Politicians have hailed a fledgling alliance between north-eastern universities as a ¡°blueprint¡± for driving regional collaboration and growth across the UK.

Durham, Newcastle, Northumbria and Teesside universities have joined with the University of Sunderland to form the?Universities for North East England (UNEE), working alongside local authorities and businesses.

The alliance, formally launched last year, has seen the universities collaborate on renewable energy, battery technology and low-carbon energy projects, resulting in millions of pounds of investment into the region.?

They are also collectively exploring developing degree apprenticeships, microcredentials and?flexible lifelong learning opportunities.?

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Julie Elliot, a former Labour MP, told a parliamentary event that the alliance was ¡°of national significance¡±.?

¡°If we can get this right in the north-east, where the challenges of deindustrialisation, skills gaps and health inequality are stark, we can get it right anywhere.¡±

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She said that the partnership is well equipped to address ¡°chronic skills shortages¡± and that ¡°at a time when politics can feel fragmented and institutions stretched, UNEE offers a powerful counter-example, working together for shared outcomes¡­This is how we build resilient regional economies: through partnerships¡±.

She called on government and industry to ¡°back¡± the partnership and ¡°learn from it¡±, ¡°because what they are building here is a blueprint for inclusive, place-based growth for rebalancing our economy, for ensuring that talent and opportunity are not confined to London and the south-east¡±.

Chris McDonald, Labour MP for Stockton North, said that the partnership provides a ¡°single¡± and ¡°unified¡± voice for the north-east region.

He said that while universities are experiencing ¡°tough times¡±, they are still well positioned to be key drivers for their local economies.

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North-eastern universities have not been immune to the sector¡¯s financial challenges, with the universities of Newcastle and Durham?both facing industrial action over planned cuts.

Speaking in the wake of the government¡¯s immigration White Paper, which?proposed a reduction in the graduate visa, McDonald said: ¡°We need to think about what the universities are here for. How can they operate in the national interest?¡±

He continued: ¡°I think the main thing to consider here is about purpose. What is fundamentally the purpose of a university? And I think in the north-east as a north-east university, that purpose needs to be very much embedded in the place and in the opportunities for people in our area and the need to grow our economy.¡±

He urged universities to ¡°rediscover and reinforce¡± their ties with their local communities, adding: ¡°If this group of universities can do that, you will not only be an incredibly powerful force for supporting our regional economy, but you will be demonstrating to other universities in the country how to deliver for the future, in what is either the most exciting time to be a vice-chancellor in a university, or the most difficult time.¡±

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Marco Amitrano, senior partner at PwC and a Newcastle University alumnus, said that the partnership is a model of ¡°better ways of working¡± and demonstrates ¡°what can be achieved¡±.?

¡°This kind of ecosystem where universities, businesses, local and national leaders approach these challenges side by side is exactly what the UK¡¯s modern industrial strategy will need to bring more of in order for us to be a success.¡±?

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It not only provides a model for ¡°regional strength, but a practical model for how shared ambition, coordinated investment and trusted local institutions can work together to build a more resilient economy¡±, he added.

juliette.rowsell@timeshighereducation.com