Sheffield City Region: Knowledge will drive economy
UNIVERSITIES will be a key driver in the future of the Sheffield City Region economy.
With higher skill levels and new ideas seen as the key to future economic growth, the Sheffield City Region has a major advantage in the shape of two successful universities.
Sheffield Hallam University has a dedicated Enterprise Centre which works to match its research and teaching services with the needs of business.
Lloyd Snellgrove, head of regional development at the Enterprise Centre, said: “We’ve moved on from a culture of knowledge transfer – from the universities out to business – to one of knowledge exchange.
“It has to go both ways and we need to know what’s going on in business to ensure our research is relevant and makes a real difference to a firm’s competiveness.”
In the last two years around 150 businesses have used the university’s Innovation Futures service that brings Sheffield Hallam’s expertise to bear on issues facing businesses.
“Modern businesses deal in complex technologies, services and markets and increasingly we find innovation is often best addressed by bringing together different disciplines to create solutions,” said Snellgrove.
In an example of cross-city co-operation, the city’s two universities have worked together to deliver the City Region Leadershop Programme, a postgraduate certificate that encourages participants to develop their ability to innovate.
Jon Inns, the project’s manager from Sheffield Hallam University, said: “The programme is the first of its kind and aims to build regional competitiveness through developing future leaders by giving them the problem-solving skills to deal with a rapidly-changing business environment.”
