£26m boost for Cumbria Uni
THE University of Cumbria is to get £26.7m of funding over the next eight years, the Prime Minister will announce on his visit to the county today.
The money is expected to impact on the Cumbrian economy by encouraging graduate retention and helping people move to better paid, more skilled jobs.
According to the Northwest Regional Development Agency, its funding will add an estimated £80m in GVA to the North West economy and directly create 530 new jobs over eight years.
It says it will also support the creation of 340 new businesses and help the university to increase the number of students by 28,000 by 2017.
The funding follows the £9.3m the university received from the NWDA to help with initial set-up costs, ahead of its launch in August.
Gordon Brown said: “It’s a vital project that will help the region attract new jobs in the future so Cumbria can emerge from the global downturn stronger than ever before.
“Our higher education system continues to be internationally renowned; developing the University of Cumbria enhances this reputation. We need to continue to develop and keep young talent in this region; critical to boosting the not only the regional economy but for the UK as a whole.”
Professor Christopher J Carr, vice chancellor for the University of Cumbria, said: “The University of Cumbria is established in name; but we have already begun the journey from being a collection of legacy institutions to a serious, respected, and high-performing county university.”
The university was formed by the merger of the St. Martins College, Cumbria Institute of the Arts in Carlisle, and two of the Cumbrian campuses of the University of Central Lancashire.
