Mutual benefits of bringing academia into the workplace
Oct 2 2008 by Karen Dent, The Journal
Strengthening ties between the business and academic worlds has long been considered a key strategy for retaining talent in the region. Karen Dent finds out about the latest link-up between Newcastle University and forward-looking local companies.
POSTGRADUATE students from Newcastle University have just finished the first year of a new project to find out how their skills can be used in industry, while giving companies the opportunity to benefit from their fresh ideas and input.
The Post Graduate Bursaries for Innovation Connectors (PGBIC) scheme is the latest programme to explore how academic theories can be applied to the real world of North East business.
It is now hoped this pilot project, sponsored by One NorthEast, will receive further funding to take it forward until 2011. The regional development agency provided the money for more than 60 Masters students to take a placement at a company and put their theories into action.
“Businesses get a motivated and interested person working for them and they can bring new and fresh ideas into the business,” said Dr Bryn Jones, the university’s dean of postgraduate studies.
“It helps businesses to establish closer working relationships with the university. This is a two-way thing – we gain a lot as a university working with business and they can have an input on what we teach on our courses.
“With the various student projects, it brings businesses into contact with academics who may be carrying out world-leading research.
“The funding for students reduces the financial burden on them and they get this fantastic placement in the business which allows them to learn new technical skills. We have applied to One NorthEast for follow-on funding. We are hopeful.”
Although the idea is to forge closer links between business and the university, and ultimately lead to jobs for those Masters students taking part, the scheme also has a wider aim of retaining talented people and their ideas in the North East.
“Our expectation is that a proportion of the students will work with the business they have the placement with, or it might be that the students will end up with a similar business here in the North East,” said Dr Jones, who came to the region to study in 1986 and has been here ever since.
“Our Masters graduates generally do have a good experience at the university and on placement. These networks support them throughout their ideas.
“We really expect the project to retain people in the North East. They really are evangelists for the area.”
Dr Jones says that if further funding is secured, the programme will be advertised nationally and it will therefore be able to act as another platform for raising the North East’s profile as a forward-looking region.
Paul Rutter was one of 62 students who took part in the first year of the scheme.
During his placement at PrismTech, a software business on Gateshead’s Team Valley, he worked on a project to improve radio communications between emergency services using computer software.
He said: “In a major incident, all the emergency services are able to talk to each other over a single radio frequency. What I was looking at was ways to improve and speed up this communication network by making sure all systems are compatible.”
Paul has used his experience with PrismTech to secure a job with software company Cerrs, based next to the Centre for Life in Newcastle.
He said: “It’s the Catch 22, you have to have experience to get a job but you have to have a job to get the experience. It was good to be in a company and work as part of a team. Working at PrismTech has given me the opportunity to say I’ve worked in this area.”
Simon Hobson, finance director of PrismTech, said the company values its links with the university. This is definitely a two-way partnership,” he said. “For the students, a business placement offers them real-world hands-on experience and the possibility of a job when they finish.
“But the business community benefits too. Without Paul’s valuable contribution we could not have taken this project forward and now we are a significant step closer to delivering software that could have major implications for mission-critical communications in sectors including defence, aerospace and telecommunications.”
In addition to PrismTech, postgraduates worked with business including Sanofi-Aventis in Alnwick, Hewlett Packard in Newcastle and UK Coal in Morpeth.
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