Universities open doors to industry

Universities are urged to make their skills available to local businesses

Universities are to be encouraged to build closer links with industry and the community.

The Education Minister Baroness Blackstone announced on Tuesday that 50 universities in England would share £22m to fund projects which will make academic expertise more widely available.

The Higher Education Reach-Out to Business and the Community Fund, first announced in June 1999, is making grants of between £100,000 and £1.1m.

The government, promoting the "knowledge economy", wants to make wider use of the research and specialist skills within universities.

University staff will be encouraged to learn more about how business works and academic departments will be urged to make their academic research more accessible.

"The role of higher education is critical in developing the enterprising and highly skilled workforce that business needs to compete in world markets today," said the minister.

E-commerce centre

"This fund rewards and encourages universities and colleges to enhance their interaction with business."

Among the projects to be funded will be the University of Northumbria at Newcastle, which is to receive £1.1bn towards setting up an e-commerce centre, which will provide training for students and local business.

In the West Midlands, £1.1m funding will help the University of Wolverhampton and other higher education colleges to link up to provide a single "gateway" to help businesses find out more about the specialist knowledge available.

The Minister for Science and Innovation, Lord Sainsbury, said the awards, which are jointly funded by the Department for Education and Employment and the Department for Trade and Industry, were a valuable investment in the economy.

"The new knowledge economy depends on maintaining and exploiting our excellent knowledge base and encouraging innovation," he said.