The University of Liverpool has collated a report showing its commitment to Liverpool City Region (LCR) as an economic catalyst, a key employer and a driver for health, culture, heritage and innovation.
University Vice Chancellor Professor Dame Janet Beer launched the publication, Celebrating the University of Liverpool’s Contribution to Liverpool City Region at a special event attended by the great and good from across Merseyside.
Written by Professor Dinah Birch, University Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Cultural Engagement and Professor Michael Parkinson, University Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Civic Engagement, it highlights the economic contribution made by the institution; including £152m paid as taxation each year, the £73m spent with local firms through procurement, students’ £342m injection into the regional economy, as well as £652m of gross value added to LCR by the University.
But it also looks ahead to some key developments across health, employment, innovation, and leadership and culture.
A founding member of Liverpool Health Partners (LHP), the University’s game-changing Liverpool Head and Neck Centre will provide head and neck cancer sufferers with access to the latest research, while the Liverpool Centre for Cardiovascular Science will bring LHP experts together to advance cardiovascular disease and stroke research.
The University’s Pre-Apprenticeship programme has seen 36 participants complete the scheme from inception, and almost 200 young people have gained employment in a variety of sectors across the LCR since the launch of the University’s Apprenticeship Programme in 2011.
Elsewhere, the Scholars Programme helps local students gain access to higher education, and IntoUniversity North Liverpool – co-funded by University alumni donations – provides academic support to as many as one thousand local students every year.
On the University’s border, Knowledge Quarter Liverpool will soon be home to the Royal College of Physicians as well as University of Liverpool International College, a partnership with Kaplan that will deliver 35,000 sq ft of education and learning facilities.
On campus, the Digital Innovation Factory (DIF) will boost the LCR economy by £44.5m as a centre of excellence in simulation and virtual reality. It follows the £81m investment in the Materials Innovation Factory (MIF), which is fuelling innovation through the shared use of scientific infrastructure and expertise; and Sensor City, a distinct, collaborative space for sensors and sensor systems innovation developed in partnership with Liverpool John Moores University.
Often setting the agenda for the LCR, the University’s Heseltine Institute for Public Policy, Practice and Place has delivered key reports on the social economy, housing provision, retail regeneration, graduate mobility, inclusive growth and harnessing the Mersey to generate energy.
The Institute of Cultural Capital’s work around Liverpool’s Capital of Culture year has seen the city become the template for future culture capitals, while partnerships with Tate Liverpool and National Museums Liverpool have brought University research and insight to whole new audiences.
The University is committed to developing and deepening these practices and principles even further by creating a Civic University Agreement with key LCR organisations.
Professor Birch said: “We’ve identified the many ways in which staff and students already contribute to the health, wellbeing and economic success of the LCR and are delighted that the new Civic University Agreement recognises the value of this work and encourages its future development.”
Professor Parkinson said: “We will continue to lead the public debate about the future development of the city region.
“We will put the intellectual and social capital at the disposal of city regional leaders.
“We will continue to invest, educate, offer opportunity and remain open in a global world.
“We welcome more partnerships with more organisations.
“Our commitment for today and for the future matches and reinforces that made by the founders of the University.”
To read the full report, please visit: www.liverpool.ac.uk/civic-engagement