What is the role of universities in the broader business community?

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Posted on 24 May 2013
Sir Andrew Witty, who is authoring the report, has stated that it is ‘vitally important’ for our universities to be at the ‘heart of local growth strategies’. Surely this is the exact arena that academic venues are operating in already? A middle-ground where ideas can be nurtured and thrive.

Sam Booth, Head of Keele University Conferences and Events, shares her thoughts on the subject.....

As work gets underway on the Witty Report – a follow-up to 2012’s Wilson Review, exploring how universities and local businesses can work more closely - I can’t help but think that academic venues are in a prime position to facilitate this working relationship.

Sir Andrew Witty, who is authoring the report, has stated that it is ‘vitally important’ for our universities to be at the ‘heart of local growth strategies’. Surely this is the exact arena that academic venues are operating in already? A middle-ground where ideas can be nurtured and thrive.

Let’s not forget that we are one of the first points of contact for external businesses coming in to the university, while at the same time operating as a supplier for academics and staff within our institution.

Alongside a growing number of our university colleagues - who are forging relationships with local businesses through internship schemes and programmes such as Knowledge Transfer Partnerships - academic venues have always been a linchpin between universities and businesses. We are in a unique position where we can add value by encouraging collaborative innovation and business growth. Spotting opportunities for our clients, we can encourage companies to tap into academic knowledge and expertise, as well as identifying commercial opportunities for our internal colleagues.

This is why at Keele University we’ve recently rebranded, to align our conference and events facilities more clearly with the University. Although we are one of the leading venues in Staffordshire in our own right, the University connection is a huge resource and attraction for our clients and we see it as our responsibility to maximise these opportunities through our conferencing and events programme.

As the Witty report examines the diverse contribution that universities bring to the local economy and directly addresses how universities are helping to enable innovative working with businesses, I hope that academic venues will not be overlooked and that our role as facilitator will be recognised more clearly.

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