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Institutional Context
Summary
Northumbria University’s Vision for 2025 is to be a research-rich, business-focused, professional university with a global reputation for academic excellence. The knowledge exchange (KE) strategy defines how existing and new ‘know how’ and ‘ideas’ are shared. Northumbria’s collaborations with external stakeholders and organisations create and demonstrate relevance and impact of its research on the economy and society.
Northumbria remains committed to its role as an anchor institution in North East England, contributing to society and economic growth. Northumbria is proud to be part of a new Civic University partnership with Newcastle University, City Council and NHS Trusts and to have played its part in the response to the C-19 pandemic through research and practical support for the area.
Institutional context
Northumbria University’s Vision for 2025 is to be a research-rich, business-focused, professional university with a global reputation for academic excellence. Its knowledge exchange (KE) strategy defines how and with whom its existing and new knowledge is shared with business and other partners through research and education. Northumbria’s collaborations with external stakeholders create and demonstrate relevance of its research to the economy and society.
The following diagram from the University Strategy 2018-23 demonstrates how KE is integrated and embedded within the wider strategy and is seen as a key driver of excellence and income generation.
Northumbria University was awarded university status in 1992. Since then it has developed and deliver a broad programme of KE including collaborative and contract research, CPD, graduate enterprise and employability and has worked with a wider range of employers and partners from global multi-nationals to public sector to local SMEs and the charitable sector. The University is proud to have been ranked first in the UK for graduate start-ups based on turnover, for five out of the last six years and last year opened new incubator space. Northumbria is an employer focused and provides a range of professionally focused and degree apprenticeship programmes in key sectors of strategic importance. Its collaborative research, KTPs and cultural partnerships demonstrates its ability to co-create and apply new knowledge and ‘knowhow’.
The North East of England (NEE) has its economic challenges. The region performs poorly when compared against key indicators of:
unemployment (age 16-64) 5.5% in NEE compared to 3.8% in England excluding London (EeL)
economic activity rate (employed plus jobseekers) (76% in NEE vs. 79% in EeL)
private sector employment per head (0.5 in NEE compared to 0.6 in EeL)
Gross Value Added (GVA) (=value of the goods and services produced in an area) per hour worked (£29.94 in NEE compared to £32.74 in EeL).
On a positive note, there have been key areas of progress since 2014 including increased expenditure on R&D by businesses, increased proportion of its working age population qualified to degree-level and above and increased employment in science, research, engineering and technology roles.
All of these are areas which the University has actively contributed to through its local growth and knowledge exchange strategy. More detail can be found in the North East Local Enterprise Partnership’s (LEP) report ‘Our Economy 2020’. It contributes to the success of the regional economy with a turnover of £254m and over 2000 employees.
Northumbria’s ambitions for KE are an integral part of its research and education strategy, driving impact for society and the economy and supporting income growth and diversification through five KE-focused business outcomes. Its strategic partnerships with private, public and charitable organisations enable it to solve their problems and support them to achieve their goals. The University has identified multi-disciplinary research themes (MDRTs) which align with industrial strategy and regional priorities and include themes relating to climate change, health and social care, clean energy, life sciences, international development and digital interaction.
For further information, please send queries to jenny2.taylor@northumbria.ac.uk
Local Growth and Regeneration
Summary of approach
Northumbria’s KE strategy is to make a significant contribution to regional economic development by developing and applying new and existing knowledge. It sets out a clear pledge to work with key stakeholders and to align to regional economic and social priorities. These include the NE Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), the North of Tyne Combined Authority (NTCA), NHS, councils, business, industry, culture, sport and the wider community. Northumbria is working closely with partners in the city to deliver a Civic University Agreement.
Northumbria has worked with the Combined Authority to develop the regional strategies for the Digital Sector and the Creative Industries and have identified research themes aligned with the NE Strategic Economic Plan (SEP) and the Industrial Strategy Grand Challenges.
Aspect 1: Strategy
The North East of England is a relatively small region. Northumbria University works closely and strategically at several levels including North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), the North of Tyne and North East Combined Authorities and the seven local authorities, as well as with other key anchor organisations such as NHS Trusts.
The region faces several economic challenges. The region performs poorly against key indicators of:
unemployment (age 16-64) 5.5% in NEE compared to 3.8% in England excluding London (EeL)
economic activity rate (employed plus job-seekers) (76% in NEE vs. 79% in EeL)
private sector employment per head (0.5 in NEE compared to 0.6 in EeL)
Gross Value Added (GVA) (=value of the goods and services produced in an area) per hour worked (£29.94 in NEE compared to £32.74 in EeL).
More detail can be found in the LEP’s ‘Our Economy 2020’
However, positive developments have been seen since 2014 including increased expenditure on R&D by businesses, increased proportion qualified to degree-level and increased employment in science, research, engineering and technology roles. Northumbria has contributed through its local growth and knowledge exchange strategy, providing more skilled graduates to the North East workforce than any other university as well as attracting more highly-skilled staff to the region through our ambitious research strategy.
The UK Government’s Industrial Strategy has explicitly committed to re-balancing regional inequality in terms of prosperity and productivity. Northumbria University continues to work closely with partners including the NE Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), the North of Tyne Combined Authority (NTCA), NHS Trusts and local authorities to understand how best to collaborate and leverage value through relationships with an emphasis on strategic alignment. While good progress has been made, the current and future external environment signals significant future benefit can be gained through further alignment with the region’s Strategic Economic Plan, smart specialisations and sector growth areas as these key areas very much align with our institutional expertise and specialisms.
Northumbria’s strategy sets out a clear pledge to grow and improve its research, innovation and knowledge exchange through collaboration with key stakeholders and, where relevant, to address national/regional economic and social priorities. Stakeholders include the organisations listed above as well as business, industry and the wider community through membership organisations such as the CBI, NE Chamber of Commerce, the Federation of Small Businesses and Small Business Charter as well as with voluntary organisations, sporting and cultural institutions. Northumbria is working closely with Newcastle University and other partners in the city to deliver a Civic University Agreement through pro-active membership of the multi-partner City Futures Board and Growth & Prosperity Delivery/Executive Groups.
We also provided leadership of work with the North of Tyne Combined Authority to lead a multi-partner project team to develop the regional strategies for the Digital Sector and the Creative Industries.
The following diagram illustrates the alignment between our multi-disciplinary Research Themes (MDRTs), the key sectors in the NE Strategic Economic Plan (SEP), the Industrial Strategy Grand Challenges and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In addition, since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic the University has pivoted much of the focus of its work to address the challenges to the region thrown up by the pandemic. This includes scientific research, nursing students and apprentices taking up roles early, designing face shields for 3D printing, students and staff volunteering in our fashion studios on production of NHS gowns as well as working with regional partners to develop the North East Covid-19 Economic Response strategy.
Aspect 2: Activity
The following provides some examples of the KE activities that Northumbria University has developed and delivered over the period Sept 2016 to Sept 2020 which demonstrate how this activity meets local need. These are set out here as three parts of an integrated KE strategy across Research & Innovation, Business Growth & Support and thirdly Skills, Enterprise and Employability.
Research and Innovation - External collaboration for the wider good of our region
Intensive Industrial Innovation Project (IIIP) Phases 1 and 2– ERDF project with Durham, Newcastle and Teesside Universities delivering collaborative PhDs with regional SMES focusing on key sectors including digital, construction and artificial intelligence (Grant value to Northumbria University (NU) of £968k, Investment by Northumbria University £968k)
Northern Accelerator - a collaboration between Durham, Newcastle, Northumbria and Sunderland Universities to drive a step change in the commercialisation of research, address regional imbalance and strengthen the North East knowledge economy. (Grant value to Northumbria University (NU) of £30k, Investment by Northumbria University £31k)
BIM Academy working in partnership with local architects which set the foundation for The International Centre for Connected Construction (IC3) – a centre of excellence driven by a cluster of innovative North East academic, industrial and government organisations co-creating positive transformation in the global construction industry. (Total grants linked to this work of £2.7m, Investment by Northumbria University £1.4m, including £100k seed funding from the LEP).
Purposeful Health Growth Accelerator - a major new initiative backed by Research England to help North East businesses grow or expand into the health, wellness and social care delivery sectors. The initiative sees Northumbria join forces with NEL Fund Managers to offer practical support, advice and growth capital investment worth more than £1m in total to up to 200 North East firms.
Creative Fuse North East (CFNE) - a collaboration between Durham, Northumbria, Sunderland, Teesside and led by Newcastle. It aims to unlock the true potential of the creative, digital and technology sectors to drive innovation & growth of the region’s economy. (Grant value (ERDF, AHRC) to Northumbria University of £348k)
Knowledge Transfer Partnerships Between Sept 2016 and Sept 2020 Northumbria had 19 KTPs in delivery, 84% of which were in the North East. Total Innovate UK grant awarded was £1,838,328, representing £3,025,146 project value. Based on government data, KTPs represent an estimated £13.8M GVA to UK economy, £11.6M of which in the North East. 21 graduates were recruited.
Business growth support (consultancy and expert advice to new and established businesses, business and law clinics, internships)
Northumbria Graduates into Business ERDF Project supporting students and graduates to set up businesses and regional SMEs through a funded graduate intern
Northumbria Enterprise and Business Support ERDF Project Northumbria Graduates into Business ERDF Project supporting students and graduates to set up businesses and regional SMEs through a funded graduate intern
Making Accountants Digital Enablers (MADE) - to encourage and enable digital adoption by SMEs in collaboration with Sage Group UK Ltd
Leading to Grow project – Round 2 Business basics – coaching micro-businesses to better use digital technologies to boost business productivity
Small Business Charter Status: Newcastle Business School remains the only chartered business school in the North East region supporting SMEs through the national SBC network. Academic staff from Northumbria also sit on the SBC Management Board.
Business Clinic – consultancy advice to SMEs, multi-nationals and not for profit organisations who are looking to grow by taking their business in a new direction, explore new challenges or require fresh eyes to help them succeed.
Current and future workforce skills and student and graduate employability, employment and entrepreneurship – examples include
Programme of degree apprenticeships addressing regional skills gaps in key sectors
Restorative Just Culture – short course looking at principles of restorative justice and disciplinary processes – embedding a culture of trust and improvement
Northumbria University Incubator opened in December 2019, with support from Santander Universities and the NE LEP. The Incubator is a dedicated space for student & graduate entrepreneurs from the University where they can develop their ideas for self-employment/business start-up. They receive wrap-around mentoring support, including access to external specialist advisors & mentors.
Enactus Northumbria enables students, academics and business leaders to use entrepreneurial action to transform lives and shape a more sustainable world.
Internship Programmes: In partnership with Santander, Northumbria has delivered c.150 paid internships to SMEs in the NE region
Pre-Nursing internships developed with Northumbria NHS Trust to grow and retain workforce
MIT Regional Entrepreneurship Acceleration Program (REAP) – working with the North East LEP to deliver economic growth through innovation-driven entrepreneurship
Aspect 3: Results
Northumbria University is proud of the quality, the breadth and the depth of the work that it delivers which have a positive bearing on local growth. The impact of our work across Research and Innovation, Business Growth Support and Skills, Employability and Entrepreneurship reaches many parts of our regions, creating and applying knowledge, transforming lives and creating wealth.
The ERDF Intensive Industrial Innovation programme has enabled Northumbria to support innovation in regional SMEs . IIIP funded PhD students deliver technological, product and service innovation across sectors including digital and AI, health and life sciences and construction. The third cohort commenced in October 2020 despite the effect of the pandemic. Although too early to fully understand the impact of these projects, participating SMEs are more engaged with programmes such as Innovate UK Smart and KTP.
Creative Fuse NE has supported, including direct financial investment, 277 businesses in 40 different cities, towns and villages across the region in music, performing and visual arts, IT, software and computer services.
Northumbria University has a strong and proven track record for research into SME productivity. Working alongside the SME Growth Team at the Dept. for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Northumbria University has actively participated in research programmes that have been developed to boost SME business productivity. Areas of research include ‘management and leadership’ and ‘new technology adoption’. Programmes include: ‘Business Basics’ ‘SMART Grants’ ‘Management Knowledge Transfer Partnership’ and the forthcoming ‘Small Business Leadership Programme’.
Northumbria University remains the only university to have secured funding in rounds one and two of the ‘Business Basics Programme’. This involved designing and running two Random Control Trials in partnership with Sage UK Ltd (Making Accountants Digital Enablers) and The Charted Association of Business Schools (Leading to Grow) to boost business productivity amongst micro and SME firms. Other funded SME productivity research looked at ways a digital business clinic could better support micro and SME businesses in the North East region. Findings from the research showed clients valued the intervention (a consultancy piece of work) at £5,174, moreover these projects enhanced business productivity, and stimulated technology and modern business practice adoption. Finally, Northumbria University’s Newcastle Business School is the only one in the North East to hold Chartered Status with the Small Business Charter. Accreditation is awarded to business schools who make a direct and significant impact on micro and SME businesses in their region, based on a national SME framework.
One of the key long term aims of the initiative is the creation of a venture capital fund to provide early stage equity-based investments in spinout companies formed from university research. The strategy to deliver this objective is in two parts; an initial seed fund of £1.7m has been established funded by the Research England Northern Accelerator CCF Project, and fundraising for a large venture capital fund (£50m - £70m), currently being called Venture North, will be starting soon.
Northumbria’s ERDF Internship and Enterprise Projects providing graduate internships in regional SMEs have had a tangible impact. In the last project 126 interns were placed with regional SMEs with 75 retained as full-time employees. In addition, 57 graduate enterprises received 12 hours of support and specialist mentoring. 153 students and graduates received support to be ‘enterprise-ready’. 85% of respondents to the participant survey confirming they had been offered a permanent job by their employer at an average annual gross salary of £19,500, with 95% of these stating that this was as a direct result of their time with the employer on the internship. This kind of activity has a direct bearing on regional graduate retention - 28% of respondents stated that without participating in the scheme they would not be working in the North East. Northumbria is proud to have been highlighted in the recent Industrial Strategy Council report as first in the UK for graduate start-ups based on turnover, for five out of the last six years.
For further information, please send queries to jenny2.taylor@northumbria.ac.uk
Public & Community Engagement
Summary of approach
Strong civic bonds are a key component of an economically inclusive and socially mobile society. Higher Education institutions are able to transform the lives of stakeholders through public and community engagement.
At Northumbria University, partnership working underpins our research and education as a core element of the University Strategy. This approach entrusts academics to contribute to the community through working with entrepreneurs, practitioners, employers, third sector, public institutions and individuals. This has enabled us to impact people’s lives and contribute to improving social prosperity.
This approach is now enabling us to build greater national/international engagement. We have set out how our work is reaching and transforming the lives of our many ‘partners’ and enabling them to ‘Take on Tomorrow’.
Aspect 1: Strategy
Northumbria University believes civic bonds are a key element in driving an economically inclusive and social mobility. Through public and community engagement, we can transform the lives of our many stakeholders and contribute strongly to society. Partnership working underpins research and education, the core elements of the University’s strategy. Regionally, we contribute to the community through fostering and supporting entrepreneurs, frontline practitioners, employers, public institutions, and the individuals associated with these organisations. We are now in the process of building national and international engagement with our work.
Our engagement strategy is built upon our rich heritage and blends research and practice. Drawing on our strong base of practitioner/researchers and working with key regional partners in the North East, we have evolved our internal capability and capacity to offer unique insight into the key challenges facing society beyond academia. We constantly use these principles to plan, shape, grow both academic and professional staff skills through in-house training, mentoring, and professional development qualifications. Specific support for public and community engagement with our research is largely provided through professional services teams (Business & Enterprise, Research & Innovation Services, Communications and Events teams) who support academic staff in engagement activities to meet the needs of public and community groups.
The expansion of these teams, and our participation and delivery strategy, is built on strong foundations, initially taking a region-centric approach. The next stage in our strategy is encompassed in the creation of multi-disciplinary research themes (MDRTs) which are aligned with global, national and regional challenges. This three-tiered alignment with Northumbria Universities research strengths is the bedrock of building from our strong base to developing further ties with national and international partners. Our academic colleagues, students, education, and business partners, are all part of a community working together to conduct ground-breaking research across the eight multi-disciplinary research themes, creating a lasting impact regionally, nationally, and internationally.
Aspect 2: Support
The University is committed to public and community engagement through academic and professional support staff working hand in hand. Creating the right conditions for this ‘One University’ approach is essential to our strategy and resource allocation.
From an academic perspective, we operate a workload tool which enables academic staff to engage in all aspect of Knowledge Exchange (KE), which includes external engagement for societal good. In addition, KE activity is recognised and rewarded through the internal promotion framework and through specific appointments and role responsibilities. Three professional services support this work – Research and Innovation, Business & Enterprise and Communications. One example of practical support for public and community engagement is the creation of Evidence and Evaluation Coordinators, who enable the capture and assessment of the impact of research. The Business and Enterprise service provides a distinct team which enables engagement with industry and non-academic organisations. Our external events team runs an annual programme of public lectures as well as our University art gallery which integrates art and research as a living laboratory.
More broadly we work with a range of stakeholders or ‘publics’ to provide and facilitate access to services and information such as: demonstrated by the following examples:
Local Business
Community Groups
Patients and service users
Excluded groups
Cultural Partnerships including with BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Live Theatre, Tyneside Cinema, and Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums
International development
Children and young people
Ageing community
Veterans - Northern Hub for Veterans and Military Families' Research
Craft and Product Design - Centre for Life, Maker Faire
Aspect 3: Activity
The following case studies show the focus of our approach and provide examples of the activity delivered.
New Writing North
Through the Northern Writers Award and literary festivals/events this project seeks to address under-representation of writers from the North of England, and from the working classes of the UK.
NUSTEM
NUSTEM aims to redress the balance of under-represented groups studying STEM. The project has worked with 30+ schools in the North East to deliver workshops and courses. Northumbria’s researchers have developed a unique public engagement approach to create engineering-research-based workshops.
Dementia Research – Sea Hero Quest Game
Research conducted at Northumbria University by Professor Dalton on spatial navigation and cognition was fundamental to the development of an interactive game, Sea Hero Quest (SHQ), which generated user-data on navigation abilities for use in dementia research.
Business Clinic
Through innovative use of the Business Clinic and the development of its online counterpart Northumbria has improved the accessibility and affordability of bespoke business advice for regional SMEs.
Student Law Office
Northumbria’s Law Clinic has improved the accessibility and affordability of legal advice for marginalised/vulnerable women in North East England and developed in partnership with key local community organisations such as the Maya Angelou Centre and prominent local firms to deliver a key regional resource need and benefit the lives of those most in need.
Global Development Futures
Global Development Futures undertakes a wide range of research with partners across the world to support the SDG targets. Work with the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies have switched the view from a focus on affluent volunteers helping the ‘needy’ towards recognising that volunteers may be both victims and volunteers local to the area.
This gives girls a chance to celebrate their achievements/address struggles and runs workshops in schools across the North East. There is an annual event coinciding with UNICEF’s International Day of the Girl.
Evaluation - Secure Children’s Home
A Northumbria University research team applied the Diamond9 evaluative tool with children in a Secure Children’s Home (SCH) providing innovative insights into rehabilitative processes and capturing the perspectives of a hard-to-reach community.
Social Exclusion of Young Offenders
Northumbria University’s research into the social exclusion of young offenders has led to the development of the Skill Mill social enterprise in five UK cities, and direct support for over a 100 vulnerable young people.
Holiday Hunger – Healthy Living Lab
Our Healthy Living Lab has conducted nationwide research into food insecurity during holidays, as well as potential interventions to combat hunger. Research findings have informed local and national policy.
Borderlands Project
The Scottish/English Borderlands are home to over 1 million people, but their economies and business are under-developed. This research demonstrates how collaborating at a sub-regional level can address these needs.
Domestic Abuse – improved practice
Northumbria Police adopted the Domestic Abuse Whole Systems Approach (DAWSA) to coordinate criminal justice agencies in identifying, preventing, and remedying domestic violence.
Engagement Events
We run a wide variety of Public Engagement Events such as
“Be the Change” to support UN International Day of Peace
Short course – ‘How Geordies changed the world’
The University Art Galleries: Gallery North and The Woon Gallery of Asian Art
Aspect 4: Results and learning
The following describes the outcomes and/or impacts of some of our Public and Community Engagement activities set out in Aspect 3 above.
New Writing North partnership
The research has been a ‘driver for change’ at the UK’s biggest writing development agency - New Writing North providing new policy frameworks, staffing structures, income streams, and an enhanced business operating model.
NUSTEM (linking disciplinary/pedagogic research to Schools)
NUSTEM workshops have showcased engineering research to 94,821 young people from under-represented groups in disadvantaged areas and 17,974 families, carers, and teachers. This public engagement model has been adopted by partner organisations including North of Tyne Combined Authority’s Digital Skills programme.
Dementia Research – Sea Hero Quest Game (SHQ)
Since 2016, approximately 4.3million users worldwide played SHQ, generating extensive data and boosting public awareness of dementia, contributing to a 38% rise in charitable donations to Alzheimer's Research UK (ARUK), from £21m to £30.5m. This success led ARUK to build a gaming-hub as a revenue generator and inspired an industry-wide shift to greater collaboration between charities and game developers and inculcating a culture of Citizen Science.
Business Clinic
Providing support for multi-nationals, the public sector, scale-up SMEs and charities; Northumbria’s award-winning Business Clinic (British Academy of Management/Academy of Marketing) is a key regional resource. 400 businesses have been supported across numerous sectors in areas including marketing, digital, management, finance, feasibility studies. The client value of total reports completed is £2.2 million.
Student Law Office
The successes of SLO include new regulatory standards for law clinics across Europe which highlight the need for pro bono support for marginalised individuals/groups. Since its inception the Student Law Office has dealt with over 5,500 enquiries and represented more than 2,300 clients, securing over £1m on their behalf. The SLO has been recognised for bringing meaningful change to the most vulnerable in society and was awarded a Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE) in 2017, 2019 Green Gown Award for benefitting society. The Clinic was also awarded the LawWorks & Attorney General Student Pro Bono Awards 2018 and the Access to Justice Foundation Award 2017.
Global Development Futures
Applying his research through delivering the Global Review of Volunteering for the Red Cross and Red Crescent in 2015, Baillie Smith’s findings were enacted by the UN through Resolution 70/129, signed by 193 governments, prioritising volunteer safety and wellbeing in peace and development policy. In 2017 they created the Global Volunteering Alliance of 63 national societies to enact the recommended policy.
Girl-Kind North East
Girl-Kind runs workshops to advance wellbeing among girls aged 11-18 in the North East. Motivated by a 2016 report identifying North-East England as the UK’s ‘worst place to be a girl’, Girl-Kind has changed working practices and been embedded in 10 schools. It has helped 300 girls to challenge issues around gender expectations and sexual harassment through enhanced creative media skills
Evaluation - Secure Children’s Home
Northumbria research is now advising youth custody policy development at the Ministry of Justice, informing understanding of rehabilitation in youth justice at the UK Parliament Human Rights Committee and the Youth Justice Board of England and Wales, and planning the implementation of the model in all four Youth Justice Residences in New Zealand.
Social Exclusion of Young Offenders
Northumbria’s research has proved central to the Skill Mill approach by developing the role of the supervisor to promote a turning point ('hook for change') in the lives of young offenders and has seen reoffending rates from 68% down to 11.5%. The Skill Mill is presently expanding to ten more UK cities and internationally to Estonia, Holland, and Serbia.
Holiday Hunger – Healthy Living Lab
In 2018/19 Professor Defeyter contributed evidence to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Hunger. The Minister for Children and Families funded £2m of holiday pilots to assess how to ensure disadvantaged families benefit from heathy meals and enrichment activities during the holidays. The pilot scheme was extended with a further £9.1 million in summer 2019, helping over 50,000 children.
Borderlands Project
This led to the creation of a new space for economic interventions: The Borderlands Initiative enabling local authorities to create greater sub-regional links in transport, tourism, and economic development. In 2019 the UK and Scottish Governments invested £395m into the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal. By early 2020, confirmed projects included £31m in green energy projects, £7m to the visitor economy in South Scotland, and £65m for Carlisle.
Domestic Abuse – improved practice
The Domestic Abuse Whole Systems Approach (DAWSA) saw reoffending by participants drop by 65% and has been adopted by several police forces and benefitted charities such as Women’s Aid. It informs the Domestic Abuse Bill proceeding through Parliament to become law.
Aspect 5: Acting on results
The refreshed University Strategy will incorporate a greater focus on the ‘place agenda’, partnership working and public and community engagement.
Our strategy has seen us rise up the rankings, developing our reputation for research, expand the range and calibre of partners and deliver a research-driven approach that will empower and catalyse our reach of our KE activity.
Northumbria University has been ranked 27th globally and 6th in the UK in the Times Higher Education’s (THE) Impact rankings. This result confirms Northumbria’s globally-leading position in sustainability and the strength of its support for the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Scoring is not only based on an institution’s operations, but also has a strong focus on how each university’s research and partnerships are delivering social, environmental and economic benefits regionally, nationally and globally. This important part of our strategy will continue to be shared both internally and externally across all our stakeholder groups.
For further information, please send queries to jenny2.taylor@northumbria.ac.uk