Two Gloucestershire universities named as catalysts for UK ecomomic growth
The economic impact on Gloucestershire, its business community and the region of two of the county's universities has been recognised and highly rated in new national research.
The significant positive impact on industry, the public sector, the economy and society of two Gloucestershire universities has been praised in a national survey.
Research England took a close look at the impact UK universities were having across a number of areas and published the findings in its Knowledge Exchange Framework 2023 report.
Named in the top 20 per cent of UK universities as having the most 'benefit on the economy and society' was Hartpury University, based just north of Gloucester, with the Cotswolds’ Royal Agricultural University scoring top marks for its work with industry and the public sector.
Hartpury, which only celebrated its fifth anniversary as a university in September 2023, featured in the KEF's top quintile for its high engagement with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
And the RAU, which was part of the STEM cluster of 12 small specialist universities in medicine, technology, science, and engineering, and which also included world-leading medical research institutes and specialist technology universities, gained the highest aggregate score alongside the Royal Veterinary College, London.
Professor Peter McCaffery, vice-chancellor of the Cirencester-based RAU, which became a university in 2013, said: “The RAU contributes more than £50 million to the local and regional economy and the outcomes of this year’s KEF confirms that we continue to punch above our weight in the services we offer businesses, the provision of continuous professional development (CPD), our support for graduate start-ups and the intellectual property and research contract income we generate."
The RAU was particularly commended for its graduate start-ups, professional training, and co-authorship with industry of innovation and discovery.
Half of the Cirencester university’s activities were ranked as very high or high engagement with industry and the public sector.
Professor Andy Collop, vice-chancellor, principal and chief executive officer of Hartpury, which is the largest employer in the Forest of Dean district, said: “We continue to work with our partners across the region whether in local government, schools and education, charitable organisations or business, to find ways in which we can support, collaborate and share knowledge to drive prosperity for all.”
It's not been a bad 12 months at all for Hartpury University and Hartpury College; lauded by Ofsted, turnover up from £41.39 million to £48.50 million in Mr Collop's first year at the helm, and with its women's rugby team, Gloucester-Hartpury, also winning the Allianz Premier 15s.
And then there was the triple Gold in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), being ranked second place in the UK for student support, fourth in the UK for teaching excellence in the inaugural Daily Mail University Guide 2024, sixth in the UK for teaching quality in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024, and 14th in the UK for student experience.
In the National Student Survey (NSS), Hartpury University was ranked as the number one university in England in the academic support category.
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