National Centre for Universities and Business

The National Centre for Universities and Business (NCUB) develops, promotes and supports world-class collaboration between universities and business across the UK. Its aim is to find practical ways of harnessing the talent being developed in our universities, and the UK’s strength in ground breaking research and development, for the benefit of the nation’s economy.^[1][2][3]

NCUB is working on a range of initiatives to strengthen collaboration between the UK’s higher education and business sectors: from projects looking forward to 2030 and beyond, to schemes concerned with what is happening on the ground right now.

Its work focuses on two broad themes.

Firstly through finding ways to improve the entrepreneurial, employability skills and opportunities of students in all stages of higher education in the UK. NCUB is particularly concerned with understanding how collaboration can deliver high quality work placements that meet the needs of students and business.

Through its Talent 2030 programme we are encouraging more young women to consider careers in engineering and manufacturing. And, furthermore, it is exploring what the reality of a truly global jobs market means for students studying in the UK and for companies hiring graduates.

A second key theme is maximizing the value of the UK’s strength in innovative research and development. The Growing Value Project will continue to explore how to make the most of the nation’s public research base while projects, such as London Creative and Digital Fusion and the Brighton Fuse, will pilot practical approaches to delivering productive relationships between university researchers and smaller creative, digital and IT companies.

Finally, drawing on the 25 years’ experience of our predecessor body, the Council for Industry and Higher Education (CIHE), NCUB is committed to a programme of research, policy development and practical partnerships.

From facilitating collaborative R&D, to developing the entrepreneurial and employability skills of students at all stages of their education, NCUB is working to support UK business and higher education in a competitive global market.

NCUB is headed by David Docherty (Chief Executive) and Richard Greenhalgh (Chair). NCUB’s Leadership Council includes many of the UK’s most successful businesses and universities.

History

Prior to NCUB, the Council for Industry and Higher Education (CIHE), was born in 1986 from the inspired collaboration of James Prior, John Cassels and Pauline Perry. Pauline (at that time the Chief Inspector of Schools at the Department for Education) had heard about an American organisation that had managed to bring businesses and universities closer together. John (as Director General of the National Economic Development Office) was a staunch believer in the power of partnership while Jim Prior was a recent Cabinet member and the new chairman of GEC. He agreed to invite the heads of a range of businesses, universities and polytechnics to a couple of initial discussions to see if there was indeed a common cause that might be addressed through a partnership approach.

In 2013, in response to the Wilson Review CIHE was replaced by the National Centre for Universities and Business (NCUB).

NCUB develops, promotes and supports world-class collaboration between universities and business across the UK. Its aim is to find practical ways of harnessing the talent being developed in our universities, and the UK’s strength in ground-breaking research and development, for the benefit of the nation’s economy.

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