Combined Universities in Cornwall

review

2011

Combined Universities in Cornwall

Review 2011

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Contents 2 Introduction 8 A year of challenge & achievement

Contents

6 Opening Up and Improving Higher Education for Students 8 Introduction Widening participation activity 9 Tuition fees communications 10 Penwith College Launceston Learning Centre The Exchange Peninsula Dental School The Performance Centre Student data tables Staff and accommodation data 18 Building Cornwall’s Knowledge Economy through World Class Research Introduction Environment and Sustainability Institute European Centre for Environment and Human Health Academy for Innovation & Research The Peninsula Research Institute for Marine Renewable Energy FabTest ESF Research 28 Driving Innovation and Enterprise Introduction Cornwall Leadership Academy Unlocking Potential Unlocking Cornish Potential Unlocking Cornish Potential Graduate Start-Ups Innovation Centres South West Innovation Accelerator Project Knowledge Transfer Partnerships The ICE House project Graduate destination data Business engagement statistics Project funding European Regional Development Fund European Social Fund Funding data UNICREDS

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Combined Universities in Cornwall

Review 2011

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A year of challenge and achievement

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When CUC began back in 2000, if anyone had said that we would have achieved all this by now, no-one could have believed how much our partnership would have delivered. We should be proud of our success, but never complacent – there is still a long way to go and a lot more to do.

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Professor Wendy Purcell Chair of the Combined Universities in Cornwall Steering Group and Vice-Chancellor of Plymouth University

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The year 2011 signalled policy-driven transformational change ahead for higher education. ProfessorWendy Purcell.

In Cornwall, the CUC partners have seen many of our plans taking off. The following pages are full of stories about new educational and training programmes, new research centres, business services and, most importantly, lives being transformed by higher education in Cornwall. Just to give a flavour, our partners now have a slice of the National Enterprise Academy, every chance of becoming a national marine renewable energy hub and are well on the way to establishing a unique Arts University. As importantly, local learning centres are opening to bring higher education to the North and far West of Cornwall, where participation is still low. Our thanks are due to all those – funders, strategic partners and friends – who are helping make these ambitious plans a reality. We have a lot more to offer business in Cornwall in support of innovation, skills, jobs and economic growth. We were pleased to welcome Matt Hodson from Mojo Maritime to a recent event, at which he explained how R&D with the University of Exeter helped his business gain competitive advantage by de-risking a vital part of the technology they use for offshore installations. In July, we took Sarah Trethowan from TRAC Services and Tom Podkolinski from Finisterre to the House of Commons for a reception, where they explained how

Combined Universities in Cornwall

Review 2011

working with students from our Colleges, University College Falmouth and the University of Exeter has enabled their businesses to grow and become market leaders. On our newly redeveloped website, Michael Rabone from The Seafood Restaurant explains how higher level training with Truro and Penwith College is enabling his business to access the skills they need. As we write, we have just celebrated the launch of the Enterprise Programme ‘Unlocking Potential’, a new programme for business led by Plymouth University and Cornwall College in partnership with YTKO, which has already raised the game by bringing some of Britain’s best business leaders to Cornwall for insightful seminars. These are just a few examples, and there are many more, of how working with higher education is helping Cornish businesses to succeed. The year 2011 has seen higher education funding very much front page news – often in the headlines and the subject of demonstrations and petitions. As a result of the Government’s radical reshaping of the way higher education is financed, we know that some young people and those who advise them, now see fees as a real barrier. As the figures on page 16 show, higher education participation in Cornwall has increased dramatically since the beginnings of CUC, bringing about long-term, transformational change, driving social inclusion and developing a culture of aspiration. The challenge now

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Innovation for staff ...

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Working together with CUC, Cornwall Council aim to make Cornwall the best place in the country for those who want to go into higher education. Our bursaries will help ensure finance is not a barrier to study.

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Alec Robertson Leader of Cornwall Council ... prospects for graduates ...

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The world-class HE capabilities that Cornwall’s universities and colleges provide are key to driving business growth in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly and are well-matched to the LEP’s ambitions and priorities.

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Chris Pomfret Chairman of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP):

is to sustain these improvements as the new funding regime is introduced from 2012. This autumn, our major communications campaign, ‘It’s My Life’ highlighted the value of higher education and pointed people to accurate information about how much it will really cost and the financial support available. All our partner institutions have scholarships and bursaries to support students from low-income backgrounds. We are also delighted that Cornwall Council wish to introduce a bursary scheme that will mean the financial support available in Cornwall matches the best in the UK. In October, we took a small delegation to Brussels to present the achievements of CUC to an invited senior EU audience. Commissioners and senior officials continue to recognise the CUC initiative as a jewel in the crown of European regional development – through the strong partnership approach which Cornwall is so good at, and which is now being used as a model of good practice for other regions through the international UNICREDS project. We are delighted to be able to play our part in promoting Cornwall in this way and look forward to continued success.

The CUC team inWestminster. 4

... and talent for industry.

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Opening up and improving higher education for students

C

ommunication has been at the heart of our initiatives to bring more students into higher education this year. A vital part of the conversation has been about the new funding arrangements. CUC and its partners have worked with advice and guidance professionals, potential students and the media to understand the messages that need to be communicated and publicise information in an innovative and effective way. New facilities have also helped us reach out to underparticipating groups. The redevelopment of Truro and Penwith College’s Penzance Campus and Cornwall College’s progress with the Launceston Learning Centre are helping to fill in some of the key geographic gaps in HE provision in the County. The Exchange will extend and update learning and teaching resources at Tremough Campus. The Peninsula Dental School and University College Falmouth’s Performance Centre have provided purpose-built, industry-standard facilities for a whole range of specialist courses not previously available in Cornwall. The change in the way higher education is funded from 2012 does, of course, pose a significant risk – both to what we have already achieved in widening participation in higher education, and to the financial sustainability of our partner institutions. To ensure that higher education can continue to drive economic growth in Cornwall, our continued activities in widening access to HE will be crucial.

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I was lucky that I could study locally, and keep doing everything I was doing in an environment I was happy in. The course gave me the confidence to realise that I know what I am doing, and to get on with it. Fiona Telfer-Brunton Truro and Penwith College

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Combined Universities in Cornwall

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Fiona Telfer-Brunton.

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I’m the first in my family to go into Higher Education. I wanted to prove to everyone else that even as a dyslexic, it’s possible to go to university and get something out of it. It’s definitely been worth making the investment for me. Henry Austwick University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus graduate

Henry Austwick.

Widening participation activity

This year CUC continued its work to make sure anyone who could benefit from university level education was able to do so. Along with AimHigher, we held a conference at the Tremough Campus for over 50 advice and guidance professionals. The event helped to provide advisors with the most current information on new funding arrangements and to discuss ways to open up university level education to more students in Cornwall.

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This year’s CUC WP activity also included collaborations with a wide variety of external partners such as CN4C, UnionLearn, Cornwall Council, Job Centre Plus and the Cornwall School for Social Entrepreneurs – all working to break down barriers faced by potential students and communities in accessing the best skills for their needs . The CUC website was redesigned in early 2011 and now features a Course Finder, information on all 13 campuses, advice on funding, case studies and Twitter feeds with news from the partner institutions. The site is linked with other advice and guidance websites such as Union Learn and Life Pilot. The CUC website is now sending out around 1,500 clicks per month to the partner institution sites. A refreshed project, the ‘Raising Aspirations’ programme aims to work with 320 adults who are employed and 80 who are unemployed or in voluntary employment. Working with potential students from the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods, the project addresses barriers to higher learning and skills ranging from lack of transport through to a complex mix of personal, health or social factors. To find out more about our WP activity please visit www.cuc.ac.uk/students

Tuition fees communications

Research run by CUC in the summer of 2011 using surveys and focus groups with over 600 young people demonstrated a clear need for a communications campaign to highlight the positive benefits of HE and provide clarification on the cost of studying. This was particularly important with students who were unsure about whether or not they would progress to HE, with 8 out of 10 saying that the cost might put them off. CUC’s ‘It’s My Life’ campaign ran across newspapers, outdoor advertising, radio ads, posters, flyers and social media networks in the autumn of 2011. Focusing on the higher earning potential and wider career choices open to graduates and the manageable cost of paying back tuition fees, the advertising was backed up by public relations activity including five graduate case studies that ran in the Western Morning News and were featured in videos on the CUC website and social media sites.

Studying in Higher Education meant that I could have a much wider choice of careers. My Business Administration degree really gave me a good foundation for my current role.

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Rosa Pedley Cornwall College graduate

A key component of the campaign was to clearly direct potential students to online information about the costs and benefits of university level study, and to send them to the websites of the individual partner institutions for details on courses and how to enrol.

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Rosa Pedley.

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Penzance and the Penwith area as a whole now has the facilities that the local community deserves. We look forward to the College’s growing role as a thriving centre of learning and community activity. It’s a wonderful site. David Walrond Principal for Truro & Penwith College

Penwith College

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The second phase of the redevelopment of Truro & Penwith’s Penzance campus was successfully completed ready for the start of term in September 2011. The three new buildings join the four from the first phase of development to complete the £29 million project, created to provide a significant improvement to FE and HE facilities in West Cornwall.

a two storey house. The Lamorna building is now home to around 100 students on Higher Education courses, with study areas, lecture rooms and a social area. The most popular HE study options at Penwith include: Applied Psychology, Community studies (Development and Youth Work), Early Childhood Education, Health and Nutrition and Public Services.

The central two-storey Sennen building contains a reception, library and computer room, and teaching and study areas – all with stunning views across Mounts Bay. The Gwenvor building focuses on new courses, such as construction and automotive-based courses, and includes two garage workshops and an area large enough to hold

The seven buildings have been delivered with considerable sustainable energy credentials including a 100Kw wind turbine and 150 metre deep bore holes to provide ground source heat.

Penwith College.

For more information, please visit www.penwith.ac.uk

The Launceston Learning Centre at Dunheved House.

Launceston Learning Centre

Having successfully secured £462,439 from ERDF, the Launceston Learning Centre project moved forward with its planned refurbishment of an area of Dunheved House – part of Cornwall Council’s wider refurbishment of the building. With work progressing to schedule and the fit-out of the Centre underway, the first higher education modules and higher-level short courses are due to start in 2013 with a focus on courses designed to suit the current, challenging economic environment. This will address the ‘cold spot’ identified by a demand study commissioned by CUC in 2007 that showed most of North Cornwall was more than 45 minutes from any higher education provider.

I really valued my time at university in Cornwall. It’s unlikely that I will ever have so much opportunity & support to test ideas again – I am following my dreams now because of my time there.

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Martin Holland University of Exeter graduate

Martin Holland filming on location.

The Launceston Learning Centre will help increase access to HE and Further Education courses in North Cornwall, an area which has lacked HE and FE infrastructure in the past. The North Cornwall community will join the existing network of HE and FE Centres in Saltash, Stoke Climsland, Newquay, St Austell, Camborne, Falmouth, Rosewarne, Truro and Penzance. More information, when available, will be posted on www.cornwall.ac.uk

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Designed in consultation with staff and students, The Exchange will be connected to the existing Learning Resource Centre and is central to achieving our vision of a world-class campus for Cornwall here at Tremough. Professor Anne Carlisle Rector & CEO of UCF

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The Exchange at Tremough Campus.

The Exchange

Any visitor to Tremough in the last few months cannot have failed to notice the ongoing construction of The Exchange building, one of several investment projects now underway on campus. The Exchange has been designed to provide the additional learning and teaching facilities and resources that Tremough now requires, due to the significant growth in student numbers on the site (set to increase by 1,000 to 5,000 by 2016). The building is the result of a £10 million investment – £4.37 million from the Higher Education Funding Council for England, £3 million from the European Regional Development Fund Convergence Programme, £1 million from the South West Regional Development Agency, and a combined investment of almost £2 million from University College Falmouth and the University of Exeter. Due to open in summer 2012, The Exchange will be the heart of the campus, which is owned and jointly managed by the University of Exeter and University College Falmouth. It will have a ‘social street’ running through the building, connecting the existing Learning Resources Centre with a new collaborative lecture theatre and learning lab, ‘eddy spaces’ for small group learning and digital hubs. To find out more, please visit www.tremoughcampus.com/the-exchange

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This exciting new development is a vital step forward for the Tremough Campus. It will raise facilities to a new level, improving the quality of the student experience and providing a cuttingedge resource for learning.

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Steve Smith Vice Chancellor & Chief Executive of UoE

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I had a brilliant couple of days with music students at Falmouth. I learnt as much from them as they did from me! Ed O’Brien Guitarist, Radiohead

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Peninsula Dental School.

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If you want a very hands-on, very practical dental course with proactive supervisors and loads of first-hand experience – and a great social life in a nice environment, then Cornwall’s definitely the place for you. Shaid Hussain 3rd Year Dental Student at PCMD

Peninsula Dental School

This year saw the first graduating cohort from the Peninsula Dental School, currently run by the Peninsula College of Medicine of Dentistry, a partnership between the University of Exeter and Plymouth University. The 47 graduating student dentists have benefitted from the School’s state-of-the-art simulation equipment, allowing them to hone their skills before carrying out assessments and treatments for NHS patients under supervision at Dental Education Facilities in Exeter, Plymouth and Truro. Of the first graduating cohort, over 30 students have chosen to remain in the South West to continue their vocational training. The Peninsula Dental School, the first new dental school in the UK in 40 years opened its Truro site in 2010. Costing £9.26 million, of which £3.55 million was funded from ERDF, the School offers a number of 14

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course options including a Bachelor of Dental Surgery, postgraduate courses in dental research and Continuing Professional Development courses. In January 2012 the two founding members of the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry (PCMD) outlined their plans to expand independently and grow the success of the now nationally recognised professional health education provider. With an equitable split of total student numbers, the University of Exeter will create a new Medical School (University of Exeter Medical School), while Plymouth University will create a new Medical and Dental School (the Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry). For more information, please visit www.pcmd.ac.uk/dentistry.php

The Performance Centre.

The Performance Centre

Opened in October 2010, the £19 million Performance Centre is a triumph for Cornwall – a world-class facility offering high-specification studios, practice rooms, a recording complex and exhibition spaces. But more than just its physical space, the Centre is also a place for collaboration, where leading practitioners and academics can deliver University College Falmouth’s Performance degree programmes as well as bringing the very best in contemporary performance to a wider audience. The Centre is also an important business resource offering space, equipment, advice and support to performancebased enterprises and other industries that can benefit from the expertise of both staff and students. The collaborative and inclusive nature of the Centre also extends to community partnerships, via the Platform Community Programme, which sees the Centre work with local Combined Universities in Cornwall

Review 2011

community performance groups. Support includes classes, lectures and workshops as well as access to the Centre’s spaces, studios and technical staff. To date 175 participants have benefited from this support and three public performances were watched by a total audience of 3,000 people. Events at the Performance Centre this year have included: One Darke Night, featuring work from the archive of Cornish playwright Nick Darke; The Electric Soft Parade, a psych-pop band from Brighton; professional dance classes with Jorge Crecis; and Sadio Cissokho’s music from Senegal, alongside extensive student performances. For more information please visit www.theperformancecentre.org 15

Student profile data

Student profile data

Total number of students in Cornwall (FTE)

Student numbers by institution

8000

3000

8249

7000

3104

2010/11

7022 6776

6000

2299

2000

6062

5654

5000

1807 1814

4932 4000 3000

3624

3262

3754

1500

4345

4010

1000

2000

0

966 300

00/01

01/02

02/03

03/04

04/05

Study mode

10

2010/11

9

2009/10

81

19

2008/09

80%

100%

90

2009/10

91

2008/09

Full time

06/07

07/08

08/09

09/10

10/11

40%

60% Part time

0%

Truro & Penwith College*

54 51 20%

40%

Cornish residents

60%

80%

57

2010/11

46

2009/10

49

2008/09

100%

Non-Cornish residents

University University of Exeter College Falmouth Cornwall Campus

0%

57 54 46 20%

40%

20 or under

60%

21–29

PCMD

Plymouth University (Cornish residents)**

**Plymouth University, Plymouth campus students resident in Cornwall during term-time. These figures are not included in the student profile information on the opposite page.

Accommodation (first year intake)

Age (first year intake)

43

160

150 Cornwall College*

1565

1029

* the majority of the higher education courses at these institutions are offered in partnership with, and approved by Plymouth University.

Domicile

2010/11

20%

05/06

1427

1696

492

PU Faculty of Health and Social Welfare

1000

0%

2009/10

23

16

2010/11

23

28

18

2009/10

40

37

17

2008/09

34

80% 30+

100%

0%

20% Live at home

42

33

19

41

20 40%

46 60%

College property

80%

100%

Other rented

NB: 2010/11 was the year University College Falmouth Dartington Campus students relocated to Tremough which impacted many of these figures.

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Building Cornwall’s knowledge economy through world-class research

2011

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James Jobling Purser taken by Simon Burt for the University of Exeter.

was a year of turf-digging, ribbon-cutting, launch events and construction, with a number of major projects, led by CUC partners, finally coming to fruition after years of planning thanks to substantial investment from the ERDF Convergence programme.

with a full team in place and its first conference well attended. Projects are now developing with a wide range of partners in Cornwall linked to national and international funding bodies. Construction and recruitment is also underway for University College Falmouth’s Academy for Innovation & Research.

The University of Exeter's Environment and Sustainability Institute made great strides in its journey from blueprint to world-class research facility; in 2011 it acquired a physical shape on the Tremough Campus, a figurehead in its inaugural director and a growing number of key academic appointments. The European Centre for the Environment and Human Health hit the ground running,

Our established research base in marine renewable energies saw continued success through the PRIMaRE and Fabtest projects. Following in their footsteps, the £6m ESF funded CUC Research programme is ensuring our universities and colleges have a strongly developed research base and using innovation to spark business growth – both now and for the future.

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The success we expect to see from the ESI will be a beacon for how the very best, world-class research can help boost and transform the local economy.

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Professor Sir Steve Smith Vice-Chancellor, University of Exeter

Environment & Sustainability Institute (ESI)

The £30 million Environment and Sustainability Institute (ESI) continued its progression with construction well underway on a new facility at the Tremough Campus that will house more than 100 staff from a wide range of academic and professional disciplines. The ESI puts Cornwall at the forefront of environmental change research; it will make the best commercial use of existing local knowledge while creating a world-class institution to increase and share that knowledge. Leading academics and researchers – along with a diverse range of partners, including businesses – will explore creative solutions to environmental problems. They will focus on areas which are as key to Cornwall's economy as they are to the University of Exeter’s academic strengths: clean technologies, natural environment, and social science and sustainability. The University's recent project with A&P Falmouth models the kind of collaboration the ESI will explore; to this end, it invited over 100 businesses to the launch of its Knowledge Exchange Strategy in July. The ESI Knowledge Exchange team has already worked on more than 100 business projects with organisations over the past year. Recruitment was at the heart of the ESI’s progress in 2011. Professor Kevin J Gaston, an award-winning ecologist from the University of Sheffield, was appointed inaugural director and began assembling a high-profile team of

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key academics, including three Chairs: Professor Stuart Townley (Applied Mathematics), Professor Katrina Brown (Social Science) and Professor Robbie McDonald (Natural Environment). A specialist business engagement team is now also in place to help the local economy link with, and benefit from, the ESI's pioneering research. The Environment and Sustainability Institute will also incorporate an academic research group aligned to Environment and Human Health in the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry (PCMD). To find out more please visit www.exeter.ac.uk/esi

European Centre for Environment and Human Health The European Centre for Environment and Human Health saw its official launch in May 2011, completing another major step in the progress of an initiative that was first established in 2009. ECEHH will look at the complex and interactive relationship between the environment and human health. It was set up as an initiative of the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry – a joint venture between the University of Exeter, the University of Plymouth and the NHS.

Based at the Knowledge Spa on the NHS Trust site at Treliske, the Centre also appointed a new director during the past year. Professor Lora Fleming joined the European Centre as one of the world’s leading experts in the environment and public health, having previously held senior roles at the University of Miami, including the Miller School of Medicine, the Florida Cancer Data System, and the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences. The Centre’s research has grown dramatically in the last year, now hosting a team of 45 people, including academic, research and support staff. The Centre has established a number of important research programmes that include healthy workplaces, pollution risk and climate change, as well as developing an MSc in Environment and Human Health.

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Staff & students outside the Knowledge Spa,Truro.

In October, in collaboration with Cornwall Council, representatives from the Centre hosted an international conference focused on enterprise, wellbeing and the environment. Over 200 delegates, of whom a third were business leaders and representatives, discussed topics including: how to ensure innovation is achieved in a sustainable manner, how to communicate environmental news effectively, healthy workplaces and how wellbeing can be influenced through behavioural change. Researchers and Knowledge Exchange officers from the Centre are now working closely with 30 local businesses, and are developing plans for a number of collaborative research activities over the next year. To find out more please visit www.ecehh.org

Setting up the European Centre for Environment and Human Health involved excellent foresight. It is absolutely right for what we do and absolutely right for Cornwall.

Architect’s visualisation of the Environment & Sustainability Institute.

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Professor Steve Thornton Dean, PCMD

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‘‘ Artist’s impression of the AIR building.

Building on the significant investment that UCF has received so far, AIR will really make a difference to how we engage with businesses both now and in the longer term. AIR will not only create jobs in Cornwall but will also stimulate the growth of innovative businesses in the county.

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Professor Anne Carlisle Rector & CEO, University College Falmouth

Academy for Innovation & Research

With a £9 million investment secured from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF Convergence), the South West Regional Development Agency (SWRDA) and the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), University College Falmouth’s Academy for Innovation & Research continued its development as a creative hub where researchers, developers and businesses collaborate with a focus on digital economy and sustainable design. The AIR building, based on the Tremough Campus, is due to open in May 2012 and, while the facility heads towards completion, projects and events have continued to flourish. Professor Philip Moore has been appointed as Pro Rector (Research & Innovation) and Director of the Academy for Innovation & Research (AIR) and started work in early 2012. AIR offers specialist expertise in the areas of sustainable design and the digital economy to enable innovative Cornish companies to achieve their full potential by developing new products and services, new routes to

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market, new relationships with each other plus ready access to investors and suppliers – regionally, nationally and internationally. Recent events include a number of ‘Sandpits’ – problemsolving workshops that bring a range of interested people together to generate solutions to a shared challenge or opportunity. Three events looking at developments around Superfast Broadband, held in conjunction with BT, brought together more than 90 public and private sector delegates to explore the exciting opportunities that Next Generation Broadband will bring to Cornwall. The ‘NHS Innovations’ Sandpit looked at developing supply chains for new devices; more than 30 ‘Digital Making’ participants worked on issues around digital design and production; and a further group of 30 looked at getting the most from Cornwall’s Innovation Centres. To find out more please visit www.falmouth.ac.uk/air

Marine Renewable Energy

The South West is one of the leading areas in the development of marine renewable energy. With Wave Hub, situated off the North Cornwall coast, the region boasts one of the foremost wave energy demonstration platforms in the world. A joint project between Plymouth University and the University of Exeter, the Peninsula Research Institute for Marine Renewable Energy (PRIMaRE) developed as a mechanism to support Wave Hub and to assist businesses involved in marine renewable energy. The combination of an international research team, world-class facilities and collaboration with industry through research and knowledge transfer activities has led to the development of important technologies and new opportunities for marine energy devices, services and low carbon energy production in the South West. These developments strengthen the area’s ambition to be a global centre for harnessing energy from the sea.

helped to improve the company’s technology and open new markets. Both universities provide a range of services including an electrical testing lab, moorings test facility, marine components test facility and oceanographic modelling. These facilities and research services are complemented by the Ann Kathleen and Falcon Spirit research vessels, whilst Plymouth University is also currently building a Wave Tank in the new Marine Institute building. To find out more please visit www.primare.org

Examples of business collaborations include the University of Exeter’s work with Mojo Maritime Ltd on the installation of tidal energy devices, helping them to move into higher value business areas. The University has also assisted with the deployment of monitoring systems made by Chelonia Ltd. Chelonia’s C-PODs detect marine mammals through their echo-location clicks and thus mitigate the impacts of marine energy extraction on marine life, a key factor in gaining consent for projects. Deploying C-PODs at the Wave Hub has

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Plymouth University Perranporth Beach research project.

Working with the University of Exeter has helped Mojo Maritime extend our area of skills in marine offshore renewable energy. The collaboration has helped to reduce risk and improve cost efficiency in all our work on marine installations. Matt Hodson Business Development Manager, Mojo Maritime

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The ESF PhD project will allow us to diversify and develop the business into areas that we may not have ventured into this early in the company’s evolution.

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Dr James Jobling-Purser 3D MSI and Research Partner and University of Exeter graduate Mojo Maritime Drilling Project.

Fab Test

Falmouth Harbour Commissioners (FHC) and The Crown Estate have recently signed a lease to create FabTest, a new wave energy ‘nursery’ test site in Falmouth Bay. FabTest offers developers the chance to undertake tests to investigate structural integrity, response behaviour, mooring and umbilical behaviour, subsea components, monitoring systems and deployment procedures in moderate sea conditions before deploying their devices in more energetic offshore conditions. It is a stepping stone to the deployment of arrays of devices at Wave Hub, the world’s largest grid-connected wave energy demonstration facility installed 10 nautical miles off the north coast of Cornwall last year.

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The management of the site will be undertaken by a partnership between FHC and the University of Exeter. The FabTest project has been driven by a steering group which has also included Wave Hub and the marine energy support industry including A&P Group and Mojo Maritime in Cornwall. FabTest has also been welcomed by Plymouth University, which is currently building wave and tidal tank testing facilities in Plymouth that will open next year. FabTest is expected to play a key role in supporting the growth of marine businesses in Cornwall. To find out more about Fabtest please email [email protected]

FabTest will provide an opportunity to boost our already world-class research in marine renewable energy, including assessing the impact on the technologies on the marine habitat and the development of improved engineering solutions, prediction and modelling techniques.

Dr Lars Johanning Senior Lecturer in Renewable Energy, University of Exeter 24

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European Social Fund (ESF) Research

The second phase of the European Social Fund (ESF) Research Programme has seen the delivery of 40 PhDs and the start of 240 Masters level projects to be completed between 2011 and 2015. Each of the PhDs is a collaborative project between at least two CUC partner institutions and a Cornish-based business.

on predicting the effects of climate change on specific locations in Cornwall and engaging people in a debate about the desirability of these changes. For more information, please visit www.cuc.ac.uk/research

The £6 million Research Programme promotes research that is closely aligned with the needs of local enterprise and builds on areas of special interest to Cornwall’s economic growth. These areas include enterprise and entrepreneurship, low carbon economic development, developing the digital economy and projects relating to the Ecotown. Projects include research into seabird conservation, improvements in renewable energy engineering, port management systems, sustainable tourism and developments in virtual displays for museums. The first phase of the programme included PhD projects across a broad range of themes including bioscience, geography, law and history. Phase One also included an interdisciplinary project entitled ‘From Climate to Landscape: Imaging the Future’. Supported by the University of Exeter and employing three postdoctoral researchers, the project focused James Jobling Purser taken by Simon Burt for the University of Exeter. Combined Universities in Cornwall

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Staff and research profile

HE Staff numbers 1400 1200 1000

1125

1222 1056 957

800 600 400 20

2007/08

2008/09

2009/10

2010/11

Research staff

Research income

160

165

10M

11.8M

140 140

120

8M

100 80

95

6M

96

4.4M

4M

60

3.8M

40

2M

20

1.1M 2007/08

26

2008/09

2009/10

2010/11

2007/08

2008/09

2009/10

2010/11

John Blount of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus. Combined Universities in Cornwall

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Driving innovation & enterprise

A

key feature of our activities throughout this year has been linking up Cornwall’s

universities and colleges to businesses to help drive economic growth.

With a focus on driving performance improvement in the delivery of public services, the ESF-funded Cornwall Leadership Academy has improved the management skills of managers across the public sector, and Unlocking Potential is looking at new ways to support the continuing development of established businesses and entrepreneurs.

The success stories emerging from Knowledge Transfer Partnerships show just what can be achieved when businesses work with universities and colleges to branch out into new territory. Driving innovation at its earliest source, the ICE House project worked to embed entrepreneurial thinking, creativity and enterprise into education through its teacher training programme. Perhaps those teachers’ students will be moving into the Innovation Centres in the future!

UCP continues its roaring success at getting graduates into Cornish business, and now also supports those graduates who prefer to start up their own companies. The Pool and Tremough Innovation Centres are all primed to provide accommodation, support and mentoring to new and growing businesses, through their state-of-the-art facilities and proximity to CUC partner institutions. Bringing a boost to business across many sectors from the creative industries to renewable energy, marine composites to food manufacturing, projects such as SWIAP and CREATiVE Business are working with businesses to put their much needed specialist knowledge into action.

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Combined Universities in Cornwall

Review 2011

Exchanging views and news at a CUC business event in Truro.

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‘‘

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The suite of programmes was written to support the development of managers & leaders working in the changing public sector and to support service improvements.

Dawn Aunger Head of Human Resources and Organisational Development

Unlocking potential

Designed by business, delivered by Plymouth University and Cornwall College, in partnership with YTKO, Unlocking Potential launched in late 2011. Operating alongside Unlocking Cornish Potential and funded by ERDF Convergence investment, the programme has four main strands: Enterprise Heroes, In-Depth Conversations, Learning Collectives and Underpinning Research. Enterprise Heroes events feature high profile, successful speakers invited to Cornwall to showcase the best in global business ideas. Speakers in 2011 included Digby, Lord Jones of Birmingham; Laura Tenison MBE, Founder and MD of JoJo Maman Bebe; Sahar Hashemi, Founder of Coffee Republic; Deirdre Bounds, Founder of i-to-I; Nick Hurst, MD of Burts Chips; and serial entrepreneur BJ Cunningham. More than 200 members of the business community attended the first event. During In-depth Conversations, the programme team work with business leaders to explore their challenges, look at where their business is now and where they’d like it to go – and plan a route to get there.

Cornwall Leadership Academy graduates.

Cornwall Leadership Academy

Officially launched in September 2010, the Cornwall Leadership Academy offers a programme of courses designed to assist in the development of managers and leaders to support the changing face of Cornwall’s public sector, including Cornwall Council, Primary Care Trust, Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust, and Devon and Cornwall Police. Financed through the European Social Fund, the 35+ courses are developed collaboratively between CUC and the public sector clients, and delivered by a range of training organisations including Cornwall College Business, Truro and Penwith College and a number of private providers. 30

Improving performance in the delivery of public services is a key goal of the Academy. The collaborative nature of the courses is designed to help achieve this by bringing together managers from across the public sector and having them learn together in groups to greatly improve understanding of each other’s worlds. To date, over 500 public sector workers have successfully undertaken training with the Academy in a wide range of programmes including Delivering Change Successfully, Front Line Management, Coaching & Mentoring and Carbon Management.

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Digby, Lord Jones of Birmingham at the launch of Unlocking Potential.

Learning Collectives establish groups of like-minded business people working together in facilitated groups to benefit from each other’s knowledge and insight. Information gathered through all the programme’s activity will be fed into Underpinning Research. Flagging up on-going business needs, this research will help to shape both the future of the programme and development of further business support and training. For more information, please visit www.unlockingenterprisepotential.com

The best learning is peer to peer. When I have a ‘can’t sleep at night’ issue, I talk to business friends who have faced the same thing. This type of learning really works. You can share issues and hopefully share solutions. Sarah Pugh Eight Wire

To find out more about the Cornwall Leadership Academy, please visit http://tinyurl.com/CornwallLA Combined Universities in Cornwall

Review 2011

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‘‘

UCP is helping us stop the brain drain. Let’s stop people having to leave Cornwall to get the jobs they are qualified for, and that they want.

Sarah Trethowan TRAC Services

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salary across UCP’s first two stages was £21,098. This compares well with salaries in Cornwall, with 22% of UCP graduates earning more than Cornwall’s median annual salary of £21,552. National average starting salaries for graduates were reported at £27,000 for 2010, although these do vary considerably across sectors (Source: High Fliers Research).

Winners at the UCP awards.

Unlocking Cornish Potential

CUC’s graduate placement programme Unlocking Cornish Potential (UCP) continues to support growing Cornish businesses and early stage graduates. In the last phase of Convergence investment, more than 500 graduates completed projects with local businesses, which equates to 170 graduate jobs created every year for the last three years. Encouragingly, statistics show that 76% have stayed on with the company after their placement finished. UCP salaries remain strong, and compare well with national graduate starting salaries. The average starting

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A Celebration event in 2011 recognised the impact UCP graduates have made with their respective companies. Awards were presented to winners from a variety of categories, including Best Marketing Strategy, Contribution to Environmental Sustainability and Catalyst to Business Growth. The Individual Achievement Award was won by former Truro College student Antony Best, whose comprehensive business plan for Eddie Jewell Acoustics helped triple their turnover. Another of UCP’s successful programmes is ‘Stand Out From The Crowd’, a two-week, fully funded course that is helping graduates in Cornwall better prepare for finding graduate-level jobs. The course focuses on equipping graduates with tools to succeed in the everevolving job market, from creating a strong CV to interview training. UCP has also secured the support of a number of local businesses and organisations to help deliver the course, including a workshop from Shelterbox. To find out more please visit www.cornwall.ac.uk/ucp

Winners at the UCP Graduate Start-ups awards.

Unlocking potential Graduate Start-Ups

The graduate placement programme Unlocking Cornish Potential (UCP) is running its Graduate Start-Up programme with great success. The programme is aimed at Cornish graduates who want to start their own business. Successful applicants are offered a complete 12-month support package including financial help, skills training, mentoring from an industry expert and numerous meetings and networking events. To help select the strongest applicants, UCP holds a series of open days and a three-day Boot Camp at the Tremough Campus, where graduates pitch their business ideas to a selection of business advisors and support partners, including representatives from CUC, Oxford Innovation

‘‘

and Upbeat Solutions. To date, more than 70 graduates have been chosen to participate, with 41 having already completed the programme. The inaugural UCP Graduate Start-Up Celebration awards were held in Falmouth in October, celebrating the achievements of 41 graduate entrepreneurs who completed the programme in 2011. Awards included Exciting Future Award, Most Innovative Start Up, Best Digital Start Up, Start Up of the Year and Entrepreneur of the Year. For more information, please visit www.cornwall.ac.uk/ucp

Without the support I’ve had from UCP & Oxford Innovation my business wouldn’t be where it is today. I can’t recommend the Graduate Start-Up programme highly enough. For me it’s not about the funding – it’s about the expertise and having someone to talk too. Mark Grice Redfuse

Combined Universities in Cornwall

Review 2011

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Innovation Centres

The Pool Innovation Centre, a purpose-built facility created to offer business incubation and networking benefits, opened in July 2010. Made possible by the combination of a £9 million Convergence Investment and almost £3 million from the South West RDA, the centre has exceeded all forecasts to reach an occupancy level of 60% within a year of opening, equating to over 140 new jobs on site. Around 6,000 people have attended more than 500 events at the centre. Work is close to completion on the second Innovation Centre, with the first businesses due to move in spring 2012. The Tremough Innovation Centre will share the aims of the Pool Centre – to help create a vibrant business hub that aids knowledge transfer and encourages collaboration and innovation. With space for up to 70 businesses, the state-of-the-art facility will also include a shared workspace area and meeting rooms, and will provide important links with University College Falmouth and the University of Exeter, based on the same campus.

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A turf-cutting ceremony at the Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust site in Truro marked the beginning of construction of the third Innovation Centre – the Health and Wellbeing Innovation Centre (HWIC). Offering both laboratory and office space, the Centre will bring together knowledge-sharing multidisciplinary groups, all working together on new technologies aimed at improving health and wellbeing. Delivered by Plymouth University on behalf of Cornwall Council, the three Innovation Centres will offer space for more than 150 businesses – all with supporting services, conference and meeting facilities and great opportunities to network between University staff and students, entrepreneurs and business people. To find out more about the Innovation Centres, please visit www.poolinnovationcentre.co.uk

Tim Seaman Formation Marine GRP

South West Innovation Accelerator Project

This project funded by the ERDF programme helps Cornwall’s SMEs develop through the transfer of specialist knowledge from the FE sector. The project focuses on five specific areas of industry – advanced marine composites, advanced engineering, creative industries, environmental technologies and food manufacturing.

’’

undertaking new trials with MIS on a spraying method of applying a polymer resin to the outer surface of marine crafts. For more information, please visit http://tinyurl.com/convergenceswiap

The CREATivE Business project is run by Truro and Penwith College, offering creative businesses tailored support to help them develop specific areas of their business. Held at the Truro campus, three targeted launch events designed to increase awareness and encourage participation were attended by over 75 creative businesses who were able to apply to participate in the project, which directly aims to improve the profits of creative industries. Tremough Innovation Centre

The success at Pool demonstrates that there is an appetite and a hunger in Cornwall for an entrepreneurial launch-pad like PIC, and one which can be a genuine asset to its community with a truly open-door policy. Professor Julian Beer Pro Vice-Chancellor (Regional Enterprise) at Plymouth University

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‘‘

The opportunity to work with the Marine Innovation Service provides us with a low risk environment in which to adopt new processing methods and so broaden the services we offer to our clients – as well as helping us to become more productive and competitive.

’’

Also funded by the ERDF programme through the South West Innovation Accelerator Project, Falmouth Marine School launched the Marine Innovation Service in October 2011. The aim of the Marine Innovation Service is to help existing firms, and new start-ups, to increase their expertise in the use of composites and for Cornwall to become recognised as a centre for marine composites technology. A Hayle-based company, Formation Marine GPR, is one of the first to benefit from this project,

Combined Universities in Cornwall

Review 2011

SWIAP CREATivE Business Project.

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‘‘

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A Knowledge Transfer Partnership is essentially a bridge between university and industry. Its purpose is to enable academic expertise to be fed through to business to help them gain entry to fields where they may not have had previous experience.

Amanda Pound A&P and University of Exeter Graduate

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The ICE module embeds soft skills in the learners – all the skills that employers are looking for ...

Kelly-Marie Hancock PGCE Student University of Exeter and Harbour Commission working together on a Knowledge Transfer Partnership project in Falmouth.

The ICE House project

Cornwall College and Plymouth University, working in collaboration with Cornwall Learning (part of Cornwall Council) and the Peninsula Centre for Excellence in Teacher Training, used ESF Convergence investment to develop the ICE House project.The project looked at how to embed teaching and learning methods that develop and support learners’ skills in Innovation, Creativity and Enterprise through changes to the delivery of Initial Teacher Education ( ITE) in the Lifelong Learning Sector. The ICE House project group included colleagues expert in ITE from Cornwall College, Plymouth University and Cornwall Learning, who worked together to explore, define and introduce practical strategies for embedding ICE in the curriculum and teaching its principles. A key aim was to challenge trainee teachers to develop skills and techniques that promote ICE principles, as they grew

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP) support businesses wanting to improve their competitiveness, productivity and performance by accessing the knowledge and expertise available within universities and colleges. Ship repair and conversion business A&P Falmouth has started a two-year Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with the University of Exeter to help diversify their business into the marine renewable energy market. A graduate of the University of Exeter’s Renewable Energy course, Amanda Pound, is a KTP associate for the project and works as A&P Falmouth’s Marine Renewable Energy manager. Her role is to use her experience to act as a springboard for A&P to enter a new field where they 36

do not currently have much experience and to establish the business strongly in this new sector.

’’

their professional teaching practice. Strategies used included problem-based learning, innovation for education and promoting enterprising behaviour. The hypothesis was that if trainee teachers were exposed to these strategies within their training, then they would engage ICE principles in their teaching practice. The first cohort of teachers to benefit from the project graduated in June 2011. Cornwall College and Plymouth University are currently exploring ways of extending the project to work with serving teachers in colleges, schools and higher education, and with businesses that are committed to being learning organisations. To find out more, visit www.ice-house.info/

Ice House project students at Cornwall College.

Another KTP, this time between Falmouth Harbour Commissioners and Plymouth University, came to an end in March 2011, with the 30-month project receiving the highest possible assessment grade – ‘Outstanding’ – from the independent Technology Strategy Board. The sustainable development project was led by KTP associate Harriet Knowles, an Environmental Science graduate from Plymouth University, who is now employed as a full-time member of the FHC staff. To find out more please visit www.cuc.ac.uk/business Combined Universities in Cornwall

Review 2011

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Graduate destination data

Business engagement statistics

The destinations of 2010 CUC graduates

HE Income from all sources in £'000s* Facilities & equipment related services

Consultancy Full-time employment inc self-employed

Work and study

Part-time employment

Not employed and looking for employment

Voluntary work

Not employed and not looking for employment

Full-time study

2% 5%

4000 2,465 2000 585

10%

800 764

625 400

38

432

200

Other SW

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University University of Truro & Exeter Cornwall College Penwith Campus Falmouth College* *t he majority of the higher education courses at these institutions are offered in partnership with, and approved by the Plymouth University PCMD

Other UK

Outside UK

384 416

3,069

2400

972

Number of contracts

Income

Income

Learner days delivered

Business spin-off activity (HE only)*

600

Cornwall

3,259

Income

Total income

HE / Events for the external community

855

7%

22%

Total number of work-based learners in HE at Cornwall College and Truro & Penwith College combined (headcount):

1,889

614

Number of contracts

Graduates per institution in 2011 (FTE)

0

3,284

0

1%

33%

Regeneration & development programmes 11,467

5,683

4,865

9%

38%

Total work-based learners

9,805

6000

13%

2010 - 2011

8000

38%

Where 2010 CUC graduates found work

Continuing professional development (courses)

10000

22%

Other

2009 - 2010

Cornwall College*

Graduates from the Plymouth Faculty of Health and Social Welfare are not included as these courses are taught across multiple sites in Devon and Cornwall.

Estimate no of FTE employed at spin offs

Total number of attendees at events designed for the external community

443 265

Formal spin-offs established

198

2010 / 2011

54

2009 / 2010

38

Formal spinoffs active after 3 years

93,702

40,560

37 0

125

250 2009 - 2010

375

500

Review 2011

50,000

100,000

2010 - 2011

* Combined data from University of Exeter, Plymouth University and University College Falmouth (Cornwall and Devon campuses combined).

Combined Universities in Cornwall

0

** Events designed for the External Community – combined data from University of Exeter, Plymouth University and University College Falmouth (Cornwall and Devon campuses combined ).

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‘‘

Delegates at UNICREDS Conference in the Czech Republic.

From the day the CUC was conceived, its vision was to be a hub around which a revitalised prosperity could grow. This echoes a time when Cornwall’s great mining industry galvanised invention. In the 21st century, the lode is now knowledge and our growth is forged from the relationships between business, research, technology and emerging markets.

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Carleen Kelemen Director of the Convergence Partnership Office for Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly

Project Funding

Over the past year, CUC initiatives enabled by ESF and ERDF Convergence investment have continued to bring new opportunities for the communities and businesses of Cornwall through enhanced opportunities for learning and knowledge transfer to businesses. The two specific funds behind many of CUC’s current projects – the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Social Fund (ESF) – are dedicated to the EU Convergence objective which aims to reduce the inequality in levels of economic development of regions and countries of the EU. Working through Cornwall’s economic governance structures, the Convergence Programmes for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly have invested in infrastructure and activities that will have a long-term impact on the economy of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. The continued development of higher education in Cornwall has been one of the major focus areas for the Convergence Programmes.

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European Regional Development Fund By part funding infrastructure projects, developing the information society, accelerating the transfer of knowledge, supporting investments in people and stimulating cross-border cooperation, ERDF helps regions to improve business competitiveness and achieve a faster rate of economic development in a sustainable way. CUC has used ERDF Convergence Programme investment in the following projects: • • • • • • • • •

Development of higher education facilities at Penwith College in Penzance The Exchange at Tremough Campus The Peninsula Dental School The Local Learning Centre at Launceston The Unicreds Inter Regional Project The European Centre for Environment & Human Health at Treliske AIR (Academy for Innovation & Research) at Tremough Campus ESI (Environment & Sustainability Institute) at Tremough Campus Pool, Tremough and Health and Wellbeing Innovation Centres

UNICREDS

European Social Fund

ESF provides investment for projects designed to help people – for example, to improve their work skills and job prospects. The ESF Convergence investment has included work with higher education closely aligned to infrastructure projects supported in ERDF, and in particular designed to promote business-friendly research and innovation. CUC has used ESF Convergence investment in the following projects: • • • • • •

Two phases of research capacity building Two phases of a programme supporting Enterprise & Entrepreneurship HE for Business Empowering Smart Women Unlocking Cornish Potential, including Grad Cornwall, Start Up & Stand Out from the Crowd and Unlocking Potential Widening participation through the Raising Aspirations project and Skills Funding Agency access to HE programmes

To find out more about Convergence Investment please visit www.convergencecornwall.com/

Combined Universities in Cornwall

Review 2011

Led by Cornwall Council with CUC, University Collaboration in Regional Development Spaces (UNICREDS) is made up of 15 partners from seven EU regions. The €2million project aims to discover good practice in shaping higher education to promote economic and socially sustainable communities in underperforming regions, and create a transferable model that the European Commission can adopt. So far the project has looked at the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in the region and how these might influence the design of regional delivery of higher education. It has also focussed on the regional opportunities for beneficial partnerships as instruments for regional development. CUC is leading the current phase of the project which explores the benefits that collaborative higher education can bring to the local economy and community. CUC shared expertise and knowledge at two significant UNICREDS conferences this year in Skye, Scotland and Sofia, Bulgaria. The findings and case studies presented at the conferences will feed into policy recommendations to be submitted to the European Commission. For more information, please visit www.unicreds.eu

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Funding and impact

Funding and impact

Overall projects funding analysis

Number of working age residents with NVQ4 or higher level qualification in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly

9000

£ 152.5M £ 111M

Total Investment in CUC during Convergence period

8000

£ 64.5M £ 315.9M

6000

£ 261M £ 214.5M

5000

£ 142.8M £ 117.5M £ 89.6M

£0

£ 50M

£ 100M

78600

62900

2004

2005

4000 To 2011 To 2010

£ 173.2M £ 143.5M £ 124.9M

EU Investment in CUC

62900

86200

82800

76200

7000

Total Investment in CUC

UK Investment in CUC

84800

£ 150M

3000 2000 1000

To 2009 £ 200M

£ 250M

£ 300M

0

£ 350M

GVA effects in Cornwall

2007

2006

2008

2009

2010

Percentage of working age residents with NVQ4 or higher level qualification

Source: DTZ Pieda economic impact model.

£ 182,637,756

Cumulative to 2025

Source: ONS/NOMIS. These data are subject to a +/- confidence interval of 3%.

30 25

£ 148,618,335

Cumulative to 2020

35

20 £ 105,048,277

Cumulative to 2015

15

Cumulative to 2011

10

£ 70,4042,772

5 Cumulative to 2010

£ 61,555,852 £0

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£ 50M

Great Britain

0 £ 100M

£ 150M

£ 200M

2004

2005

Combined Universities in Cornwall

2006

Review 2011

2007

2008

2009

South West

Cornwall

2010

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The CUC partners are:

University of Exeter (UoE) Plymouth University (PU) University College Falmouth (UCF) Peninsula College of Medicine & Dentistry (PCMD) Cornwall College Truro & Penwith College

www.cuc.ac.uk

Concept & design by Christian Topf Design – www.ctd-studio.co.uk

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All figures quoted are believed correct at the time of printing – February 2012

Combined Universities in Cornwall

Review 2011

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Combined Universities in Cornwall Trevenson House, Trevenson Road, Pool, Redruth, Cornwall, TR15 3RD www.cuc.ac.uk 01209 721070 [email protected]

CUC is supported by:

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