Birmingham City University's successful track record in
supporting business has been rewarded with specialist funding to
help boost economic growth.
The University has been allocated £1,293,503 per annum for
2011-2015 once plans have been approved on how best to share
expertise and innovation with businesses and community
partners.
The allocation is part of the Government's Higher Education
Innovation Funding (HEIF) and the announcement coincides with a
Universities Week, a national campaign to showcase how universities
are helping to drive forward the economy.
"This is great news and an endorsement of the successful work we
are doing to engage with employers and the wider community we
serve," said Professor David Maguire, Pro Vice-Chancellor at
Birmingham City University.
"We have a long and successful track record in working with
businesses to sharpen their competiveness. But we are equally
committed to supporting social as well as economic wellbeing -
therefore we engage with a diverse range of public sector and
not-for-profit organisations.
The University has already successfully deployed similar
funding. For example, to support research by Dr Lubo Jankovic, from
the Birmingham City University's School of Architecture and Centre
for Low Carbon Research, who has been working on instrumental
monitoring and post-occupancy evaluation of the Birmingham Zero
Carbon House, a ground-breaking carbon-neutral building based on
170-year-old redbrick Victorian house. Dr Lubo Jankovic will be
presenting his findings tomorrow (June 15) at the prestigious
'Humans, Habitats and Heat Making: homes fit for the planet'
forum.
The allocation also coincides with the recent upgrade to the
University's already successful employer engagement agenda -
celebrated with the launch of the BEST Awards 2011. The inaugural
awards celebrated the University's commitment to promoting
employability and enterprise.
The University is renowned for its collaborations with a range
organisations, including AGA Rangemaster, Apple, BBC, Cartier,
CISCO, Codemasters, Harvey Nichols, Jaguar, Jewson, Microsoft,
Mitchell & Butlers, NHS, RAF, RNLI, Rolls-Royce, Sky and
Sony.
The funding allocation to Birmingham City University has been
made by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce).
Allocations have been made only to universities with an
established track record in working with business, public sector
and not-for-profit organisations.
To release its funds the University will now need to provide a
strategy to be approved by Hefce.