CBI: 50 YEARS OF BUSINESS INNOVATION | A CHANGING SOCIETY


A PIONEER OF THE POST-INDUSTRIAL ERA


UNIVERSITY OF SALFORD www.salford.ac.uk


The City of Salford was the crucible of the industrial revolution and its higher education has always played an active part in local industry. The University of Salford was granted a University Charter in 1967 and traces its roots back to two Victorian-era technical colleges. “They were originally set up to meet the new skill demands of industry,” says Malcolm Purdie, Head of Commercial Services, Research & Innovation at the University of Salford. “And that, effectively, is what we still do – but the industries have changed and our graduates now work both globally and locally.” The university still retains links with


manufacturing. “We’re on the doorstep of Trafford Park, the biggest business park in Europe,” says Purdie, “and our renowned College of Science and Technology shares its expertise with many of the firms based there. We give students the skills to work more effectively across all our disciplines, whether that’s media, healthcare, architecture or business. Academic study and work placements go hand in hand, which is why we have such a good employability outcome for our students.”


ARTS AND CRAFTS This upskilling process even applies to the arts. Salford was the first UK university to offer a


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degree in popular music (with former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr as a regular guest lecturer and visiting professor) and received much media coverage when it launched a BA in comedy practice (featuring Salford alumnus Peter Kay). “Media is a huge industry,” says Purdie, “and


Salford has some extremely successful alumni in this field, in the shape of Christopher Eccleston, Ben Kingsley, Maxine Peake, Jason Manford and others. The university is also renowned in other creative and cultural sectors, such as fashion – our students’ work in this area is well received, and graduates have gone on to work at Burberry, Monsoon, Vogue and Elle, to name a few.” The university has established a campus at MediaCityUK in Salford Quays, with students from various subjects working alongside the BBC, ITV and other media providers. “We have studios and facilities that are hired by the BBC and other media companies,” says Purdie. “One criterion is that they have to use our students as part of the behind-the-camera team, giving them invaluable vocational experience.”


TAKE YOUR PARTNERS The university prides itself on establishing fruitful corporate partnerships. In the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills’ 2013 Witty Review, the university was ranked


third in England for the number of projects it has with businesses. The physiotherapy department, for instance, has developed strong links with the Professional Footballers Association and provides physios for top football clubs. The Business School won the 2014 Times Higher Education Award for Business School of the Year, receiving particular acclaim for actively seeking out collaborations with small- and medium-sized enterprises. “The university works hard to make our


facilities relevant to businesses,” says Purdie. ”Facilities include the Energy House, a two- storey Victorian house that has been rebuilt inside an environmentally controlled chamber. It allows businesses and researchers to explore ways to improve the energy efficiency of normal houses and to trial retrofit products.” One of the most adventurous collaborations


has been the Spray Research Group’s work on an eco-friendly aerosol valve design, which uses compressed air instead of liquid petroleum gas propellant. The fruits of this research are being commercialised by a company called SALVALCO. “Many universities seek links with industry,”


says Purdie. “But, whatever metric you use, when it comes to collaborating with businesses, the University of Salford does very well indeed – we punch well above our weight.”


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