The University was present at this year's Conservative and Labour party conferences in Manchester and Liverpool.
Social mobility
Newcastle and Northumbria Universities have been working together through the Collaborative Newcastle Universities Agreement (CNUA) since 2021 in a partnership agreement which maximises their economic and social contribution to Newcastle and the wider region.
A new report, The Collaborative Newcastle Universities Agreement: Place-Based Action to Boost Social Mobility and Drive Inclusive Economic Growth across Newcastle and the North East of England, was launched at an event hosted by the Purpose Coalition at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester.
The report features real-life examples of the power of place-based partnership, in widening access and participation, in connecting innovation and skills and in driving entrepreneurship and business development.
The discussion, City Collaboration: How can place-based organisations work together to boost growth, jobs and opportunities?, explored how Newcastle and Northumbria Universities’ innovative partnership is pioneering a new way of working which could be replicated by other universities and by other regions.
Chaired by Purpose Coalition Chair and former Education Secretary, Rt Hon Justine Greening, the panel also included Professor Jane Robinson, Pro-Vice Chancellor, Engagement and Place at Newcastle University; Professor Tom Lawson, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Northumbria University; John Stevenson, Chairman of the Northern Research Group and Ian Levy, MP for Blyth Valley.
A similar discussion was held at Labour Party Conference in Liverpool a week later. Again chaired by Rt Hon Justine Greening, the panel included Professor Chris Day CBE, Vice-Chancellor and President, Newcastle University and Professor Andy Long, Vice-Chancellor, Northumbria University.
Our ageing nation
A panel debate at Labour Party Conference examined what policies must be adopted to meet the challenge of sustainable health and care.
Hosted by Newcastle University, in association with the Northern Health Science Alliance, the event Our Ageing Nation: Poorer, sicker, and unproductive - an inevitable consequence? explored the interventions necessary to ensure that health and social care systems are fit for purpose into the coming decades. It also asked what policy approaches a future government needs to adopt to meet the challenge of sustainable health and care through an innovative approach to housing.
Chaired by Professor Chris Day CBE, the panel included Professor Justin Durham, Academic Director, Health Innovation Neighbourhood, Newcastle University; Liz Twist, MP for Blaydon and Mario Ambrosi, Director of Communications and Marketing at Anchor and Chair of the Housing and Ageing Alliance.
The session also provided an update on the University's new Health Innovation Neighbourhood; a collaborative development where the housing, green spaces, healthcare and educational spaces will sit alongside research and innovation to drive and inform healthier and sustainable living.
The Neighbourhood will provide a real-world test-bed by bringing together its research expertise in ageing and health, places and sustainability, data and digital science, and the creative arts to identify and implement solutions that aid healthier and more sustainable living across the lifecourse.