Press releases

Yorkshire Universities obtains £20k funding for a regional sustainability service-learning pilot

Yorkshire Universities (YU) has been awarded £20,000 funding by the UPP Foundation to pilot a regional sustainability service-learning project. Ours is one of the eight pilot initiatives the UPP Foundation invested over £160,000 in. Funding was awarded to schemes which support student and graduate success for disadvantaged and underrepresented groups, and for initiatives which support universities’ efforts to embed environmental sustainability within their local communities.

The YU project will establish multi-university collaborative task & finish group to audit existing work within the twelve member institutions, scope out a brokerage network between communities and university students to help solve local environmental sustainability challenges, and share the case studies and learning with a wider audience.

This pilot project builds on two unique regional networks for collaboration:

  • The Yorkshire & Humber Climate Commission (YHCC) brings together actors from the public, private and third sectors to support and guide ambitious climate actions across the region. The Yorkshire and Humber Climate Action Plan, which was co-created by Commissioners, panellists and members of the public, sets out actions for organisations across the region to collectively deliver.

The project activity will not only contribute to implementing our report priorities but will help connect students and their work to the bigger picture. The task & finish group will design and issue a ‘Certificate of Achievement and Contribution to the Delivery of the Regional Climate Action Plan’ to student participating in the pilot recognising the achievements and how their actions support broader impact across the region.

Monika Antal, Assistant Director of Yorkshire Universities said:

“We are excited to learn and showcase modes of engagement from across the region and to bring together multi-disciplinary teams of students to enhance their sense of belonging with their communities, as part of this place-based scheme. We see this pilot as a unique opportunity and example of the higher education sector directly supporting regional climate action. It is offering a trailblazing model.”

Rosa Foster, Co-Director of Yorkshire & Humber Climate Commission, said:

“Delivering Yorkshire and Humber’s Climate Action Plan requires dedicated team effort, so we are excited to see this project helping link university students with the regional climate agenda.

This project will engage students from diverse backgrounds, studying a wide range of subject matters – exactly what is needed to ensure our climate and nature goals are delivered in a fair and inclusive way.”

The five key stages of our 15-month project (running between the end of January 2023 and end of March 2024):

1. Audit the ways in which students can or are engaging with the sustainability agenda through service learning across the twelve YU member institutions.

2. Scope the brokerage network and explore ways in which the following relationships could be joined up in a systemic way:

  • Within institutions and their employer contacts – between departments and faculties to be better informed of each other’s work and to reveal further collaboration opportunities with external partners and enhance relationships with local authorities and the third sector.
  • Across institutions and their employer contacts – among external engagement officers across the region’s universities to share experience and to reveal further opportunities for collaboration and knowledge exchange and to share enquiries.

3. Pilot challenges

  • Within institutions – by funding £1k challenges for service learning across each of the twelve institutions around a feasible task meeting a community sustainability need. Where possible we encourage teams to form across departments, to allow students to work in multi-disciplinary teams and pool different skills.
  • Across institutions – to trial a £3k multi-university community consultancy team and/or project with students from 3+ institutions: enabling them to meet new people and work together, build new networks and relationships on the sustainability aspect of a local or regional challenge which will be set with the help of the YHCC.

Those completing either of these pilot challenges will be issued a ‘Certificate of Achievement and Contribution to the Delivery of the Regional Climate Action Plan’ detailing the green skills used and developed to increase awareness of employability skills students can articulate to employers. This certificate will be endorsed by YU and the YHCC.

4. Collate an online repository

To be hosted by YU aiming to serve two main purposes:

  • Showcasing modes of engagement in sustainability service learning (from step 1) and case studies (from step 3) for an awareness raising campaign, to demonstrate what’s possible by working with a diverse range of students and universities.
  • Gathering multi-media reflections or testimonials of individual experience that could help improve an internal service at a university and provide learning for capacity building, thereby helping to co-design future initiatives.

For more information contact: Monika Antal, Assistant Director at Yorkshire Universities

Follow: #UPPFGrants2023

NOTE TO EDITORS

Related: UPP Press release ‘UPP Foundation awards over £160k in funding to outstanding pilot initiatives’ (23 January 2023).

Yorkshire Universities (YU) has a shared commitment to strengthen the contribution of universities and higher education institutions to the economic, social and civic well-being of people and places in Yorkshire. The twelve member institutions of YU are: Leeds Arts University; Leeds Conservatoire; Leeds Beckett University; Leeds Trinity University; Sheffield Hallam University; University of Bradford; University of Huddersfield; University of Hull; University of Leeds; University of Sheffield; University of York; and York St John University.

Website www.yorkshireuniversities.ac.uk Twitter: @YorkshireUnis

Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission (YHCC) launched in March 2021, as part of the Place-based Climate Action Network and supported by the Yorkshire Leaders Board. The Commission is an independent advisory group that brings together public, private and third sector actors to support, guide and track the delivery of ambitious climate actions across the region. 

Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission’s aims are to advance the region’s climate leadership and to accelerate climate resilient, net-zero development through an inclusive and just transition. Read an overview here 

Website: yorksandhumberclimate.org.uk Twitter: @YHClimateCom 

  • Share this post:

Yorkshire Universities one of the eight initiatives awarded funding by the UPP Foundation

UPP Foundation awards over £160k in funding to outstanding pilot initiatives

UPP Press release as published on 23 January 2023.

The UPP Foundation, the registered charity founded by student accommodation and infrastructure business UPP, has invested over £160,000 in grant funding for eight innovative pilot projects with charities and universities.

The projects were selected by the Foundation’s Trustees following the submission of over 50 applications during the latest funding round – the most the Foundation has received to date.

Funding was awarded to schemes which support student and graduate success for disadvantaged and underrepresented groups, and for initiatives which support universities’ efforts to embed environmental sustainability within their local communities.

The UPP Foundation has awarded grants to:

  • Establish a tutoring scheme for undergraduates to tutor local year 8 pupils in literacy (University of Exeter)
  • Create an Energy Advice Centre where students will support the local community to save on their energy bills (London South Bank University)
  • Research the relationship between climate change and student mental health (Student Minds)
  • Support the transition from school to university for low-income students (projects from the Brilliant Club and Villiers Park Educational Trust)
  • Develop an application which will map and protect local biodiversity (University of Lincoln)
  • Incubate student engagement in local sustainability projects which support employability skills for participating students (Yorkshire Universities)
  • Capture the experiences of international students in the UK jobs market (AGCAS)

The eight pilot projects were chosen on the basis of their overall quality, synergy with the UPP Foundation’s goals, commitment to partnership, innovative approach and potential for impact.

The outcomes of the pilots will be shared across higher education so that best practice can be embedded across the sector.

Commenting on the successful applications, Richard Brabner, Director of the UPP Foundation said:

“We received an unprecedented number of outstanding applications for our most recent funding round. We chose these brilliant projects as they help universities address fundamental issues we are facing in society, and provide an innovative approach to supporting disadvantaged students succeed during their studies

“We expect that these projects will ignite great practice across the higher education sector and look forward to sharing their outcomes in the months and years ahead.”

ENDS:

1. 2023 Grants

Tutoring Pilot – University of Exeter (£24,885):

Social mobility researchers led by Lee Elliot Major, will work with the University’s access team to look at different models of tutoring and develop a discrete tutoring course in foundational literacy for year 8 pupils. They will then train 100 undergraduates to deliver small-group tutoring to 300 local pupils. At the conclusion of the project Exeter will publish a set of recommendations and guidance for universities and policy makers indicating potential models through which universities across the country can deliver student tutoring.

Energy Advice Centre – South Bank University (£23,548):

Legal Advice Centres, where students provide free guidance to local residents on their legal rights, are common across the sector. South Bank have taken this idea and will be piloting a similar approach for energy. South Bank will establish an advice centre for their local community, focussed on ways that households can reduce their energy consumption, improve energy efficiency, and save money as the cost-of-living crisis starts to bite. This will be run by undergraduates and overseen by PhD students, with weekly clinics hosted over the course of the year.

Climate Change and Student Mental Health Report – Student Minds (£10,544):

Leading student mental health charity Student Minds have been awarded a grant to run a research project looking at the links between mental health and climate change amongst the student body. Research will be based on qualitative and quantitative approaches, with a report published with conclusions and recommendations towards the end of the year.

Join the Dots – Brilliant Club (£25,000) & Transition to Success – Villiers Park Educational Trust (£25,000)

Better supporting the transition to higher education from school or college emerged as one of the key themes from the UPP Foundation’s Student Futures Commission as a way to enable student success, continuation and graduate outcomes. As part of this funding-round the UPP Foundation is supporting two pilot projects on this theme with two leading access charities. At the end of the pilots, the Foundation will then produce a report sharing learnings from these distinct approaches to enable best practice to flourish in the sector.

Brilliant Club

Students from disadvantaged backgrounds will be matched with a PhD Coach from the university they are attending. Each PhD Coach will support a group of eight students through a six-month transition programme (pre-entry to end of the first term). The programme also includes a community element, as they will be connecting students from similar backgrounds through facilitated peer groups where they will be encouraged to reflect on their experiences and support each other through the transition. Join the Dots will be supporting 50-100 students in the pilot phase.

Villiers Park Educational Trust

This project will support 500 students at participating universities. Using ‘solution-focussed’ coaching, the course aims to equip incoming students with the self-reflection, thinking skills and confidence to prepare for and manage the practical, emotional, and logistical aspects of negotiating social, academic, and domestic change. It will run over 6 months from June (before entry) to the end of the calendar year. 

App for biodiversity – University of Lincoln (£24,997):

There is a need to understand and enhance ecosystem provision (biodiversity and carbon storage) in urban areas. Urban centres are also the areas which are most at risk of decline. This project aims to support the local community to better understand the key biodiversity provided locally, and how to take action to enhance it. To achieve this, Lincoln will engage with local communities and, using a citizen science approach, map three key ecosystem areas in Lincoln using an AI-enabled mobile application that measures i) biodiversity and habitat connectivity; ii) above-ground vegetation carbon storage and iii) Water infiltration for flood regulation. The aim is to support the local community understand biodiversity in the city and then support its protection and enhancement.

Sustainability Service-Learning Pilots – Yorkshire Universities (£20,000):

Service-learning is where students use the knowledge and skills they have acquired within their degree to support a project or organisation delivering positive social change locally – students often receive credits towards their degree from the service-learning modules. This project funds Yorkshire Universities to audit existing work within their twelve members, scope out a brokerage network between communities and universities, as well as fund mini challenges, collate and share an online repository of pilot projects to showcase to a wider audience. The focus for the service-learning initiatives will be on local environmental and sustainability projects.

International graduates and UK employment: capturing experiences of post-study work visas – AGCAS (£12,400):

AGCAS is the membership organisation for higher education student career development and graduate employment professionals. Its project aims to enhance support for international students by raising awareness of the facilitators and barriers to success in the UK job market. Drawing on international graduates’ experiences of seeking and gaining employment in the UK – through surveys, focus groups and case studies – they will assess the effectiveness of the Graduate Route and other post-study visas and outline how the sector can better support international students considering UK graduate employment.

2. Quotes from grant recipients

Professor Lisa Roberts, Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive of the University of Exeter, said:

“We are delighted to be working with the UPP Foundation on this exciting project – this will provide our undergraduates with opportunities to make a positive impact on our communities, and help deliver on the university’s aims to contribute to social justice.”

Lee Elliot Major, Professor of Social Mobility at the University of Exeter, said: 

“We believe a university-led tutoring service could be an education game-changer: enabling undergraduates to develop life skills as tutors and boosting the school achievement of poorer pupils across the country. This has real promise to develop into a nation-wide programme helping to level-up educational opportunities.”

Professor David Phoenix, Vice-Chancellor of London South Bank University (LSBU) said:

“Rising energy bills are hitting people hard and our new LSBU Energy Advice Centre will provide a vital service to thousands of Londoners by offering advice and information online and in face-to-face to help people cut their fuel bills. We are incredibly grateful to the UPP Foundation for their kind donation which has enabled us to launch and run the LSBU Energy Advice Centre. Our student-led advice service will help people to save money on their energy costs and is one of many examples of LSBU students gaining applying their learning to gain experience whilst providing support to people living in the communities where we are based.”

Professor Benjamin Lishman, Associate Dean and project lead for London South Bank’s Energy Advice Centre said:

“We’re excited to work with UPP Foundation to develop the LSBU Energy Advice Centre. It gives our students the chance to do practical work in the community, and to interact with members of the public to solve real problems. Many people are facing challenges this winter and I’ve been delighted with the way our students have stepped up. We’ve got a fantastic team and I think the enthusiasm of our students is one of our real strengths. We’re already looking at ways we can expand our remit, for example by supporting local businesses as well as individuals. We hope this centre can become a useful model for engineering students across the country.”

Rosie Tressler OBE, Chief Executive Officer of Student Minds said:

“The climate emergency demands an urgent response, so we are delighted to be conducting this timely research, which centres student experiences. Our goal is to provide a strong foundation for future exploration into the relationship between climate change and student mental health. We are delighted to partner once again with the UPP Foundation to deliver this work. We hope the report will serve as a vital resource for all future researchers, policymakers, activists and professionals interested in tackling two of the biggest challenges facing our society today.”

Susie Whigham, Interim CEO of The Brilliant Club said:

“We are thrilled to be partnering with the UPP Foundation on piloting and evaluating our Join the Dots programme. Join the Dots supports less advantaged students as they transition from school and settle into university life. UPP Foundation shares our vision to foster a positive student experience so that we can see more students from disadvantaged backgrounds continue into the second year of their studies and ultimately achieve strong degree outcomes.”

Gaby Sumner, Chief Executive of Villiers Park Educational Trust said:

“I’m delighted that the UPP Foundation has agreed generous funding to develop a new project that prepares students from underrepresented backgrounds for the challenges and new experiences as they enter their first year of university.

“Through our work with our Future Leaders Programme, we know that having the right support in place for that first year of university life can be make or break for some young people.

“We are looking forward to working with the UPP Foundation and our university partners to achieve the best possible transition for students going into higher education and preparing them for successful engagement throughout their time at university.”

Pro-Vice Chancellor, Professor Libby John, Head of College of Science and Engineering and Chair of the Environmental Sustainability Committee of the University of Lincoln said:

“We welcome this opportunity to work with UPP Foundation to develop and share an innovative web-based application that will help to map biodiversity across Lincolnshire, while engaging local communities to be part of the solution to the ecological crisis and supporting them to take steps to improve biodiversity in their local area. This project will be delivered by University of Lincoln students from disciplines including Computer Science, Geography, Life Sciences and Business, providing valuable work experience”

Monika Antal, Assistant Director of Yorkshire Universities said:

“I am delighted that Yorkshire Universities will be working with the UPP Foundation on our sustainability service-learning project. This funding will enable us to pilot a unique regional collaboration between higher education institutions and local employers, across Yorkshire & Humber, and showcase the innovative ways in which students can work with local employers to support businesses in becoming more environmentally sustainable.”

Florence Reedy, Policy and Research Manager AGCAS, Helen Atkinson and Jim Campbell, AGCAS Internationalisation Task Group

“We are delighted to be receiving this generous funding from UPP Foundation to allow us to share the experiences of international graduates seeking UK employment. In spring 2022, AGCAS and its Internationalisation Task Group surveyed international graduates to learn more about their experiences of seeking employment in the UK following the introduction of the Graduate Route visa. The aim of this research project was to better understand the facilitators and barriers to success.

This backing from the UPP Foundation will provide the resource necessary to undertake further extensive analysis of survey responses, capture further qualitative data from a series of focus groups and develop a bank of case studies of international graduates. All these extended research outputs will be widely shared across the sector to help build a clearer picture of the effectiveness of the Graduate Route visa and support positive change for international graduates.” 

  • Share this post:

Collaboration is the key message at the first Y-PERN Conference

Experts, regional leaders and representatives from Councils, Mayoral Combined Authorities, Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), and Government Departments and Agencies, will meet today to consider the growing impact of the cost-of-living crisis, and how best increase prosperity in Yorkshire and the Humber.

The inaugural Yorkshire and Humber Policy Engagement and Research Network (Y-PERN) conference takes place at the University of Leeds on the 19th and 20th January 2023. Research England has awarded £3.9m, to a consortium led by Yorkshire Universities, to establish Y-PERN in partnership with Yorkshire and Humber Councils, West Yorkshire Combined Authority, South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, Hull and East Yorkshire LEP, and York and North Yorkshire LEP.

Y-PERN will add value to existing collaborations. Academic researchers will work with policymakers to generate and interpret economic, social and environmental data and evidence.

Dr Peter O’Brien, Executive Director of Yorkshire Universities, said: “This is the first opportunity, under the banner of Y-PERN, that we have been able to come together to discuss the key issues facing our region, and to define the interventions that will grow and sustain the economy.

“This conference will illustrate how world-leading research taking place in Yorkshire’s universities is being applied directly in the search for practical solutions to the problems faced by growing numbers of people, businesses and communities in the region.”

Notes to Editors

Yorkshire Universities has a shared commitment to strengthen the contribution of universities and higher education institutions to the economic, social and civic well-being of people and places in Yorkshire. There are an estimated 15,900 academics based in the twelve member institutions of Yorkshire Universities, which are: Leeds Arts University; Leeds Conservatoire; Leeds Beckett University; Leeds Trinity University; Sheffield Hallam University; University of Bradford; University of Huddersfield; University of Hull; University of Leeds; University of Sheffield; University of York; and York St John University.

www.yorkshireuniversities.ac.uk
@YorkshireUnis

Y-PERN is a novel network-based approach to inclusive and place-based academic policy engagement and research. Led a team of expert Policy Fellows, located across all parts of Yorkshire and the Humber, Y-PERN will play a critical role in fulfilling the commitment made in the Memorandum of Understanding between Yorkshire Universities (YU) and Yorkshire and Humber Councils (YHC) to work closer together to identify and implement actions and solutions to some of the pressing economic opportunities and challenges facing the region.

www.yorkshireuniversities.ac.uk/y-pern
@Y_PERN_

Research England shapes healthy, dynamic research and knowledge exchange in England’s universities. It distributes over £2 billion to universities in England every year; works to understand their strategies, capabilities and capacity; and supports and challenges universities to create new knowledge, strengthen the economy, and enrich society. Research England is part of UK Research and Innovation.

www.ukri.org/councils/research-england/
@ResEngland

Contact: Dr Peter O’Brien, Executive Director, Yorkshire Universities

  • Share this post:

Yorkshire awarded £3.9m to strengthen evidence-based policymaking in the region

A new, ambitious project will connect world-leading research expertise in Yorkshire’s universities to policymakers in Councils, Mayoral Combined Authorities and Local Enterprise Partnerships in the region.

Research England has awarded £3.9m in funding, over three years, to a consortium led by Yorkshire Universities to establish the Yorkshire and Humber Policy Engagement and Research Network (Y-PERN).

Y-PERN’s objectives are twofold. First, it will provide policymakers with immediate insights and evidence on how to tackle the most pressing economic and social challenges facing the region. Second, the project will help to build sustainable analytical capacity and capability that will widen and deepen knowledge and understanding about Yorkshire’s future growth and long-term development.

Yorkshire Universities works to strengthen the combined contribution of the region’s universities and higher education institutions to Yorkshire’s people and places. Recent work supported by Yorkshire Universities has underpinned the rapid development of the region’s Space Cluster and the testing of new approaches to planning and strengthening workforce recruitment and retention in the Health and Care Sector.

Professor Karen Bryan OBE, Chair of Yorkshire Universities, said: “This is a unique initiative, which involves all twelve member institutions of Yorkshire Universities, drawing upon diverse and complementary research strengths. Y-PERN aligns perfectly with our new 2022-25 Strategy, which is focused on informing public policy with practice that is underpinned by research, innovation and knowledge exchange.”

By providing regional leaders and Government with direct access to research, Y-PERN will inform major policy interventions and investment decisions. The Network will also provide insights into what types of public policy have worked in the past, and what might be successful in the future.

Y-PERN will be driven by a team of Policy Fellows located within Hull and East Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, and York and North Yorkshire, and advised by an independent panel of academic experts. Leeds University Business School will manage the project on behalf of the partnership that includes Yorkshire Universities; Yorkshire and Humber Councils; South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority; West Yorkshire Combined Authority; Hull and East Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership; and York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership.

What impact will Y-PERN have?

Yorkshire’s universities contribute £3bn each year to the region’s economy and play a critical role in generating jobs, creating innovation, talent, and enterprise, and driving productivity.

Y-PERN will harness the research talents and expertise of all Yorkshire’s universities. National and local government will be encouraged to use the findings Y-PERN presents in policy interventions that can improve the region’s prosperity, infrastructure and inward-investment.

Comments from other partners:

Professor Nick Plant, Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Leeds, said: “We are delighted that Research England has awarded funding for Y-PERN. The University of Leeds is committed to civic engagement and the application of research for the benefit of communities, businesses, and the wider environment. This network will significantly contribute to our ability to support regional economic recovery from COVID.”

Professor Andrew Brown, Academic Lead for Y-PERN, and Professor of Economics and Political Economy at Leeds University Business School, said: “Y-PERN will support a wide array of academic policy engagement activities. It will aid the joined-up, evidence-based and place-based policy approach that is vital to help policymakers understand and tackle the economic challenges we face. There has never been a more crucial time to mobilise the depth and breadth of academic expertise in Yorkshire – as Y-PERN is committed to doing. I am delighted that this major investment will provide a real step-change in the collaboration between academics, policymakers, and the communities that they serve.”

Oliver Coppard, Mayor of South Yorkshire, said: “Y-PERN is an exciting new venture for Yorkshire, bringing together the expertise from our universities and the local knowledge of our authorities, and we are pleased to support it. It will add capacity and resource to our vital work around skills, employment, sustainability and data analysis. The South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority already works closely with our universities, Sheffield Hallam and the University of Sheffield, and this will help us build on those relationships, and boost their impact.”

Tracy Brabin, West Yorkshire Mayor, said: “West Yorkshire is home to some of the best universities and academics in the world. This exciting and unique project enables us to gain invaluable expertise and insight for our work, which helps us better understand the issues facing our communities. I look forward to seeing this initiative rolled out across the whole of Yorkshire.”

James Newman OBE, Chair of Hull and East Yorkshire LEP, said: “The University of Hull has contributed significantly to the activities of LEP in Hull and East Yorkshire. The University is a much-valued anchor institution, and through its research and innovation activity, it is supporting the region’s net zero ambitions as the UK’s largest provider of clean energy and carbon capture solutions. I welcome the Hull and East Yorkshire LEP being part of this consortium and working with academic researchers to help realise our vision for a more successful and resilient region.”

Helen Simpson OBE, Chair of York and North Yorkshire LEP, said: “This is an exciting time for York and North Yorkshire, following the signing of the Devolution Deal in the summer. The University of York and York St John University are key partners in our local coalition. Our devolution proposal was, in part, successful due to the input of the two local universities. Y-PERN offers the potential to enhance the LEP and new local institutions’ relationships with higher education, which will be vital if we are to achieve the goals in our long-term plans for York and North Yorkshire.

Kersten England CBE, Chief Executive of Bradford Council and Chair of Yorkshire and Humber Councils, said: “Some of the challenges facing us across Yorkshire and the Humber, such as protecting the most vulnerable, tackling inequalities and creating sustainable growth and prosperity, have no simple solution. We have a keen enthusiasm to draw upon the best research possible and collaborate to make sure it reaches all parts of the region. Y-PERN will do this and help take our existing partnership with universities to the next level.”

NOTES TO EDITORS

Research England shapes healthy, dynamic research and knowledge exchange in England’s universities. It distributes over £2 billion to universities in England every year; works to understand their strategies, capabilities and capacity; and supports and challenges universities to create new knowledge, strengthen the economy, and enrich society. Research England is part of UK Research and Innovation.

www.ukri.org/councils/research-england/
@ResEngland

Yorkshire Universities has a shared commitment to strengthen the contribution of universities and higher education institutions to the economic, social and civic well-being of people and places in Yorkshire. There are an estimated 15,900 academics based in the twelve member institutions of Yorkshire Universities, which are: Leeds Arts University; Leeds Conservatoire; Leeds Beckett University; Leeds Trinity University; Sheffield Hallam University; University of Bradford; University of Huddersfield; University of Hull; University of Leeds; University of Sheffield; University of York; and York St John University.

www.yorkshireuniversities.ac.uk
@YorkshireUnis

Through the cross-party Yorkshire Leaders Board and Yorkshire and Humber Chief Executives group, Yorkshire & Humber Councils work effectively together, for the betterment of the whole of Yorkshire and the Humber, as well as for local citizens, businesses and communities, ensuring a role and voice for the region in national debates. These arrangements bring together the twenty-two councils across the region, along with the two Mayors in South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire, and the combined authorities in those areas.

www.yhcouncils.org.uk/
@YHCouncils

Contact

Dr Peter O’Brien, Executive Director: p.obrien@yorkshireuniversities.ac.uk, 07912 268087.

  • Share this post:

Professor Karen Bryan appointed new Chair of Yorkshire Universities

Professor Karen Bryan OBE, Vice-Chancellor of York St John University, has been appointed as the new Chair of Yorkshire Universities, the representative body for universities and higher education institutions in Yorkshire and The Humber. Professor Bryan will succeed Professor Shirley Congdon, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bradford, whose two-year term as Chair ends on 31 July 2022.

Profile photo of Professor Karen Bryan

The core mission of Yorkshire Universities is to help build a more productive, prosperous, inclusive and sustainable region. Professor Bryan will be responsible for steering the organisation’s relationships with national and local government, devolved institutions, business, further education colleges and public sector partners.

Professor Bryan said:

“I am delighted to be taking up this new role. Through their education, research, knowledge exchange and civic activities, universities can help to create more and better opportunities for people and local communities. In Yorkshire Universities, we have a unique convenor of higher education capabilities and assets for the wider benefit of the economy, society and environment in the region.”

Welcoming Professor Bryan as Chair of the Board, Dr Peter O’Brien, Executive Director, said:

“I am very much looking forward to working with Karen, who has been leading our recent work designed to encourage universities and regional partners to increase their collective support for graduate employment and employability. I would also like to thank Shirley Congdon, who was Chair during a very challenging time, but whose commitment to collaboration has seen Yorkshire Universities going from strength to strength in the last two years.”  

Notes to Editors

Professor Karen Bryan joined York St John University as Vice-Chancellor in April 2020. She was previously Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) at the University of Greenwich. Prior to that she was Pro Vice-Chancellor for Regional Engagement and Dean of the Faculty of Health and Wellbeing at Sheffield Hallam University.

Professor Bryan qualified as a speech and language therapist from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne and also gained her PhD there. Her research interests are in communication difficulties in young offenders and in forensic populations. Also, the impact of communication difficulties on access to healthcare. She is involved in the development of Registered Intermediaries working for the Ministry of Justice, and was previously a member of the Health Professions Council.

Professor Bryan is a Visiting Professor in the Department of Neuropsychology at the University of Warsaw, and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists. She was awarded an OBE for services to higher education in 2018. 

Yorkshire Universities has a shared commitment to strengthen the contribution of universities and higher education institutions to the economic, social and civic well-being of people and places in Yorkshire. Its members are: Leeds Arts University; Leeds Conservatoire; Leeds Beckett University; Leeds Trinity University; Sheffield Hallam University; University of Bradford; University of Huddersfield; University of Hull; University of Leeds; University of Sheffield; University of York; and York St John University.

  • Share this post:

Yorkshire Universities congratulates Bradford on becoming UK City of Culture 2025

Tuesday 31 May 2022

Responding to the news that Bradford has been awarded the title of UK City of Culture 2025, Dr Peter O’Brien, Executive Director of Yorkshire Universities, said:

“This is superb news for Bradford and Yorkshire as a whole. Bradford is a fantastic choice to be UK City of Culture given the city’s rich cultural heritage and creative dynamism. Huge congratulations go the bid team, including Bradford Council and the University of Bradford, as well as the huge number of businesses and community groups from across the district who have made this happen. It is a perfect accolade and will see Bradford, alongside Leeds 2023 and other programmes in the region, driving cultural activities, investment and growth in Yorkshire over the next few years.”

  • Share this post:

Yorkshire and the Humber Student Mental Health Network

UPDATE: The recording and a collection of speaker slide decks from the day are available for you to access here on the Yorkshire and Humber Public Health Network website.

Yorkshire Universities will today (26 May) join student welfare officers and health professionals to learn more about some of the established, innovative and successful examples of improving student’s mental health in the region and across the country. There are over 212,000 students studying at universities in Yorkshire.

The event, hosted by the University of Bradford, will also see members of the Yorkshire and the Humber Student Mental Health Network and Association of Directors of Public Health discuss how better data and analysis can inform long-term planning and interventions around student mental health needs.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Professor Shirley Congdon, Vice-Chancellor at the University of Bradford and Chair of Yorkshire Universities, said:

“We know from research before and during the pandemic that children and young adults are facing a mental health crisis.

Covid has increased the demand for university-funded support services, and there is a much greater focus now on student mental health and wellbeing. The voices of students and staff should be central to our efforts to improve mental health in the higher education sector. We know doing this leads to improved engagement and outcomes.

Closer working between universities and the NHS has also been vital to increasing access to and coordination of mental health care for those students needing support. That is why this event is so important, bringing together universities and partners across the region to share good practice and provide collective support to address an issue that matters to us all.”

Notes

Yorkshire Universities has a shared commitment to strengthen the contribution of universities and higher education institutions to the economic, social and civic well-being of people and places in Yorkshire.

The members of Yorkshire Universities are: Leeds Arts University; Leeds Conservatoire; Leeds Beckett University; Leeds Trinity University; Sheffield Hallam University; University of Bradford; University of Huddersfield; University of Hull; University of Leeds; University of Sheffield; University of York; and York St John University.

The Chair of Yorkshire Universities is Professor Shirley Congdon, Vice-Chancellor, University of Bradford.

  • Share this post:

Response by Yorkshire Universities to the proposed changes to the funding of higher education in England

Thursday 24 February 2022

Responding to the publication of the government’s proposals to reform higher education funding in England, Dr Peter O’Brien, Executive Director of Yorkshire Universities (YU), said:

We now have clarity on how the government intends to take forward the recommendations in the Augar Review. It has been four years since the Review was launched, and, during that time, the world has changed in many ways. What remains a constant, however, is the value of, and the demand for, higher education (HE), and its contribution to increasing social mobility and enabling students from diverse backgrounds to reach their full potential.

HE is a vital tool for helping people, places and businesses in Yorkshire meet the opportunities and challenges of a rapidly changing economy. Our universities and other providers also play a critical role in creating the skilled workforce that key public services, such as health and education, depend upon.

Earlier this month, the government published a Levelling Up White Paper, which gave a commitment to tackling social and spatial inequalities. The White Paper rightly identified human capital as a critical investment for building more productive local and regional economies. The additional capital funding and strategic teaching grants are therefore welcome. However, financial pressures within the sector remain, and, unless we are careful, new minimum eligibility requirements to access HE student finance could limit access and stifle aspiration in some of our most disadvantaged communities. It would be difficult to see how this would square with the ambition to level up.

YU will consider the government’s plans carefully, and we will consult with our members before responding in full.

Note to Editors

Yorkshire Universities has a shared commitment to strengthen the contribution of universities and higher education institutions to the economic, social and civic well-being of people and places in Yorkshire.

The members of Yorkshire Universities are: Leeds Arts University; Leeds Conservatoire; Leeds Beckett University; Leeds Trinity University; Sheffield Hallam University; University of Bradford; University of Huddersfield; University of Hull; University of Leeds; University of Sheffield; University of York; and York St John University.

The Chair of Yorkshire Universities is Professor Shirley Congdon, Vice-Chancellor, University of Bradford.

Contact

Dr Peter O’Brien, Executive Director, Yorkshire Universities

  • Share this post:

Yorkshire Universities responds to the Levelling Up White Paper

Wednesday 2 February 2022

Responding to the publication of the Levelling Up White Paper today, Dr Peter O’Brien, Executive Director of Yorkshire Universities (YU), said:

“This White Paper has long been in gestation, and it forms a central component of the government’s domestic policy agenda. There is a lot of material to digest in the document, and many will be poring over the details in the days ahead.

There is nothing inevitable or efficient in economic terms about the existence and extent of social and spatial inequalities. The UK will fail to maximise its full potential whilst so many people and places in regions, such as Yorkshire, are disadvantaged and are left behind.

Today’s White Paper presents a plan for how the government proposes to halt and reverse disparities in opportunity, income, health and wealth. It is a huge challenge, and it requires long-term commitment, significant new (and above all increased) public and private investment, cultural change and partnership between all parts of Whitehall, regions and communities. One of the lessons, indeed failures, of previous efforts to ‘level up’, is that there have been too many short-term measures, coupled with regular churn and change of institutions and programmes. In addition, governments in the past have not embraced a sufficient spatial focus within national policy or they have implemented policies that have countered any attempts to address regional disparities.

Crucially, there needs to be a genuine commitment across government to level up. The intention to introduce duties on departments to monitor and evaluate their specific contributions to defined levelling up missions does provide a potential basis for generating and sustaining greater cross-government buy-in.

But this is not the job of central government alone. Levelling up requires devolution to the regions, especially in England. We welcome the decision by the government to take forward detailed negotiations with York and North Yorkshire on a new Mayoral Combined Authority, and to invite Hull and East Yorkshire to begin negotiations on a new devolution deal. All parts of Yorkshire should enjoy greater autonomy, and we would also encourage the government to strengthen the existing devolution arrangements in South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire.

Universities and the higher education sector have key roles to play in levelling up, through the social capital they bring via their long-standing civic engagement work, and through their specialist capacity and expertise in research and innovation, education and skills, and knowledge exchange. The proposal for domestic public R&D investment outside the Greater South East to increase by at least 40%, by 2030, is welcome, but we need a clear understanding of the baseline for this funding proposal, and it is essential that regions have direct influence over how such investment is determined and spent. In Yorkshire, we have several innovation-led industrial and societal assets and clusters that could deliver significant wider benefits from increased public R&D investment, and they are prime candidates to host Innovation Accelerators. Similarly, new education and skills proposals, designed to shape long-term employment and skills provision, to meet current and future local labour market skills supply and demand, should be integrated fully within local and regional economic strategies.

In Yorkshire, YU members are working with the public, private and voluntary and community sectors to support the region’s recovery from the impacts of Covid, and to create a more prosperous, healthier, inclusive and greener region. In the run up to the White Paper, YU strengthened its partnership with the region’s local authorities, and we have described in detail how higher education, local government and Mayoral Combined Authorities can work together to deliver shared priorities, including levelling up priorities. We look forward to working with the government and our partners as the implementation stage of the White Paper begins.”

  • Share this post:

Six projects to improve Black, Asian and minority ethnic students’ access to postgraduate research in Yorkshire

The joint investment, worth nearly £8 million, by Research England – part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) – and the Office for Students (OfS), will be spent over the next four years on thirteen new projects that will attempt to tackle persistent inequalities that create barriers for Black, Asian and minority ethnic students to access and take part in postgraduate research (PGR).

Six out of these thirteen projects will be led by or with the involvement of Yorkshire Universities (YU) member institutions.

The projects are innovative in scope, scale and focus to an extent that has not been seen in England before. They will improve access into research, enhance research culture and the experience for Black, Asian and minority ethnic PGR students, and diversify and enhance routes into a range of careers.

The projects range from targeting recruitment, admissions and transition, to increasing the number of Black, Asian and minority ethnic female professors, and generating new admissions practices to creating longitudinal, systemic, and structural change at English universities.

Professor Shirley Congdon, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bradford and Chair of Yorkshire Universities, said:

Having six of these projects led by or involving YU members is a fantastic achievement and will add significant weight to the region’s capability, understanding and improvement of participation. We have a genuine opportunity to make tangible differences in the lives of our Black, Asian and minority ethnic students and deepen our collaborative relationships with the NHS and community actors.

Dr Peter O’Brien, Executive Director of Yorkshire Universities, said:

Improving opportunities for under-represented postgraduate students requires a region-wide approach. I congratulate those Yorkshire universities that have secured funding for the innovative approaches they will take to tackling the problem of under-representation and the barriers to progression for Black, Asian and minority ethnic post-graduate students in higher education. This is yet another example of collaboration between universities in the region, which YU is proud to both encourage and to support.

The projects involving YU members (by primary contact or in collaboration with project partners) are the following:

  1. University of Bradford, City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Working Academy, Emerald Publishing, Stronger Communities, Bradford for Everyone, Simply Customer, Digital Health Enterprise zone.

    Bradford Pathways to Academia for Minoritised Ethnicities: Brad-ATTAIN working with partners across the Bradford District, this programme will develop positive action pathways to support progression to PGR study for Black, Asian and minority ethnic students to build a vibrant, inclusive community of Black, Asian and minority ethnic researchers as leaders and influencers.
  2. University of Leeds, Goldsmiths College, University of London, Reading University, University of Plymouth, University of Sheffield, University of Sunderland

    Generation Delta: Nurturing future cohorts of Black, Asian and minority ethnic female professors will be led by six, female, Black, Asian and minority ethnic professors and will lay the foundations for a long-term increase in the number of Black, Asian and minority ethnic female professors in higher education institutions in England.
  3. Nottingham Trent University, Liverpool John Moores University, Sheffield Hallam University, UK Council for Graduate Education, Grit Break Through Programmes, Nottingham University Hospital Trust, NHS R&D North West, Health Education England – North West, Sheffield Hospitals NHS Trust, Sheffield Children’s Hospital NHS Trust

    Equity in Doctoral Education through Partnership and Innovation (EDEPI) will improve access and participation for racialised groups to PGR across three modern universities. It will target recruitment, admissions and transition as critical points of systemic inequality in doctoral education.
  4. University of Sheffield, MA Education Consultancy Our Mel, Sheffield and District African and Caribbean Community Association (SADACCA), The Lit Collective Sheffield, African Voices Platform, Sheffield Anti-Racist Education (SHARE)

    The University of Sheffield Centre for Equity and Inclusion will create longitudinal, systemic, and structural change at the university, establishing a network composed of Black, Asian and minority ethnic PGR students, University of Sheffield academics, and local partners working for equity and racial justice.
  5. Sheffield Hallam University, Manchester Metropolitan University, Advance HE

    Accomplished Study Programme in Research Excellence (ASPIRE) for Black students: Fixing the broken pipeline will develop the capabilities of Black students to navigate structural barriers to doctoral study and enhance pathways of opportunity, through inclusive targeting.
  6. University of York, University of Sheffield, University of Leeds, Sheffield Hallam University, University of Bradford

    Yorkshire Consortium for Equity in Doctoral Education (YCEDE) will tackle ethnic inequalities in access to PGR by systems-change innovations that re-shape institutional policies and procedures. Five Yorkshire universities will reform their admissions criteria and practices, involving work on the efficacy of taken-for-granted criteria as predictors of PGR success.

Note to editors

A full list of project summaries can be found here. Link to call.

Yorkshire Universities has a shared commitment to strengthen the contribution of universities and higher education institutions to the economic, social and civic well-being of people and places in Yorkshire.

The members of Yorkshire Universities are Leeds Arts University; Leeds Conservatoire; Leeds Beckett University; Leeds Trinity University; Sheffield Hallam University; University of Bradford; University of Huddersfield; University of Hull; University of Leeds; University of Sheffield; University of York; and York St John University.

The Chair of Yorkshire Universities is Professor Shirley Congdon, Vice-Chancellor, University of Bradford.

Contact

Dr Peter O’Brien, Executive Director, Yorkshire Universities
@YorkshireUnis

  • Share this post:

Urgent climate advice given to Yorkshire and Humber leaders

A climate action plan for Yorkshire and the Humber finds that the region will have used up its share of the global carbon budget consistent with a “good chance” of staying within 1.5 °C of warming – the focus of COP26 currently taking place in Glasgow – within just six years if urgent action is not taken now.

The Yorkshire and Humber Climate Action Plan , published today (Wednesday 10 November), calls for meaningful climate leadership from larger institutions in government and the public and private sectors to deliver “significant, tangible contributions” to help tackle the climate and ecological emergency.

Fostering shared responsibility, moving from targets and planning to action, and putting climate and nature at the heart of all areas of decision making are three of the key recommendations from the Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission, which also commits to undertake a raft of ambitious actions itself.

It also stresses the need for Yorkshire and Humber to be “climate ready” to face increasing risks from climate change, stating that not acting with the required urgency and ambition will both prolong the region’s contribution to the problem and worsen local impacts.

The Climate Action Plan has been developed with the input of more than 500 people and is being presented at the Yorkshire Post Climate Change Summit in Leeds on 10 November, which has been co-organised with the Commission.

Andy Gouldson, Director of the Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission and Professor of Environmental Policy at the University of Leeds, will set out the report in an hour-long session with other Commissioners.

Professor Gouldson said:

“As a Commission we have brought together climate leaders from all sorts of organisations and groups, and we have worked extensively with stakeholders from across the region to develop this plan. It’s been a mammoth undertaking, but it’s hugely important that people are involved in the process and we are very happy with the outcome.

“We now have to start the really hard work, which for us as a Commission is to tackle a set of specific actions over the next two and a half years. We’re playing our part, but we need the region as a whole to step up and get behind the delivery of the plan.”

Included in the report’s 50 actions are calls for a fair and inclusive transition, the integration of climate and nature into the curriculum in schools, the development of jobs and skills, the promotion of green finance and investment and the inclusion of emissions from aviation and shipping in the region’s net zero target.

While delivering a stark warning about the need to prepare for worsening impacts, it also offers hope that dealing with the connected climate and nature crises can help to transform Yorkshire and Humber into a happier, healthier, fairer and more prosperous place to live and work.

Liz Barber, Chief Executive of Yorkshire Water and Chair of the Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission, said:

 “The publication of this action plan is a significant first step for the Commission in guiding the region’s response to the climate and ecological emergency.

“Of paramount importance to this response is a commitment to achieve a just transition as we move to a green economy. Climate change impacts more on disadvantaged communities and it is critical that we make sure that our efforts reduce rather than exacerbate existing inequalities.”

Support for the Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission’s Climate Action Plan has come from the Yorkshire Leaders Board, which includes the leaders and chief executives of all of the local and combined authorities across the region.

In a joint statement, Yorkshire Leaders Board co-Chairs Cllr Carl Les, Leader of North Yorkshire County Council, and Cllr Sir Stephen Houghton, Leader of Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, said:

“Climate change is not a remote or distant issue. Many of our communities have already experienced extreme weather in recent years. In time, every corner of Yorkshire and Humber will be directly or indirectly impacted by the changing environment to some degree. The Commission’s recommendations on how our region can adapt are therefore an extremely important contribution.

“Going forward, we will work together to build the support from our communities, businesses and national government that will be vital to make all of these actions possible.”

Fifty actions to drive change

Fifty actions are outlined in the Climate Action Plan, designed to help build the region’s resilience against climate disasters and help achieve the region’s 2038 net zero target, which specifies the need for “significant progress” by 2030.

Other key actions included in the Commission’s “Framework for Change” include:

  • Developing a positive vision
  • Improve skills and create jobs in the green economy
  • Accelerating investment
  • Nurturing collaboration and innovation
  • Protecting and restoring nature
  • Developing a sustainable progress index for the region that is not based solely on GDP
  • Influencing national government.

The strong emphasis on climate resilience underscores the need to plan ahead so that we can cope and recover quickly when climate risks become reality. Among its recommendations on this are:

  • Develop climate risk communications for different audiences
  • Encourage the wider adoption of area-wide and site-specific climate adaptation plans and actions
  • Promote resilience in land use by restoring and enhancing the region’s many key natural assets
  • Prepare the food and farming sector for current and future changes
  • Promote nature-based solutions and blue-green infrastructure
  • Develop a regional network for climate readiness and resilience training
  • Promote the provision and uptake of affordable, comprehensive flood insurance
  • Strengthen plans for the long-term management of change and loss caused by sea level rise
  • Develop a whole of society approach to emergency response.

On net zero, the plan points out that Yorkshire and the Humber region directly emits 7.5% of UK emissions, which is more than countries like Croatia, Slovenia or Cyprus. We can “do our bit” by a range of actions, including:

  • Put the primary emphasis on reducing demand for all types of energy
  • Support the greatly accelerated decarbonisation of energy supply
  • Deliver ambitious retrofit for housing, with a major focus on reducing fuel poverty
  • Minimise the impact and maximise the contribution of new developments
  • Promote public transport through the wider development of mass-transit schemes
  • Minimise the need for private car ownership
  • Minimise the impacts of aviation by promoting alternative forms of travel and changing the behaviours of the small percentage (14%) that take the most (70%) of flights
  • Focus economic development, business support and training on greening the region’s economy
  • Promote changes in planning that put climate and nature at the heart of the design and delivery of local plans.

Undertaking commitments

In addition to the 50 recommended actions for the region, the Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission has outlined specific actions that it plans to work on. These include:

  • Developing a Citizens’ Forum to enable diverse voices to shape the climate debate, and explore ways of developing a regional network of Community Climate Champions
  • Enhance access to climate outreach and carbon literacy for everyone in the region, and develop an online, open access Climate Leadership Programme
  • Bring forward a Climate Leaders’ Pledge to promote ambitious actions in key organisations across the region
  • Work with the finance sector to explore ways to develop a climate and nature finance platform for the region
  • Work to develop an outline strategy for nature-based solutions and blue-green infrastructure for the region, and explore ways of developing a Yorkshire and Humber Nature Service
  • Develop a regional climate observatory to assess risks, analyse policies and scan for best practice and develop a Sustainable Progress Index
  • Develop a regional area energy plan and support the development of smart energy networks and community energy initiatives
  • Press national government for policies to deliver regional climate ambitions.

Support from Yorkshire mayors

South Yorkshire Mayor Dan Jarvis willbe speaking at the Summit on the regional relevance of the global climate agenda. He said:

“The climate emergency is the greatest challenge we face. We must urgently confront it while also tackling the long-standing inequalities holding the Northern economy back. We’ve declared a climate emergency in South Yorkshire, and have pledged to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2040 at the latest. But we must do this in a way which benefits not only just the environment, but our people too – creating good jobs, boosting our productivity, and building a future that’s happier, healthier and more prosperous for everyone.

“This plan is a significant first step to building that future for Yorkshire and the Humber. It’s critical that we start this work now, there is no time to waste.”

Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, will be opening the Summit with a welcome from Yorkshire. She said:

“The climate emergency is a global crisis but the solutions are local and that’s why the Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission’s Action Plan is so vital.

“Many of the measures being called for in this plan are mirrored in the West Yorkshire Climate and Environment Plan which was launched last month and sets out how we will deliver a net zero carbon region by 2038 at the latest. Both Plans are clear – we need urgent and collaborative action now. We cannot afford to delay.”

Livestreamed event

The all-day Summit at the Royal Armouries in Leeds will be hosted by journalist and broadcaster Christine Talbot. Key sessions from the Yorkshire Climate Summit will be livestreamed and available to watch for free via the event website. The Summit runs from 9.15am to 4.30pm, with the Climate Action Plan being presented by Commissioners from 10.00-11.00am.

The conference is available to watch for free on the Yorkshire Post Climate Change Summit website.

Notes to editors

View the Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission Climate Action Plan here.

For interview requests please email Kate Lock, Communications Manager for Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission, on K.M.Lock@leeds.ac.uk 

Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission

The Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission launched in March 2021, as part of the Place-based Climate Action Network (PCAN) and supported by the Yorkshire Leaders Board.

The Commission is an independent advisory group that brings together public, private and third sector actors to support, guide and track the delivery of ambitious climate actions across the region.

Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission’s aims are to advance the region’s climate leadership and to accelerate climate resilient, net-zero development through an inclusive and just transition. Read an overview here.

The Commission has received funding from the Yorkshire and Humber Leaders Board, the Environment Agency, Yorkshire Water, Northern Powergrid, Northern Gas Networks, and the University of Leeds. In-kind contributions were provided by the Trades Union Congress and Yorkshire Universities.

yorksandhumberclimate.org.uk
@YHClimateCom
info@yorksandhumberclimate.org.uk

  • Share this post:

Yorkshire Universities welcomes the publication of the Yorkshire and Humber Climate Action Plan

Responding to the publication of the Yorkshire and Humber Climate Action Plan, Dr Peter O’Brien, Executive Director of Yorkshire Universities, and Commissioner on the Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission, said:

Yorkshire Universities (YU) welcomes the publication of the first Yorkshire and Humber Climate Action Plan. This is a serious and thoughtful document, which provides a clear framework for the region to harness its collective assets and capabilities to deliver the actions needed to respond to the climate emergency. As the Chief Scientific Advisor, Sir Patrick Vallance, said yesterday, there is no greater challenge facing humanity than climate change. 

As a Commissioner, I welcome the fact that the Yorkshire and Humber Climate Action Plan has been developed following extensive public consultation. All people, places and stakeholders in the region need to feel ownership of the Plan if we are to see a just transition to a net zero carbon future. 

Universities in Yorkshire and the Humber have been at the forefront of scientific efforts to identify the issues causing and resulting from climate change, and to help society take forward the technological and behavioural changes needed to ensure that communities, industry and infrastructure become more resilient in the face of more extreme weather events. Yorkshire’s universities have demonstrated their unique value to the global movements that have been evident during COP26. Equally, within Yorkshire and the Humber, our universities have shown real leadership as the new Regional Action Plan has taken shape. 

As we now move towards implementation, the region’s universities, of all types, will be invited to contribute towards the next stage of the Commission’s work. It’s a responsibility I know Yorkshire’s universities, with the support of YU, are ready to embrace.

Note to editors

Yorkshire Universities has a shared commitment to strengthen the contribution of universities and higher education institutions to the economic, social and civic well-being of people and places in Yorkshire.

The members of Yorkshire Universities are Leeds Arts University; Leeds Conservatoire; Leeds Beckett University; Leeds Trinity University; Sheffield Hallam University; University of Bradford; University of Huddersfield; University of Hull; University of Leeds; University of Sheffield; University of York; and York St John University.

The Chair of Yorkshire Universities is Professor Shirley Congdon, Vice-Chancellor, University of Bradford.

Contact

Dr Peter O’Brien, Executive Director, Yorkshire Universities
@YorkshireUnis

  • Share this post:

New CAPE Regional Development Fellow with Yorkshire Universities

Yorkshire Universities (YU) is delighted to welcome the appointment of Dr Richard Whittle, as the first Capabilities in Academic Policy Engagement (CAPE) Regional Development Fellow. Starting on 1 July, Richard will work with YU, the Place-based Economic Recovery Network (PERN) and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, to lead an innovative project tasked with strengthening the use and application of university research to inform public policy in West Yorkshire.

Read more

  • Share this post:

Yorkshire’s Universities and Business are key to the building the future economy of the region

OPINION

Professor Shirley Congdon, Chair of the YU Board

Yorkshire universities offer to help local businesses recover from pandemic

If the pandemic has shown us anything, it’s that we need to change the way we do business. As with any major upheaval, there have been winners and losers. As with the banking crisis of 2008, the pandemic has shown no mercy to businesses that relied on pre-existing norms. As news headlines have shown, this scourge has not just affected small and medium sized businesses. Even some of the mightiest have succumbed to the crisis.

Read more

  • Share this post: