Universities and business collaboration

The UPP foundation has released a collection of essays called the Kerslake Collection with chapters titled; ‘In memory of Bob Kerslake and the Civic University Commission’, ‘Local economies and politics’, ‘Opportunity, access and skills and Social purposes’.

Our Managing Director, Nick King, contributed to the collection with an essay exploring how universities can play a more active and effective role in working with local businesses, thereby supporting local economic outcomes and reducing economic disparities.

Nick argues that universities need to treat this engagement as an explicit and organisational priority, rather than an afterthought. He contends that universities must do more to encourage graduates to stay in the local area by supporting university spin-outs and fostering an ecosystem for them to develop and scale up. In terms of collaborating with local businesses, universities should offer entrepreneurial programmes as well as establishing student-business collaboration opportunities. International students could help local businesses with exporting through programmes of language and cultural knowledge transfer.