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Combined Universities in Cornwall case study
Project summary
The Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC) is a partnership of
Higher Education and Further Education providers in Cornwall, first
established in 1999, which has transformed and significantly
expanded the provision of university level education in
Cornwall.
It is built around an innovative “hub and rim” model of
distributed delivery, with a flagship hub campus at Tremough,
Penryn, and significant investment in HE facilities at several FE
colleges across Cornwall.
The first two phases of the project attracted over £150 million
of investment, including £16.4m from the South West RDA, and is now
seen as a major driver of Cornwall's economy.
Some £64.5 million has been committed to CUC Phase 3, including
a further £5.5m from the RDA. Several CUC-related projects are
expected to come forward through the ERDF Convergence Programme,
with further RDA investment likely in the form of match
funding.
Main messages
- CUC remains a cornerstone of Cornwall’s economic development
and is seen as an exemplar for delivering economic
regeneration.
- RDA has been involved since inception and its investment has
been crucial in all three phases of the CUC’s development.
- CUC is helping to stem out-migration of young people, raise
skills levels and generate opportunities for business development
and knowledge transfer.
Facts and figures
The South West RDA has invested a total of £21.9m in the CUC,
not including the RDA’s approved £4m investment in the Tremough
Innovation Centre (which is one of three innovation centres being
delivered by the RDA and its partners in Cornwall).
According to the CUC, the actual GVA effect of CUC Phase 1 and 2
investment in Cornwall in 2008 was £42 million, and the predicted
GVA effect of CUC Phase 1 and 2 investment in Cornwall by 2025 is
£183 million.
Total employment impact in Cornwall resulting from CUC Phase 1
and 2 investment was estimated at 1,778 jobs in 2008 and 7,338 jobs
by 2025 (Source: independent economic model created by DTZ Pieda,
quoted on the CUC website).
Some 4,500 additonal HE places have been created and 230
graduates placed with local businesses during the first two phases
of the CUC.
Case Study
The Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC) is a partnership of
Higher Education and Further Education providers in Cornwall, first
established in 1999, which has transformed and significantly
expanded the provision of university level education in
Cornwall.
It is built around an innovative “hub and rim” model of
distributed delivery, with a flagship hub campus at Tremough,
Penryn, and significant investment in HE facilities at several FE
colleges across Cornwall, notably Camborne Pool Redruth and St
Austell.
The partners are: the University of Exeter, the University of
Plymouth, University College Falmouth, Peninsula College of
Medicine and Dentistry, Cornwall College and Truro & Penwith
College.
It is seen as the key regeneration project under the European
Union’s Objective One and the successor Convergence Programme
because of its potential to stem out-migration, raise skills levels
and generate opportunities for business development and knowledge
transfer.
The model has been seen by both the Higher Education Funding
Council for England (HEFCE) and the European Commission as an
exemplar for delivering economic regeneration via a distributed
model.
The RDA has supported the CUC since its inception and has worked
at a strategic level with the partners to develop the project.
Phase 1 was a £65m project which included the development of the
Tremough campus, which opened in 2004. The RDA’s contribution to
this phase totalled £12.78m (with the balance from ERDF Objective
One and HEFCE), of which £12m was towards capital build at the hub.
A further £800,000 of RDA funding enabled the scheme to take
advantage of some of the most advanced equipment in the country for
designing and prototyping, which helped to forge close links with
local industry looking to make use of the facilities.
The Agency invested a further £3.7m towards the £55m Phase 2 of
the project to increase the range of HE provision, widen
participation and increase research capacity. It included an
expansion of the Tremough site and enabled the creation of new
university-level facilities at Truro College, and at Cornwall
College campuses in Rosewarne, Camborne, St. Austell, Newquay,
Stoke Climsland and Saltash.
In 2008 the RDA agreed to invest £3.5 million to support the
proposed merger of University College Falmouth and Dartington
College, including the creation of a merged institution at Falmouth
as part of a £20 million expansion in HE arts education. Further
funding includes £12 million of ERDF (European Regional Development
Fund) Convergence Programme investment, with the balance coming
from HEFCE and University College Falmouth.
A further £2 million was agreed in 2008 as part of an £8 million
expansion of Truro and Penwith Colleege.
According to the CUC, the actual GVA effect of CUC Phase 1 and 2
investment in Cornwall in 2008 was £42 million, and the predicted
GVA effect of CUC Phase 1 and 2 investment in Cornwall by 2025 is
£183 million.
Total employment impact in Cornwall resulting from CUC Phase 1
and 2 investment was estimated at 1,778 jobs in 2008 and 7,338 jobs
by 2025 (Source: independent economic model created by DTZ Pieda,
quoted on the CUC website).
Some 4,500 additonal HE places have been created and 230
graduates placed with local businesses during the first two phases
of the CUC.
Conclusion
The CUC is playing a key role in the transformation of
Cornwall's economy. Not only has it created thousands of extra
student places, more than 1,700 jobs and £42m in annual GVA, but it
has helped stem the exodus of young people from Cornwall, is
creating a larger graduate pool that local businesses can tap into,
and is generating increasing opportunities for business development
and knowledge transfer.
Further information
Date case study written: February 2010.
Theme: Regenerating the regions
Contact: South West RDA press office by email news.enquiries@southwestrda.org.uk or
telephone 01392 229389