Date: Fri 22nd January, 2010
Venue: Conference Aston, Aston Triangle, Birmingham, B4 7ET
Number of Guests Attended: 80
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Some 90 people braved torrential rain to make their way to Conference Aston in Birmingham to hear Warwick Manufacturing Group founder Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya give the keynote speech at Insider’s Spark – Where Business Meets Education – event.
The networking lunch brought together senior education figures with business owners and managers to discuss how academia and the business community are working together at the moment and to look at ways in which the relationship can be strengthened for the good of the regional economy.
Midlands Business Insider editor Andy Coyne told the audience. “What I hope has brought you here is two things. Firstly to hear from Lord Kumar Bhattacharrya, whose thoughts on manufacturing, innovation, university input and government spending priorities are always worth hearing. And, secondly, a genuine interest in finding out about links between our universities and businesses and how that can be of benefit to the regional economy.”
Lord Bhattacharyya told the audience that in business and in education we need some sparks.
“Universities are facing major reductions in their budgets, more than £900m over the next three years. They don’t understand the budget cuts they will be facing; huge budget cuts,” he said.
“So we find ourselves in a world where universities face restraint on state funding and businesses find it difficult to get funding for future growth from a smaller financial sector.
“This means that collaboration in research and development between education and business is no longer a nice to have bonus to a prosperous economy but essential for the long-term success of the country.”
Read more of Lord Bhattacharyya’s comments in the March 2010 issue of Midlands Business Insider.
