Comment | 'I'm proud of university's impact on the economy'
By Professor Trevor McMillan OBE, Vice-Chancellor of Keele University. This article first appeared as a Personally Speaking column in the Stoke Sentinel in July, 2025.
As I approach my final weeks as Vice-Chancellor at Keele University, I have been reflecting on how big an impact the University has on the communities and businesses in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire, in particular as to how that will help the area respond to the Modern Industrial Strategy released by Government last week.
When I arrived, like many universities, Keele had the reputation of being somewhat distant from its local communities. That was never really the case, but it was clear that the University could do more to contribute to the area’s economic future.
We were able to work with local authorities, NHS Trusts and the Local Enterprise Partnership to develop a transformative programme of work called the Keele Deal, which enabled over 1,000 business to benefit from the University's expertise in areas such as health innovation, business leadership, sustainable energy and the digital economy. The programmes led to the creation of 800 jobs, boosted the local economy by £80m, and saved 5,780 tonnes of CO2.
Much of that activity took place in the Denise Coates Foundation Building, a purpose-built business hub on Keele’s Science and Innovation Park. The facility is home to the Keele Business School, and operates as an open building for local businesses to meet informally, to collaborate with each other and the University.
We have also doubled the footprint of Keele's Science & Innovation Park over the last 10 years. The Park is now home to over 60 businesses employing 1,200 people. In May we launched proposals for further expansion, evolving the Park into a mixed use 'Innovation District' that will enable a further 5,400 jobs to be created over the next 20 years.
A parallel evolution in our approach to education is providing skills that will open up opportunities in the industries that already exist locally or that will develop through our plans and those of Government. Increasing work placements in our degrees, increasing the number of apprentices we train and working increasingly closely with FE Colleges right across the county are just three aspects of this.
We know there is more to do. The Modern Industrial Strategy provides a strong basis for our next phase to be equally transformative. A number of the industries highlighted in the strategy have a strong presence in the county, including Advanced Materials, Life Sciences and Biotechnology - areas where the University has world leading research strengths, and where we already make vital contributions to industrial innovation, skills and improved outcomes for health and the environment.
In the south of the county, strengths in key areas of digital and advanced manufacturing are apparent. These are strongly aligned to the Stafford-based Institute of Technology (IoT), a project led by Newcastle and Staffordshire Colleges Group in which Keele is the University partner. The IoT addresses skills shortages in these industries, so this is another area where the University will continue to play an important role, working as part of the wider skills system involving FE colleges and local authorities to improve skills pathways and encourage learners from all backgrounds into these careers.
The Modern Industrial Strategy encourages a strong leadership role for research intensive universities, as part of a well developed local ‘innovation ecosystem’ that also includes local authorities, businesses and the health sector. The Keele Deal, together with its sister 'Deals' in Culture and Health, provides a successful model that can be built on to give our county a head start towards the growth that the Industrial Strategy aims to achieve.
Whilst not unique, this level of commitment from a University remains unusual. I am proud that Keele has been recognised nationally as sector leading in its local growth programmes, and in some respects has raised the bar on expectations of universities across the country. I am also proud of University staff and members of our partner organisations for the commitment and drive they have shown to get us to this point.
As I pass to my successor at the end of the summer, I have no doubt that the ambition and the commitment that exists in the University will have an ever increasing positive impact on the people and economy of this part of the world.
