Russell Group universities expand liaison with top industrialists and business leaders

03 January 2012

The Russell Group has established a new initiative to drive forward collaboration with companies and enhance innovation. A new high-level working group on innovation will engage with leading industrialists and business leaders to realise maximum benefit for the UK economy from the world-leading research activities of the Russell Group universities.

As the UK's largest source of world-class research, the Russell Group universities have a crucial role to play in the national drive to rebalance the economy by generating growth through innovation.

Russell Group Director General, Dr Wendy Piatt said:

“Thousands of leading businesses make Russell Group universities their partner of choice. With the right investment, our universities can help develop pioneering products from conception to commercialisation.”

Professor Nick Wright, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation at Newcastle University, said:  

“Over the last decade, we have made enormous strides in improving collaboration between the academic research base and UK companies.

Through their particularly close links with industry, the Russell Group universities have made substantial contributions to the development of new products and services across many industrial sectors. Despite the enormous progress made in opening up the research base in the UK's leading research-intensive universities, it is vital that new approaches to collaboration are constantly explored to enhance further national competiveness.”

The programme for the working group is currently being developed, and we would welcome any comments or suggestions from businesses to shape the future programme. Please contact enquiries@russellgroup.ac.uk.

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