Keele University is one of the best higher education providers in the UK for boosting local growth and regeneration, according to a new assessment.
The University has been marked highly by the Knowledge Exchange Framework, a nationwide review by the funding and research support body Research England which is part of UK Research and Innovation.
The high rating for the way the University stimulates growth is a vindication of its long-standing backing for societal recovery as set out in its re-imagined founding principles known as the “Keele Deals”.
The four principles – Economy, Health, Culture and Recovery – are prioritised as part of a far-reaching regeneration programme for the surrounding region.
A recent economic impact analysis by independent economists Hatch revealed that the University contributes around half a billion pounds each year to the West Midlands economy, with nearly three quarters of this (£345m) in the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire local enterprise area.
Not only did Keele University maintain its position among the very highest in the UK for contribution to local growth and regeneration, but it also received high ratings for its research partnerships, engagement with the public and community and working with business.
The assessment results reflect an ongoing drive by Keele to work with local policymakers and not-for-profit organisations to leverage its research, expertise, and graduate talent for the good of the region.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Trevor McMillan OBE, pictured above, who has led on aspects of the knowledge exchange agenda at national level, said: “Keele University was founded with a mission to foster societal recovery and reinvention, and that purpose remains at the core of our ethos today.
“In the 75 years since our founding, we have provided a blueprint for how universities can transform their local communities, and the results of this Knowledge Exchange Framework further emphasise this important role we play in local regeneration through our research, education, and our organisational activities.”
