To receive a presentation from Carole Barron (Director of Innovation and Enterprise) and Professor Philippe de Wilde (Pro-Chancellor for Research and Innovation) at the University of Creative Arts
Minutes:
1. The Assistant Director of Research and Enterprise, Mr Uwe Derksen, of University of Creative Arts (UCA) gave his presentation using overheads and highlighted the following:
· The University of Creative Arts had campuses based in; Farnham, Epsom, Rochester and Canterbury with a total of 6500 students. The levels of study were; foundation undergraduate and postgraduate, the majority were undergraduates.
· The graduate employment rate was 91.9% within six months of graduation.
· The areas of employment had a relationship to the creative industry including; animation, architecture, interior design, fashion and film.
· The jobs were not all local and could be anywhere in the world.
· The University attracted EU funding for projects by focusing on regional and local programmes through commissioned art work and exhibitions eg the “Dove of Peace” at the Dover Harbour Board and providing backdrops for the Royal Opera House. The aim was to build on the legacy of those programmes.
· The University provided the right environment for students to have the ability to create portfolios in textiles, printing etc.
· The University had set up opportunities for students to network with local industry.
2. Mr Derksen responded to questions by Members as follows:
a) Mr Derksen advised that the infrastructure of UCA was totally gear to deliver the academic programme and to change this for other enterprise would be huge as the University was not set up to operate a private business. The priority was the student market as all universities were in competition. There were limited resources and to make changes would need a lot of resource which would not be available.
b) Mr Derksen explained that he was working on a paper that was looking at the difference to local authority intervention against philanthropic intervention.
c) Mr Derksen said that one way that KCC could work with UCA to come up with a solution on how to support economic development in Kent was to provide incubation spaces in the University. The University could present a plan to KCC on how best it could be supported and for this to be sustained.
d) Mr Derksen advised that the University had set up a technical /professional service to show off student talents in the past but this was a very slow process and had now been restructured. The barrier had been the internal structure of the University.
e) Mr Derksen explained that each course had its own specific industry links to employers. Some were local and some were not eg Folkestone Triangle and Turner Contemporary, Margate. The University used to support industry networks which it participated in and also hosted. The issue for UCA was that each network had slight differences. There was a struggle to get industry both local and regional involved in these fora. He advised that there had been more creative people working in non-creative sectors seven years ago.
3. The Cabinet Committee thanked Mr Derksen for attending the meeting.
4. RESOLVED that the responses to questions by Members and the information given in Mr Derksen’s presentation be noted with thanks.