Successful partnership

The Research and Enterprise Partnership established by Aberystwyth and Bangor Universities has exceeded its target for generating research income according to a review of activities which has been published today, Wednesday 9 December.

Established in 2006 with £10.9m of funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales, the aim of this pioneering collaborative project was to build on research and enterprise activities at the two universities.

Against a target of generating additional research income of £11m, Partnership members attending the mid-term review will hear that a total of £13.25m has already been secured with a further two years left to run.

At the outset the Partnership formed four research centres with international aspirations; the Centre for Advanced Functional Materials and Devices (www.CAFMaD.ac.uk), the Centre for Integrated Research in the Rural Environment (www.CIRRE.ac.uk), the Centre for Catchment and Coastal Research (www.CCCR.ac.uk), and the Institute for Medieval and Early Modern Studies (www.IMEMS.ac.uk).

Over the past three years the four centres have developed international links, and through the recruitment of top researchers, and participation of existing high calibre academics, research from these Centres is being published internationally and being utilised by policy makers and organisations around the world.

Recently, a fifth centre, the Centre for Knowledge and Innovation Transfer and Enterprise (CKITE) was established in order to build on the existing enterprise activities between Commercialisation and Consultancy Services (CCS) in Aberystwyth and their opposite number: the Research Innovation Office (RIO, formerly UIB) in Bangor. This new Centre will also examine opportunities to support the potential broader collaborations between the Partnership and other Welsh institutions.

Professor Noel Lloyd, Vice-Chancellor of Aberystwyth University said:
“The Research and Enterprise Partnership enables Aberystwyth and Bangor Universities to be internationally competitive and to respond to major challenges. It provides the range of expertise which is required to be effective and to facilitate the adoption of the problem-based and interdisciplinary approach to research that is essential in today's world. The Partnership also emphasises the impact of research and the close connection between research and innovation. Work is now proceeding on how to deepen and broaden the partnership between the two universities.”

Professor Merfyn Jones, Vice-Chancellor of Bangor University said:
“The Aberystwyth and Bangor Universities' Research and Enterprise Partnership is clearly contributing towards the aspiration for Wales to be internationally recognised for its research excellence. The Partnership is attracting high calibre researchers and is creating a thriving research community that is nurturing future academic strength in Mid and North Wales, and is undertaking research with impact that is contributing to the economic, social and cultural fabric of Wales and the wider world.”

The Partnership’s Mid Term Review was held at the St. David's Hotel & Spa in Cardiff on Wednesday, 9 December.