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£3.1m for Teesside!

01 July 2004

 

The University of Teesside has been awarded £3.1m from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to support knowledge transfer from universities and colleges across England to business and the wider community.

A total of 124 awards – worth more than £185 million over the next two years (academic years 2004-06) – have been made under the second round of funding for the Higher Education Innovation fund (HEIF2), following a highly competitive bidding process. These are the largest awards given by the government to support knowledge transfer from universities and colleges, as part of its drive to boost the UK’s innovation performance and productivity.

The scheme is also a major part of the Government’s strategy to increase prosperity and provide high quality job opportunities.

The grant will help fund the delivery of a radical knowledge transfer strategy at Teesside, covering a range of services to new and established businesses in Tees Valley and the region, from support for graduate start-ups to specialist help for business in areas such as nanotechnology and environmental technologies. It will also cover collaborative activity with the other NE universities, including a Digital Knowledge centre of excellence led by Teesside, joint consultancy activity through the regional Knowledge House programme, and work with Sunderland university on automotive engineering technologies.

Applications for funding made by HEIs were assessed in May this year by a senior Advisory Board chaired by the Director General of Research Councils Sir Keith O’Nions, and supported by the Chief Executive of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) Sir Howard Newby.

Professor Mike Smith, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research & Enterprise at the University, said: “I am delighted that the University’s track record and strategy for engaging with business and the wider community have been so strongly endorsed by the Funding Council. We will be using this award – one of the largest available – to bring about a step-change in our business strategy, with a particular focus on commercial development from research and innovation. Our role in leading the Digital Knowledge Exchange, with Sunderland as our partner, will be critical in developing new digital media business opportunities in Tees Valley and the wider region.”


 
 
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