Review of UK Business -University Collaboration 2012 (Wilson Review)

1. Dr Richard BlackwellDeputy Vice Chancellor and Wilson Review team member Review of UK Business-University Collaboration 2012 (Wilson Review)

2. Presentation overview • Context • Employers and skills • Graduate employment • Innovation and research • Eco-systems & locality • Summary

3. Context 1 • Knowledge & innovation essential to economy • Research base strong (2nd to USA) • £1 public money leveraged £6 innovation income (2010-11) • 43% participation in Univ. (low in OECD) • BUT economy and manufacturing weak; criticism of graduates skills; international competition growing & social mobility falling.

4. Context 2 • “…how we make the UK the best place in the world for university–industry collaboration”(UK Govt 2011) • 4 reviews since 2003 • HE as ‘Supply chain’(= more collaboration) • Competition and collaboration dynamic in UK policy, Univ. and business practice

5. Employers and HE • Multiple forms of engagement: • Certification (e.g. CISCO, Microsoft) • Sector Skills Council kite marking (e.g. ‘Skillset’ in creative industries) • Professional body accreditation (e.g. engineering) • In-company progs and short courses CPD • Fully paid & sponsored courses (e.g. maritime) • ‘Tight collaboration’ rare (maritime, nuclear or individual big companies)

6. Graduate employment • About 65-70% in graduate jobs & 9% unemployed • Imbalances • Less than 10% of studentsrecruited by big corps • Big corporates recruitment and diversity policy • Need for greater student awareness • SME connectivity and first engagement • Importance of local networks

7. Student preparation for work • Expansion of ‘sandwich’ progs (e.g. Surrey) • Embedding work experience in courses • Paid graduate internships • Genuine, structural support • changed role for Univ careers services • curriculum role and issue of ownership • Address work readiness and access to SMEs

8. Innovation and research • ‘Knowledge Transfer Partnerships’ (KTPs) from 1980s (add ‘innovation vouchers’) • Public (HEIF) Innovation funding since 1999 • 50 hubs and centres since 2008 • 6 new ‘Catapult’ centres just created • Strategic relationships (e.g. Rolls Royce) • Intermediaries and networkingkey • Inter-Univ collaboration & referral systems

9. Eco-systems, locality and ‘place’ • Facilitating economic growth • Enterprise Zones and Science Parks • Local Govt Action and LEPs (regional funding) • Univs- export earnings and inward investment • Overseas students • Knowledge intensive investment • Univs as ‘Anchor Institutions’ (e.g. TeesideUni & Middlesborough)

10. Summary 1 ‘....There is no simple model of interaction; … diverse business needs and diversity of supply from universities leads to complexity …. The key to improving effectiveness … does not lie in regulation or in conformity; it lies in diversity, information sharing, mutual recognition and voluntary partnership.’ (from Wilson Review web site)

11. Summary 2 • Enhancement is by leadership and management to achieve better collaboration and internal co-ordination • Report: www.wilsonreview.co.uk • Email: Richard.Blackwell@solent.ac.uk