Six Midlands universities join ranks with Coventry in pioneering partnership

Six Midlands universities have joined forces with Coventry University in a pioneering new partnership to provide a powerful economic resource for the Midlands engine.



Midlands Enterprise Universities will see Coventry University join Birmingham City, De Montfort, Derby, Lincoln, Nottingham Trent and Wolverhampton University to support jobs and wealth recognition in the region.

The consortium formally launched at Birmingham City University’s Curzon building on Tuesday (October 4) morning in front of a room of key business leaders, academics and local authority members.

The partnership brings the institutions together to create a unique pool of skills, research, expertise and facilities.

Prime Minister Theresa May – who was in Birmingham last week for the Conservative Party Conference – has already pledged her support, setting her sights on maximising the benefits of the region’s location at the heart of the country.

Midlands Enterprise Universities will use its knowledge and expertise to support businesses and sectors key to the region’s growth, including engineering, digital design, food and drink manufacturing, life sciences and carbon technologies.

Professor John Lathan, vice-chancellor at Coventry University, said: “The creation of Midlands Enterprise Universities signals a significant development in the way higher education institutions can contribute to the regional economy.

“Our combined collaboration with business and employers will help the Midlands Engine foster economic collaboration, secure investment and boost growth across the region.”

The Universities collectively contribute more than £3 billion to the region’s economy and already work with many major organisations such as Rolls Royce, Jaguar Land Rover, PepsiCo, Experian, Unipart and the BBC.

They are working closely with their supply chain companies and also deliver focused support to many local small and medium sized businesses.

My only dealings with Wolverhampton Uni were not good; they refused to recognise my Cov Uni qualifications.

It was my Business Analysis qualifications and was in the late 80s. It was nothing more than a "not invented here" syndrome. The story is quite comical as they ended up with rather a lot of egg on their faces, and offered me a place on the company sponsored course in the end. I politely told them where they could stuff it, much to the amusement of the HR manager.