Northumbria and Newcastle
Universities announce an innovative new partnership to support the economic and
social recovery of our region post-Covid.
Northumbria and Newcastle Universities are today launching
the Collaborative Newcastle Universities
Agreement – a new partnership that will bring together the world-leading
expertise of both organisations for the benefit of the communities of Newcastle
and beyond.
Both universities have a long-established tradition of
working collaboratively to improve the health, wealth and wellbeing of the
region.
But the past 18 months have brought into sharp focus the
importance of this close partnership; educating the medical and healthcare professionals
who have supported the NHS throughout the pandemic, driving forward
world-leading research that will help us to combat Covid-19 and supporting the
local community.
New agreement
Through the new agreement, the aim is to bring together the
collective ‘power’ of both organisations – over 10,000 staff and 50,000
students - to support the health, wealth and wellbeing of people living in Newcastle
and beyond.
Professor Andrew Wathey, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of Northumbria University, said: “Given the challenges of the last 18 months, it has never been more important that we work collectively to take on the opportunities and challenges of a post-pandemic future. This agreement combines the strengths of Newcastle’s two research-rich universities, together with the other key institutions in the City, working together to address the needs of Newcastle and the North East.
“Through this collaboration, our collective world-leading research, ability to attract outstanding students from all walks of life, and support for talented and highly-skilled graduates will have an even greater impact on our communities, as well as on the national and international reputation of Newcastle.”
Professor Chris Day,
Vice-Chancellor and President, Newcastle University, added: “We know that by working together we can be greater than the
sum of our parts, providing greater benefits to communities not just to support
economic and social recovery, but to build a sustainable and more inclusive
future.
“The pandemic has shown us what we can achieve when
organisations pull together, drawing on our collective strength and expertise
to take us through the crisis and build back stronger and fairer.
“As universities - and major employers - we play a key part
in this, both through our world-class research, our students and through the
contribution we make to our local communities and the regional economy.”
The new University Agreement is a key part of Collaborative Newcastle - a unique city-wide
partnership bringing
together the NHS, local government, higher education, voluntary and community
sector to work in collaborative and creative new ways to improve health,
wealth and wellbeing for everyone in the city.
As part of their commitment to Collaborative Newcastle, the
two universities will be working closely with partners in the public, private,
voluntary and cultural sector and will focus on three key areas: People, Planet and Prosperity.
Leading role
The universities are playing a leading role in a number of
key Collaborative Newcastle projects already underway, including:
- Net Zero Newcastle - working to reduce greenhouse gases to achieve NetZero and jointly improving the sustainability of our operations and supporting the delivery of the Newcastle Net Zero Action Plan
- Newcastle Health Innovation Partners – discovering, developing and delivering new solutions in healthcare to improve the health of people living in the North of England.
- IntoUniversity - A new learning centre designed to support more young people to fulfil their potential and achieve a place at University.
Professor Jane
Robinson, Pro-Vice Engagement and Place at Newcastle University, adds: “Everything we do in our universities is for the benefit of
society and is driven by the positive impact it will have on people’s lives and
the world around us.
“This agreement is about the two universities actively, intentionally
and creatively working together on some of the biggest challenges faced by
society to bring about real and rapid positive change.”
Pat Ritchie, Chief
Executive of Newcastle City Council said: “I am pleased to welcome the Universities Agreement which
further strengthens the work of the innovative Collaborative Newcastle
partnership.
“Both universities play critical roles in our city, they are
world leading organisations that support and inspire residents from across
Newcastle. They attract students from across the world to be part of our
diverse communities, are a major employer and provide research and insight into
many of our major projects. The combined strength of these institutions will
help build on the established Collaborative Newcastle partnership and broaden
the scope of the work.
“Collaborative Newcastle will continue to focus on
supporting the health, wealth and wellbeing of all Newcastle residents,
creating new opportunities and working together to shape the city’s recovery
from Covid.”
Dame Jackie Daniel,
Chief Executive of Newcastle Hospitals, said: “I’m delighted to see the launch of the Collaborative
Newcastle Universities Agreement today, the universities’ commitment to
Collaborative Newcastle highlights our collective determination to tackle the
health inequalities in our region.
“Throughout the pandemic we have worked closely with our
partners across the city to manage the impact of Covid-19 and these
partnerships will be instrumental in the coming months as we look to the future
beyond the pandemic.”
For more information about Collaborative Newcastle, visit: www.collaborativenewcastle.org
Case Study:
IntoUniversity
New learning centre
to create opportunities for thousands of young people in Newcastle
A new
learning centre designed to support more young people to fulfil their potential
and achieve a place at university will be launched in Newcastle.
The new IntoUniversity centre in Newcastle is a
partnership between Newcastle and
Northumbria Universities and IntoUniversity - the UK’s largest university-access charity – and will be based at Monkchester
Community Centre.
Supporting
young people aged between 7-18 in Newcastle, the centre will open in October
and provide invaluable academic support, soft-skill development and experience
of the world of work to enable young people to achieve a university place or
another chosen aspiration.
Funded by
the two universities, together with the Buffini Chao Foundation, the Garfield
Weston Foundation and other philanthropic backers, the new centre will benefit
over 1,000 students a year, delivering free
after-school Academic Support sessions to Primary and Secondary school
children, providing aspiration-building workshops and a Mentoring programme
with current university students and professionals.
Northumbria University's Director of Strategic Planning, Dan Monnery said: “Northumbria University has an excellent track record for attracting students from all backgrounds and supporting them to succeed at university.
“IntoUniversity demonstrates our commitment to enabling young people to engage with higher education. It will open doors to underrepresented groups, and help deliver life-changing outcomes. We are extremely excited to be part of this collaboration.”
“Students will be able to access the centre for Academic Support after school Monday to Thursday during term time, and workshops with partner schools will run during the daytime throughout the week. The centre will operate alongside the community projects that already take place in the community centre.”
Professor Chris Day, Vice Chancellor and President at Newcastle
University said: “As someone
born and raised in Newcastle, this initiative is close to my heart as we will
be providing opportunities for young people to experience university learning
and break down barriers. This venture is
part of our ongoing commitment to improve access to Higher Education for all
young people, regardless of their background, and particularly here in the
North East which has some of the lowest levels of applications to University in
the country.
“Working with IntoUniversity, bringing them into the
heart of our community with a model which we know works to improve achievement
and aspiration, is truly heartening.”
Hugh Rayment-Pickard, Chief Strategy
Officer and Co-Founder of IntoUniversity, said:
“We're delighted to be partnering with Newcastle University and Northumbria
University to work with schools to provide high-quality support to enable young
people to succeed. This work is
especially important to provide a boost to many young people who may have lost out on learning during lockdown and because of
self-isolation.”
Five full-time members of staff are
being recruited and trained to deliver the free after-school sessions to school
children, as well as workshops with partner schools
that will run during the daytime throughout the week. The centre will operate
alongside the community projects that already take place in the community
centre.
IntoUniversity
centres are based in the heart of local communities and support young people
from 7 to 18, working closely with schools and families to sow the seeds of
aspiration at a young age. The centre will be IntoUniversity’s first centre in Newcastle and, once established,
will benefit over 1,000 students a year.
