The Higher Education Development team are involved in many initiatives which support and encourage the growth of successful and competitive businesses; further details on some of these initiatives can be found through the links on the left of the page.

Knowledge Exploitation South West (KESW)

This RDA funded project aims to ensure that the region's economy gains from the knowledge produced by our Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) through encouraging entrepreneurship among staff and students; improved links between businesses and HEIs; and building regional links between sector specialists in HEIs to support the region's priority sectors. www.herda-sw.ac.uk 

Great Western Research (GWR)

The project aims to increase the profitability and competitiveness of south west businesses by stimulating both the demand and capacity for research. The RDA has committed close to £4m over 3 years towards the salaries of 130 researchers. 
Great Western Research 

Graduates for Business (G4B)

This RDA funded project aims to increase the uptake and impact of 'working with business' programmes, support graduates having difficulty in the labour market, and develop the Gradsouthwest website to become an even more useful resource for both graduates and businesses in the region.

Higher Skills Project (HSP)

Higher Skills are vital to the success of the economy, and it is important that the existing workforce is upskilled as well as students graduating and entering the workforce for the first time as part of a career. Skills increase the capacity of businesses to innovate; individuals value qualifications as a means to greater earning power. At the RDA, we work with the Higher Education Funding Council on developing strategies to encourage the provision of skills training which meets the needs of both students and employers. Higher Skills on HERDA website

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP)

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships enable Higher Education Institutions to apply their wealth of knowledge and expertise to important business problems. Knowledge Transfer Partnerships are Government funded and enable UK businesses to benefit from the wide range of expertise available in the UK's 'Knowledge Base' - higher education institutions, further education colleges, and private and public sector research organisations and institutes. The South West RDA is considering the sponsorship of KTPs in the South West, focusing on improving resource efficiency in the region's businesses.

Business Sectors

The region has identified a number of key business sectors whose development is crucial to the success of the South West. We work with our colleagues in the Agency who focus on these sectors to maximise the impact of Higher Education.

Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC)

Combined Universities in Cornwall is an innovative large scale project which addresses the need to increase the economic prosperity of Cornwall through the medium of Higher Education. The partnership includes all the Further Education Colleges in Cornwall, the University of Plymouth, the University of Exeter and University College Falmouth.

Incubation and Science Parks

The South West RDA has made considerable investment into science parks and incubation facilities in the South West, most of which are linked to Higher Education Institutions or Further Education Colleges. Future plans include additional incubation and science park projects as outlined in its published Incubation and Science Park Strategy. This is a strategy for nurturing business growth. Encouraging the creation and growth of new businesses is an important factor for a successful economy. This strategy follows extensive consultation and review across the region. It outlines how we can build the right environment for innovative businesses in our key regional sectors and help them to start, grow and thrive. The strategy aims to give innovative businesses easier access to professional support in the difficult early years. By creating and building more resilient companies, the South West can better exploit the wealth of the knowledge it possesses. The strategy provides a framework for all future investment in incubation and science parks and has clear definitions and case studies. Please see regional incubation and science parks for more details.