The Government’s Industrial Strategy White Paper – Building a Britain fit for the future – was launched on Monday 27 November by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy focusing on five key areas: Ideas, People, Infrastructure, Business Environment and Places.
Within this the Strategy recognises the important role universities play in developing strong partnerships with industry and the public sector by forming ‘innovation clusters’ that can address the needs of local innovative businesses and contribute to regional development.
In response to the Government’s Industrial Strategy, Professor Karen Cox, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Kent, said: ‘The University of Kent welcomes the Government’s Industrial Strategy and will be examining its proposals closely to understand the opportunities it presents both at a national and regional level.
‘We are committed to ensuring we educate the next generation of students with the skills required to help the UK thrive and that our research explores ways in which we can contribute to the economic growth of the nation.
‘As such the Industrial Strategy presents an opportunity to enhance this focus, particularly in areas highlighted in the document as vital to the UK’s future, such as artificial intelligence and life sciences, which the University already has strong expertise in.’
The vital role universities play in boosting local economies was underlined by a recent report that said the Medway region benefits by £143.6m due to the presence of Kent, Canterbury Christ Church University and Greenwich universities in the area.
Furthermore, Kent and Canterbury Christ Church University recently submitted a joint funding bid for a medical school for 100 medical student places that would help improve healthcare services in the county.