Universities driving stronger, fairer and cleaner cities & regions –Lessons from international reviews of higher education in regional and city development Kuala Lumpur, 8 May /03/2012

the Reviews of Higher Education in Regional and City Development: tool to mobilise Higher Education for Economic, Social & Cultural Development of their Cities and Regions and to enhance regional partnership building 2

Cities & Regions under review Kazan 2007 OECD’s tool to mobilise Higher Education for Economic, Social & Cultural Development of their Cities and Regions

Different regions, similar concerns

State of Sonora, Mexico Closeness to US market Maquila industry Diversifying TE sector Young population PROS Dependency on FDI & Maquila Low skills, informal economy Uneven development WATER CONS RAISE educational level, IMPROVE quality & relevance of education STRENGTHEN skills for new & changing jobs PROMOTE RDI in local industry FOSTER new business formation What next? Sonora needs to move up in the value chain to build competitiveness & sustainability. Within the new manufacturing model, success requires diversification, knowledge intensity & access to high levels skills.

State of Victoria, Australia Diverse TE sector and int’l education hub: Victoria’s strongest export worth AUD 5 billion Investments in leading-edge Science & Tech infrastructure PROS Rapid population growth, ageing Low skills & skills shortages Impacts of global warming Dependence on int’l students CONS WIDEN access to TE, increase attainment levels BROADEN innovation concept, support SMEs ENCOURAGE TE collaboration What next? The tertiary education system needs to be mobilised to contribute to more concretely to Victoria’s “healthy, sustainable and productive future.”

Penang, Malaysia E&E manufacturing hub & growth centre Pearl of the Orient, UNESCO heritage site Diverse population PROS Dual economy: Over reliance on MNCs & FDI Underinvestment in endogenous innovation Skill shortages & brain drain Environmental degradation CONS STRENGTHEN inclusive education & labour market REVISIT TE governance & management ENHANCE TE collaboration STIMULATE entrepreneurship What next? Penang’s economic sustainability is threatened by low cost countries and highly skilled Asian countries. It needs to move up in the value chain

How are the reviews conducted?

What is under review? HEIs & public and private agencies identify strategic goals and work towards them. Partnership building Different national & regional contexts are taken into account. Importance of context HEIs Regional capacity building Human capital & skills Social, cultural & environmtl development Innovation International, national and regional context Focus of analysis of the review

How are the reviews conducted? Self-evaluation (+ report) led and owned by the regional Steering Committee Review visit by international expert team OECD Review Report tailored for the city/region Dissemination of outcomes (roundtable meetings, national, regional & international meetings)

What works?

Build on existing strengths & competitive advantages: Ceramics Industry in Castellón, Spain Universidad Jaume I has world class R&D excellence in the tile industry. Its Ceramic research institute has contributed to the restructuring of Castellon’s ceramic-tile production: people in 500 SMEs. Work-based learning, tech transfer, spin-offs and upgrading of existing technologies Valencia is a global leader in the tiles and ceramics industry. Photography's credits: Instituto de Tecnología Cerámica - Map credits: Google Maps™

Pool resources: One-stop-shop for industry “Knowledge House”, UK In the North East of England, 5 universities have set up Knowledge House. Expert solutions for developing ideas and solving problems through collaboration, consultancy, training and R&D. In 2007, it generated GBP 4.7 million for the participating universities by delivering 364 completed projects from over 800 business enquiries. Business growth is 25%. An increasing number of university faculty is becoming engaged in activities. Map credits: Google Maps™ Images credits: Knowledge House, Durham University, University of Teesside Bio Bio region, Chile

Engage students into knowledge transfer: Problem-based learning in Aalborg, DK In Aalborg University up to 50% of the study work is problem-oriented project work Students work in teams to solve real life problems which have been identified in co-operation with firms, public organisations and other institutions. At any one time there are ongoing projects that ensure the university’s engagement with the surrounding society. Map credits: Google Maps™ Images credits: Aalborg Uni

Where are the barries and gaps?

Barriers to engagement NationalSub-national Institutional / HEI-level Uncoordinated HE, STI and regional policy Fragmented regional governance, weak leadership Weak management, lack of entrepreneurial culture Limits to HEIs’ autonomy Intra-regional & inter- institutional competition Tensions between regional engagement & pursuit for world class excellence Limited incentives to HEIs Exclusion of HEIs from strategy development & implementation Lack of incentives to individuals

Gaps Lack of strategic anchoring within HEIs; limited legitimacy of city/region priorities among HEIs A lack of system coherence and a co-ordination deficit within region’s HE system Weak evidence base Disconnect between knowledge transfer & regional growth

How to move forward?

Pointers for national level MAKE external engagement explicit in TE legislation ENCOURAGE TEIs to address external & civic engagement in their strategies STRENGTHEN TEIs’ autonomy – human, financial & estate resources and curriculum PROVIDE incentives STRENGTHEN TEIs’ accountability IMPROVE reporting systems

Pointers for sub-national level ESTABLISH a partnership structure of HEIs, public & private stakeholders DEVELOP a vision/strategy for economic & social wellbeing and skills INVEST jointly with HEIs in programmes that benefit regional business & community COLLABORATE with HEIs, schools and private sector to improve access & success in education DEVELOP a portfolio of robust data

Pointers for TEIs ADOPT an agenda that addresses challenges & opportunities of the region MAINSTREAM engagement in the core missions of teaching, research & service MONITOR, EVALUATE & IMPROVE activities DEVELOP people REVIEW recruitment, hiring and reward systems ESTABLISH and INVEST in long term partnerships DEVELOP robust data

Thank you for your attention