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Welcome to the latest ebulletin from the N8 Research Partnership.

We are delighted to welcome Colin Reid as the new Director of the N8 Industry Innovation Forum (N8 IIF). He has more than 30 years' experience of innovation and technology management and R&D. Among his first projects will be the third N8IIF workshop, covering Industrial Biotechnology, which will take place in York next month.

Since our last bulletin, our programme exploring the impact of the arts and humanities has got off to a great start. More than 50 heritage practitioners and academics gathered in Durham in July to discuss how the North's cultural heritage can drive economic growth and how local communities can be involved, while a second workshop will take place later this month in Sheffield, focussed on the theme of ‘Digital North’.

It’s only a month until the Regener8 Annual Conference 2013, which this year will look at ‘Translating regenerative therapies to a global market’. Both businesses and universities now operate in a global market, and the conference will provide a valuable opportunity to hear from international academic and industry speakers about the environment for the research and translation of regenerative medicine in overseas markets.

Finally, the N8 Research Partnership has featured in the media recently. Professor Chris Brink was interviewed by The Times, while Professor Luke Georghiou took part in a live web-chat on The Guardian’s online Higher Education Network about the role of universities in generating economic growth. It’s really encouraging to see the work of the Partnership getting such high profile recognition.

I hope you enjoy reading this bulletin and please do get in touch with your comments and ideas.

Best regards,
Sarah Jackson
Director, N8

Innovation expert appointed to increase impact of university-industry collaboration

The N8 Research Partnership has appointed Colin Reid as Director of the N8 Industry Innovation Forum (N8 IIF).

Originally from Newcastle, Colin has more than 30 years' experience of innovation and technology management and R&D, having held senior roles with a number of UK FTSE organisations.

His responsibilities as Director of the N8 IIF will include fostering cross-sector innovation by bringing industry together with academics across the North of England to establish new research partnerships in major challenge areas such as ageing, advanced materials and industrial biotechnology.

Sheffield event to bring digital innovators together

Academics and those working within the creative and digital sector are encouraged to attend a free event later this month to identify the potential for new collaborations to create and sustain culture, identity and community in the North.

'Digital North' takes place on 19 September and is the second workshop in a series exploring the potential for collaboration between the N8 Universities and external partners in the arts and humanities sector. It follows a successful Heritage North event in Durham in July.

The event will explore new areas where academics and those working within the digital and creative industries across the North can collaborate, as well as how to develop better methods of working towards collaborative digital arts projects.

For more information and to register for the event, click here.

To read more about the Heritage North event in Durham click here.

Regener8 Annual Conference - the countdown starts!

There’s only a limited amount of time until the Regener8 Annual Conference 2013, which takes place on 10 October.

The event will take place at the Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds, and will focus on "Translating regenerative therapies to a global market", looking at the international challenges and opportunities for regenerative medicine.

Current estimates of the global regenerative medicine market value range from £3bn to over £30bn but all agree this to be a rapidly growing sector and there are many opportunities for regenerative medicine therapies overseas, with established markets in Europe, Asia and North America, for example.

At this year’s event, internationally-respected RegenMed experts will share the latest research and best practice, and discuss the challenges and opportunities in progressing regenerative therapies into the clinic in overseas markets.

For more information and to register for the event, click here.

METRC Innovation Awards move to monthly award panels

METRC Innovation Award funding is now available with monthly deadlines for applications and review panels. We have made this change to speed up the process and make it as easy as possible for companies and academics to apply.

METRC Innovation Awards support new research and innovation projects between companies and academics at the Universities of Bradford, Durham and Sheffield in the fields of Nanotechnology, Science and Engineering.

Any company is able to apply for the funding but preference will be given to SMEs. Applications are accepted at any time, although funding is allocated once a month at our monthly Funding Review Panels.

Discussing universities’ role in driving economic growth

Professor Chris Brink, Chair of the N8 Board of Directors and Vice-Chancellor of Newcastle University was interviewed in The Times earlier this month, in which he talked about his role as Chair of the N8, and his thoughts on the strengths of Newcastle University and its role in helping to drive the economic growth of the North East.

Additionally, Prof Luke Georghiou, Pro Vice-Chancellor at The University of Manchester and member of the N8 Executive Management Group, recently took part in a live webchat, hosted by The Guardian’s Higher Education Network. The discussion covered the role that universities play in economic growth and also involved representatives from Universities UK, University Alliance, QAA, and the 1994 Group, as well as the NUS, Sheffield Hallam University and Bath Spa University.

To read more about Prof Chris Brink’s interview with The Times click here.

To read more about The Guardian online debate, click here.

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