop a global brand based around the work readiness of their graduates and their applied research.

The Australian Technology Network and UK-based University Alliance also aim to create mutual student internships and collaborate to bid for global industry research funds in an agreement signed in Sydney yesterday.

University Alliance chair Steve West said the agreement highlights the growing importance of international alliances and cooperation to compete globally as government investment in the west dries and China’s is accelerating.

“It is a global knowledge economy and you can’t try to control it,” Professor West said.

Professor West, who is also the vice-chancellor of the University of the West England in Bristol, believes there is potential for universities to cooperate in overseas expansions and creating attractive course offerings and work placement opportunities.

“No university can deliver the full menu,” he said.

“Vice-chancellors are interested in greater leverage on the international stage,” he said. “It is about networking and aligning to compete and attracting industry support.”

Professor West’s commitment to industry engagement is underlined by his position as president of the Bristol chamber of commerce.

ATN executive director Vicki Thomson said the opportunity to expand work placements and internships was a particular attraction of a partnership with the 24-member Alliance.

“We could put together a program around global mobility of internships,” Ms Thomson said.

Both Professor West and Ms Thomson said it may be only a matter of time before prestigious Chinese universities were setting up campuses around the world to attract the best students and scarce industry research dollars.

“We can’t sit back and think we have the Asian market sewn up. We haven’t,” Ms Thomson said.

Under the MoU the two groups aim to hold a policy dialogue in 2014 focused on partnerships in Asia, regulation and quality assurance, student visas, internships, business collaboration and student fee models and income contingent loan programs.

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L – R: Libby Hackett, Chief Executive University Alliance; Professor Steve West, Chair University Alliance & Vice-Chancellor UWE; Ross Milbourne Vice-Chancellor UTS; Professor Peter Coaldrake, Vice-Chancellor QUT; Vicki Thomson, Executive Director Australian Technology Network. Photo by James Stuart.

The University Alliance Chair and Chief Executive are in Australia this week to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Chair and Chief Executive of the Australian Technology Network of universities. Both organisations represent a similar set of institutions within their respective countries – leading institutions in innovation and enterprise, forging partnerships with industry and the professions to deliver practical results through focused research.

The purpose of the MoU is to establish a framework for mutual policy discussion, the exploration of university-university partnership and sharing of expertise between University Alliance and the Australian Technology Network.

The MoU coincides with the announcement that the University of Greenwich will be joining University Alliance from 1 April, 2013.

Professor Steve West, Chair of University Alliance and Vice-Chancellor of the University of the West of England, said:

“This is an incredibly important venture and a significant step in building the UK’s presence abroad. We are increasingly operating in a global market and we need a stronger framework for developing partnerships and joint-policies across international borders. This innovative collaboration with the Australian Technology Network will build bridges between our two countries that will be key to ensuring our position as leading, global players in the international higher education market.”

“I am also delighted to welcome the University of Greenwich into University Alliance. The University of Greenwich is an excellent institution and a very good fit with our core mission of building strong partnerships with business and the professions.”

Libby Hackett, Chief Executive of University Alliance, said:

“Our approach at University Alliance has always been about finding ways through the challenges we face as a country by building constructive partnerships and developing solutions in collaboration with others. We are excited to be building into this process the expertise and experience of the Australian Technology Network of universities.”

Vicki Thompson, Executive Director of the Australian Technology Network, said:

“Universities, wherever they are, play a crucial role in building a strong and fruitful economy and society. Australian Technology Universities, like Alliance universities, are leaders in innovation and enterprise. This new collaboration will help drive greater innovation to deliver answers to the global challenges we face.”

On joining University Alliance Professor David Maguire, Vice-Chancellor at the University of Greenwich, said:

“We are delighted to be joining University Alliance, a partnership of some of the most innovative and enterprising universities in the UK. Greenwich is an ambitious institution focussed on top-class research and business engagement, as well as excellent learning and teaching, so University Alliance is our natural home. This step is an important recognition of Greenwich’s achievements so far in enhancing its reputation as a leading London university.”

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Notes to editors

1. For press enquiries contact Sam Jones – +44 (0)7767673982 or sam@unialliance.ac.uk

2. The focus of the policy dialogue set out in the MoU will include:

• Development of a UK-Australia higher education policy leaders group;
• Potential for partnerships in the Asia region;
• Models of higher education regulation and quality assurance;
• International student visas;
• Student fees models- HELP loan programs;
• Strategies for effective university- business collaboration;
• Integration of student entrepreneurship and internship programs into curriculum.

3. University Alliance is a non-partisan, non-political organisation working with our members to promote, safeguard and sustain the public benefit delivered by universities.

4. University Alliance brings together 24 of the UK’s leading innovative and enterprising universities – major institutions combining science and technology with a focus on delivering for the professions, business and the community. University Alliance members Bournemouth University, University of Bradford, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Coventry University, De Montfort University, University of Glamorgan, Glasgow Caledonian University, University of Greenwich, University of Hertfordshire, University of Huddersfield, Kingston University, University of Lincoln, Liverpool John Moores University, Manchester Metropolitan University, Northumbria University, Nottingham Trent University, Open University, Oxford Brookes University, Plymouth University, University of Portsmouth, University of Salford, Sheffield Hallam University, Teesside University, University of the West of England.

5. With representation right across the UK they educate over 25% of all UK students, with large proportions of international and post-graduate students. Alliance universities are delivering economic and social growth by linking their research, students and staff with the world around them – locally, nationally and internationally.

6. The Australian Technology Network brings together five of the most innovative and enterprising universities in the nation: Curtin University, University of South Australia, RMIT University, University of Technology Sydney, and Queensland University of Technology.

7. The Chair of the ATN is Professor Peter Coaldrake AO, Vice-Chancellor of the Queensland University of Technology

8. ATN universities teach around 180,000 students, or almost 20% of Australia’s student population. With 1 in 4 international students choosing to study at an ATN university, they are also the largest provider of international education, both with our onshore and offshore students.

9. The ATN’s aim is to help secure Australia’s reputation as the clever country, and contribute to its social and economic wealth, while championing the principles of access and equity that have ensured its members are the universities of first choice for more students.

10. University of Greenwich is a multi-faculty, campus-based university, which is home to a diverse community of nearly 26,500 students studying in the UK, one in five of them postgraduate. People from more than 100 countries study at one of the university’s three magnificent, historic campuses. These are based at Greenwich, at a world heritage site; at Avery Hill, in south-east London, and in Medway, Kent. Greenwich is one of the largest universities in London by student numbers.

11. The university has a reputation for superb teaching and high levels of student satisfaction. The latest Sunday Times University Guide rated Greenwich as the best in the country for teaching excellence in Law and Economics. The UK’s Universities and Science Minister, David Willetts MP, praised “excellent and innovative teaching” at Greenwich when he visited in 2012. The quality of the university’s research work has been recognised in many national awards, including three Queen’s Anniversary Prizes. World-leading research and training is carried out by its Natural Resources Institute to support global food security, sustainable development and poverty reduction in developing countries. Students and staff also regularly win major awards and prizes for their work and contributions to society. Four prestigious National Teaching Fellowships have been awarded to academic staff.

12. The university’s Strategic Plan, launched by Vice-Chancellor Professor David Maguire, is aimed at achieving continued excellence in teaching, research and enterprise, and has a goal of positioning Greenwich as a leading London university. More than 12,000 international students also study with an extensive network of Greenwich’s partner universities and colleges across the world.

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