President's Weekly Update
3 November 2016
Our Global Leadership Board (GLB) met in Manchester this week. Its membership includes senior alumni and local supporters of the University and it aims to help us in philanthropy, as well as acting as an advisory board on our plans, opportunities and challenges. I gave an update on the many recent achievements of the University, but also spoke of the challenges facing the higher education sector (see below). Professor Andy Westwood (Associate Vice-President for Public Affairs) gave his view on the implications of Brexit for universities and we discussed how we might influence negotiations. GLB members heard about fund raising activities, progress on our Global Development Institute, had a tour of The Whitworth led by Dr Maria Balshaw, Director of The Whitworth, then dinner in the Council Chamber.
At the Russell Group meeting of Vice-Chancellors last week we discussed the implications of Brexit, the decline in applications for UK study from the EU (albeit early in the cycle of applications and very soon after the Government’s assurances for students planning to begin study in 2017), some worrying messages about future recruitment of international students from Government and some unhelpful press reports, the future Research Excellence Framework (REF) and Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), pension deficits and funding, private medical schools and the opportunity for existing medical schools to bid for additional places, and the forthcoming Russell Group visit to China which Professor Colin Bailey (Deputy President and Deputy Vice-Chancellor) joined.
Our dinner guest was Jo Johnson, Minister for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation. We thanked him for the assurances we have had on EU students joining for study in 2016 and 2017, and guarantees of funding for Horizon 2020 until its conclusion. Of course he was not able to give any definitive assurances on many areas of Brexit until negotiations have progressed.
At Senate this week we discussed student applications, new policies on postgraduate student study and supervision, the proposed new ‘Manchester International Medical School’ (title not yet agreed) and developments in Social Responsibility.
It was a pleasure to welcome Professors Ashish Jha, Dean of Public Health, and Lisa Berkman, Dean of Population Health from Harvard University, and Dr Gerald Chan, a Boston-based entrepreneur and innovator, for a two day visit to the University. They wanted to learn about the devolution of the Government’s health budget to Greater Manchester - what it means and how we are trying to optimise opportunities. They met with many staff from the University and the City, including the Leader and Chief Executive, respectively Sir Richard Leese and Sir Howard Bernstein, and Lord Jim O’Neill, until recently the Chief Commercial Secretary to the Treasury. Jim holds an honorary chair with us and has been instrumental in supporting Manchester’s plans for economic growth, devolution and the Northern Powerhouse.
I hosted a dinner at our fabulous John Rylands Library for a conference of entrepreneurs and innovators, including some very successful business people and our visitors from Harvard. In spite of the traffic (worse even than usual due to a football match – a win for Manchester!), it was a great and very lively event with many successful local entrepreneurs and others from far afield.
It was good that Innovate UK held its annual conference at Manchester Central, with 2,000 attendees. This organisation works with people, companies and partner organisations to find and drive forward the science and technology innovations that will grow the UK economy. I gave the opening address and described the history of science and innovation in Manchester, what is happening now and what we are planning.
Recent data from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) on knowledge exchange by universities indicates that The University of Manchester is ranked top for the number of spin-out companies in the UK, second for industrial collaborative research and fourth for income from major companies, though we need to do better at engaging with small companies.
We also hosted the Chief Technology Officer for Siemens, Professor Siegfried Russwurm, and several senior staff from Siemens UK, including Juergen Maier, UK Chief Executive. We discussed the now rapidly expanding opportunities in the application of graphene and related two-dimensional materials, CityVerve (which is the project awarded to Manchester to explore how integration of the ‘Internet of things’ can facilitate smart cities), and cybersecurity. Professor Phil Withers, our Regius Professor of Materials, explained the Sir Henry Royce Institute for research in advanced materials and showed us the very impressive Henry Moseley X-Ray Imaging Facility.
Senior colleagues and I were privileged to be taken on a ‘history tour’ of the University by Dr James Hopkins, the University Historian and Heritage Manager. We heard about how John Owens College began, then became the Victoria University of Manchester, and saw the buildings that housed the original Medical School, Library and science departments. Now we are planning a similar tour of our North campus. You can book to go on such tours at:
Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor
Feedback
Please send comments to: president@manchester.ac.uk
President's Weekly Update
3 November 2016
Our Global Leadership Board (GLB) met in Manchester this week. Its membership includes senior alumni and local supporters of the University and it aims to help us in philanthropy, as well as acting as an advisory board on our plans, opportunities and challenges. I gave an update on the many recent achievements of the University, but also spoke of the challenges facing the higher education sector (see below). Professor Andy Westwood (Associate Vice-President for Public Affairs) gave his view on the implications of Brexit for universities and we discussed how we might influence negotiations. GLB members heard about fund raising activities, progress on our Global Development Institute, had a tour of The Whitworth led by Dr Maria Balshaw, Director of The Whitworth, then dinner in the Council Chamber.
At the Russell Group meeting of Vice-Chancellors last week we discussed the implications of Brexit, the decline in applications for UK study from the EU (albeit early in the cycle of applications and very soon after the Government’s assurances for students planning to begin study in 2017), some worrying messages about future recruitment of international students from Government and some unhelpful press reports, the future Research Excellence Framework (REF) and Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), pension deficits and funding, private medical schools and the opportunity for existing medical schools to bid for additional places, and the forthcoming Russell Group visit to China which Professor Colin Bailey (Deputy President and Deputy Vice-Chancellor) joined.
Our dinner guest was Jo Johnson, Minister for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation. We thanked him for the assurances we have had on EU students joining for study in 2016 and 2017, and guarantees of funding for Horizon 2020 until its conclusion. Of course he was not able to give any definitive assurances on many areas of Brexit until negotiations have progressed.
At Senate this week we discussed student applications, new policies on postgraduate student study and supervision, the proposed new ‘Manchester International Medical School’ (title not yet agreed) and developments in Social Responsibility.
It was a pleasure to welcome Professors Ashish Jha, Dean of Public Health, and Lisa Berkman, Dean of Population Health from Harvard University, and Dr Gerald Chan, a Boston-based entrepreneur and innovator, for a two day visit to the University. They wanted to learn about the devolution of the Government’s health budget to Greater Manchester - what it means and how we are trying to optimise opportunities. They met with many staff from the University and the City, including the Leader and Chief Executive, respectively Sir Richard Leese and Sir Howard Bernstein, and Lord Jim O’Neill, until recently the Chief Commercial Secretary to the Treasury. Jim holds an honorary chair with us and has been instrumental in supporting Manchester’s plans for economic growth, devolution and the Northern Powerhouse.
I hosted a dinner at our fabulous John Rylands Library for a conference of entrepreneurs and innovators, including some very successful business people and our visitors from Harvard. In spite of the traffic (worse even than usual due to a football match – a win for Manchester!), it was a great and very lively event with many successful local entrepreneurs and others from far afield.
It was good that Innovate UK held its annual conference at Manchester Central, with 2,000 attendees. This organisation works with people, companies and partner organisations to find and drive forward the science and technology innovations that will grow the UK economy. I gave the opening address and described the history of science and innovation in Manchester, what is happening now and what we are planning.
Recent data from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) on knowledge exchange by universities indicates that The University of Manchester is ranked top for the number of spin-out companies in the UK, second for industrial collaborative research and fourth for income from major companies, though we need to do better at engaging with small companies.
We also hosted the Chief Technology Officer for Siemens, Professor Siegfried Russwurm, and several senior staff from Siemens UK, including Juergen Maier, UK Chief Executive. We discussed the now rapidly expanding opportunities in the application of graphene and related two-dimensional materials, CityVerve (which is the project awarded to Manchester to explore how integration of the ‘Internet of things’ can facilitate smart cities), and cybersecurity. Professor Phil Withers, our Regius Professor of Materials, explained the Sir Henry Royce Institute for research in advanced materials and showed us the very impressive Henry Moseley X-Ray Imaging Facility.
Senior colleagues and I were privileged to be taken on a ‘history tour’ of the University by Dr James Hopkins, the University Historian and Heritage Manager. We heard about how John Owens College began, then became the Victoria University of Manchester, and saw the buildings that housed the original Medical School, Library and science departments. Now we are planning a similar tour of our North campus. You can book to go on such tours at:
Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor
Feedback
Please send comments to: president@manchester.ac.uk