University Alliance features in the second Annual Report from the Smart Specialisation Hub. The report showcases a cross-section of Hub activity over the past year.
Tom Frostick, Policy and Programme Manager, University Alliance wrote about the role of universities in place-making and regional growth.
Place, a word which featured more than a hundred times in the [Industrial Strategy] Green Paper earlier in the year, has become a major focus of government policy. For universities, this is a significant opportunity to contribute. Most institutions, including those in University Alliance, are deeply rooted in their surrounding region with missions that support local people and communities. They not only attract students and skilled staff from elsewhere but also businesses which choose to invest in places where the expertise and facilities of a university are readily available. When it comes to the industrial strategy, universities offer critical strengths as anchor institutions which can be captured in three broad points.
