JISC

A positive new booklet called 'Standing together: universities helping business through the downturn' has just been published. A timely call to action, it sets out a series of practical ways in which local businesses can collaborate with universities to help them through the current economic situation and beyond.

'Higher education has a crucial role to play in helping the country through the economic downturn. Our universities and colleges provide the people and ideas that inform and stimulate our economy, society and culture.’ Prof David Eastwood, Chief Executive of HEFCE.

The guide focuses on small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and is published by Universities UK and GuildHE, with the support of HEFCE. Supplying a contact name within each educational institution for businesses to approach, it provides practical advice to help managers identify early problem signs in priority areas. These include:

• Cash flow, access to finance and staff training;
• Consultancy services;
• Research support;
• Staff development and training courses; and
• Strengthened partnerships through the Regional Development Agencies (RDAs), Business Link, Train2Gain and Sector Skills Councils.

Malcolm Read, executive secretary at JISC, says: ‘JISC welcomes this accessible new resource that highlights, how at a practical level, universities can help businesses.

‘JISC’s Business and Community Engagement programme (BCE), together with JISC’s work developing institutional and national repositories and digitising key digital data through the Digitisation Programme will all contribute to helping universities support local services. In particular, JISC BCE activities such as Customer Relationship Management (CRM) process-mapping and online collaborative tools will help institutions to optimise strategic knowledge and learning partnerships and to manage and deliver services to SMEs and other external partners, through enhanced systems, processes and the innovative use of ICT’.

David Lammy, Minister of State for Higher Education David Lammy adds: ‘UUK's case study work in this document valuably exemplifies the opportunities available across higher education and in a wide range of business sectors.'

The brochure is being distributed widely through HE regional associations, RDAs, Chambers of Commerce and other business networks or can be accessed online here.

 
See HEFCE for further information. 
Download the brochure in PDF format.
Visit the homepages of Universities UK (UUK) or GUILD HE