UNICREDS Project holds first conference in Sweden.
A contingent from Cornwall visited a remote region of Sweden recently for the first conference of UNICREDS - a European project led by Cornwall Council looking at how different models of higher education can benefit regional economic development.
More than 40 delegates attended the event which focussed on the factors affecting learning in remote geographical areas. The theme was: geographical and community ‘fit’ - design of a decentralised learning model to meet specific physical and social characteristics of failing regional economies in peripheral areas. It was held in Skellefteå in the Västerbotten region of Northern Sweden, a remote and sparsely populated region with a population of just 4.7 per km² (as a comparison, Cornwall has 149.1 people per km²).
Discussions at the conference considered the proactive attitude of universities towards initiating partnerships with business and the public sector and the need for support from public authorities for universities in accomplishing regional economic development.
Peter Baur, Deputy Head of Unit and Directorate General for Education and Culture at the European Commission was the keynote speaker at the Skellefteå conference. Talking about the importance of cooperation between higher education, business and the public sector for growth, he said: “Bringing the worlds of education and work closer together, working in partnership, is not an option. It is a must. Co-operation has to be based on mutual respect and has to acknowledge the different roles and responsibilities of the respective actors.”
The two day conference was the first in a series of five to be held across Europe, each of which is the final stage in five separate pieces of research work on specific themes done by the UNICREDS partners and involving local authorities and universities.
Talking about the importance for Cornwall of this first UNICREDS conference, Carolyn Rule, Cabinet Member for Economy and Regeneration at Cornwall Council, said: “Increasingly in these times of economic instability, Europe is looking to the private sector to take a key transformational role in improving the economy. In a period of restricted public spending, it will be important that the public sector is able to support entrepreneurs in their challenge to regenerate the economy, and high skilled staff will be a vital element of this. Universities and local authorities working together to provide education and skills training and graduate and business start-up, support and growth programmes could provide a step change in economic growth.”
Nigel Hewitt, Combined Universities in Cornwall Coordinator, who attended on behalf of the CUC partnership, said: “One of the themes that came out strongly was that regions benefit most when their higher education provision grows out of and remains in touch with the local geography and culture. Speaking about our own experiences, we were able to highlight the way that, for example, the expertise we are developing in Cornwall in marine renewable energy draws on the engineering expertise that stems from our mining heritage, coupled with our stunning Atlantic Coastline. Similarly, the growth of art, design, media and performance within the CUC partnership is rooted in and perpetuates Cornwall’s renowned artistic and cultural heritage.”
UNICREDS is a €2million project majority funded by the EU in addition to co-financing from each of the 15 partners from Sweden, Finland, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Hungary and the UK. All the regions involved with UNICREDS share similar characteristics relative to the rest of their countries, such as distance from major cities, population demographics, and reliance on declining traditional industries. People living in these areas can find access to traditional university education difficult for geographic, financial, or social reasons. UNICREDS partners share real life experiences and knowledge of how such challenges can be overcome and how deprived or peripheral regions can be transformed into centres of excellence in research and innovation.
The overall aim of UNICREDS is to understand the role universities play in economic development alongside the traditional role of education and degree supply. It examines the ‘triple helix’ approach to partnerships between universities, business and the public sector, and explores current and new ways of collaborating with a view to aiding knowledge transfer and building understanding of how universities can influence the economic development of underperforming regions. UNICREDS is ultimately looking to develop a transferable model for future education and regional development programmes that can be adopted by the European Commission.
The findings from the Skellefteå conference and the related research are expected to be delivered in September when a comprehensive report will be delivered to the UNICREDS team in Cornwall by Swedish partner, Akademi Norr, along with best practice findings and policy recommendations. These will be added to the findings from the next four conferences taking place over the three year lifespan of the project.
UNICREDS is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund along with each of the 15 partners and made possible by the INTERREG IVC programme.
ENDS
Press enquiries: Lisa Sutherland, Fresh: 01872 262977 /
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Notes to editors:
- UNICREDS stands for University Collaboration in Regional Development Spaces.
- UNICREDS is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund and made possible by the INTERREG IVC programme.
- UNICREDS is a partnership of 15 partners from 7 EU regions who share the belief that decentralized universities can help transform deprived regional economies into centres of excellence in research and innovation.
- The ‘triple helix’ model is based on a multi-sited university and its integration with the private and public sectors.
- The aim of the UNICREDS programme is to share knowledge between the member partners, to further develop the triple helix model, and to ultimately lobby EU policy makers to adopt the model across Europe.
- Country-specific versions and translations of this press release are available in the document library
- UNICREDS logos and brand guidelines are available in the document library
- Additional images of the conference are available in the photo gallery
