The north of England should aspire to have an 'Ivy League' of universities to rival the very best in United States and the rest of the world, said UK housing minister Yvette Cooper
An important first step towards this ambition was taken today with eight northern universities joining together for the first time to create pioneering world class research centres that will power new technological advances.
Harnessing expertise from business and academia, the virtual centres will develop research in five key areas: energy, sustainable water use, ageing and related health issues, regenerative medicine, and molecular engineering, where the north has the potential to become a world leader.
Funded by £6million from the Northern Way, the centres will help the north to match and complement the research power of the 'golden triangle' of Oxford, Cambridge and London, driving innovation and boosting the northern and UK economy.
Yvette Cooper said: "We know that our universities are paramount to our cities being able to compete on the global stage.
"These new centres are a real opportunity for the north to become world leaders in new technologies that will create jobs and boost prosperity in the region.
"But while this is an important step, we need to go further.
"The challenge should be to strive for an Ivy league of universities for the north that can rival the very best in academic excellence, and drive forward innovation and productivity".
The research centres will consist of virtual networks from the N8 group of northern research-intensive universities - Liverpool, Lancaster, Manchester, York, Sheffield, Leeds, Durham and Newcastle - and the project will run from next month (November) until 2011.
The Northern Way has approved £6million towards the cost of the overall project, with substantial additional support for the virtual centres being provided directly by the universities themselves.
It is the first time in the UK that a group of universities have formed a jointly held company, specifically to work together and do deals with business.
Teams of researchers from each of the eight northern universities will work on programmes jointly developed from discussions with business and industry.
Businesses in the north will be able to become more competitive by using the world-class research excellence of N8 - and, ultimately, enabling them to innovate better and faster than they would have otherwise done and take a larger share of rapidly changing global markets.
Northern Way stated its intention to fund the research centres to the tune of£6mllion in its business plan as part of its efforts to strengthen the north's knowledge base and drive innovation, and close the £30billion output gap between the north and the average for England".
Professor David Secher, chief executive of the N8 universities, said: "This is an exciting and innovative initiative.
By harnessing the research talent across the north, and by working closely with business, there is a real opportunity to make a global impact in these five important areas.
"All five areas are also of enormous socio-economic and public interest".
Professor Drummond Bone, vice-chairman of the Northern Way management group, said: "The combined resource of the eight universities and business is extremely powerful.
"This initiative is about maximising the impact of this resource economically and socially for the benefit, through the three northern regions, of the whole of the UK".
Steven Broomhead, chief executive of Northwest Regional Development Agency, said: "The importance of improving links between businesses and universities cannot by overstated.
"The north is home to a number of leading universities with world class research and development capabilities, which provide a vital resource that businesses must exploit in order to maintain a competitive edge.
"This initiative, which will enable businesses to develop innovative new products, processes or services that will help them to compete on a global level, will be crucial in strengthening our knowledge base and will play a key role in driving forward the economic growth of the both the northwest and the north as a whole."
