Business

Published 28.11.08

The university's Vice-Chancellor, Professor Julian Crampton, was amongst a small delegation of Vice-Chancellors representing Universities UK, who met the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, to discuss the important role higher education has to play in boosting UK business.

Speaking after the meeting at Downing Street, Professor Julian Crampton said: "In the current economic climate it is more important than ever that universities support business through these difficult times in a variety of ways. The university is a vital resource in the region. We are one of the biggest employers in Brighton & Hove with over 2,500 staff, we boast more than 20,000 students and contribute £330m to the regional economy."

In Brighton the vast majority of businesses are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the university is pioneering how higher education institutions can support (SMEs), through its programme, ProfitNet. Following substantial research into how businesses learn from each other, ProfitNet was created by the university to help SMEs work together to solve common business problems.

In just four years ProfitNet has worked with almost 500 SMEs across Sussex. This is the first time a university has solved the problem of engaging with SMEs on a regular basis and delivering benefits through knowledge transfer.

Diana Warwick, Chief Executive of Universities UK, said: "We appreciate the significant investment the government has made in higher education and we are urging them to protect this level of support."

"Universities are producing highly skilled graduates and developing cutting-edge research - both are crucial to the global success of the UK economy. Universities are substantial generators of wealth and employment in themselves. We wanted to take the opportunity of this informal meeting to highlight the role universities can play in supporting the UK economy, through their engagement with business and industry."