MMU Corporate Development Weblog

Working Neighbourhoods Fund

mmudevelopment — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 13:10:41 +0000

Government has announced changes to the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund replacing it with the Working Neighbourhoods Fund; eligible in six of the Greater Manchester Authorities.

It looks highly likely that this funding will be administered through the Local Strategic Partnerships and it is aimed at tackling worklessness in deprived areas. For more information about the fund and LSP’s and which staff members are currently representing MMU download the briefing note by clicking working-neighbourhoods-fund08.doc

MISPA

mmudevelopment — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 09:59:51 +0000

MISPA’s Director Andrew Ramwell came to visit us yesterday with a box of chocolates to say thank you for all the hard work and support that we have given the project this year. A really nice gesture. We talked for a little while about how important physical activity was in terms of spatial design and about some opportunities that might come about in the New Year particularly around the news that ex-New East Manchester boss Tom Russell is now Director of Legacy at Olympics 2012. It’s a big job but Tom has all the credentials.

Whilst we’re discussing MISPA - they have been doing some really interesting leadership development work for community groups as part of their Urban Regeneration: Making a Difference project. The course ’Inspiring Leaders’ is a tailor made programme designed to meet the needs of those responsible for leading community based activities. It enables and encourages participants to become more effective in delivering services to the community. It’s quite an interactive course – some of the clips are posted below but to visit the full website click here

Regeneration Photography

mmudevelopment — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 09:32:41 +0000

The Manchester Evening News ran a good story last night about MMU Design Lecturer Eric Latham who has been photographing his home town of Beswick since the 1970s. Eric has a new book out called ‘On Class Street’ that contains many of the key landmarks of the area as it has undergone the regeneration process. Eric makes the point that despite all the changes it is still really tricky for working class people to access education and that there are a lot of barriers to people getting jobs. Working on projects that aim to try and address this type of regeneration challenge is one of the best things about what we do at the Corporate Development Office and I think it’s great that we fully engage with these agendas as a University. In fact it’s one of the things that makes us the University for Manchester.

Cool Innospace Video

mmudevelopment — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 15:15:06 +0000

One of the highlights of 2007 for the Corporate Development team was seeing the graduate business Incubator Innospace get off the ground. Marcus, our Project Development Manager, worked extremely closely with Dominic and Ossie and the Centre for Enterprise Team to bring in ERDF funding to help with the set up costs. It must bring Marcus a huge sense of satisfaction to know that he played a role in helping to physically transform the building into the exciting place that it is today. To really get a sense of what Innospace is all about you can watch this excellent introductory video here.

Knowledge Transfer Funding

mmudevelopment — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 15:08:29 +0000

There’s an interesting article in this week’s Times Higher about the proposed changes to funding for knowledge transfer activities within Higher Education. According to the Times, two thirds of universities will see KT funding rise by 50% in the fourth round of HEIF. Under the scheme there will be a cap of £1.9 million per university and there will be an end of competitive bidding. This funding follows the Sainsbury Science policy review recommendations that more money should be allocated to Universities that work closely with business.

Whatever the ramifications for the Corporate Development Office, one thing seems to be clear – that knowledge transfer as a professionalism is really starting to get ‘mainstreamed’ into Universities and for us, and our colleagues that work in this exciting and entrepreneurial area, this can only be a good thing.

North West Film Archive

mmudevelopment — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 14:32:02 +0000

Marcus, our Project Development Manager at the Corporate Development Office, has just got back from a meeting to discuss some potential research funding for the Northwest Film Archive with Professor Steve Hawley, Heather Norris-Nicholson and colleagues from the library. The aim is to make the Archive more accessible to communities through interaction with other galleries from across the region. The Archive is headed up by Marion Hewitt, and is a real jewel in MMU’s crown. It’s a brilliant resource for all things moving picture-related and footage from it is never off the TV.

You can visit the Film Archive website or you can search through it’s catalogue here.

MMU in 2020

mmudevelopment — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 13:15:46 +0000

The results are in for this exciting competition that MMU’s Business School ran to stimulate ideas about the future of the University. The winner Max Livesey’s clip is pretty impressive and includes references to environmental sustainability and distance learning. All in all – it’s probably not too far from the truth.

You can check out the rest of the videos here

Reflections on 2007

mmudevelopment — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 12:34:56 +0000

2007 is almost over and it’s been quite a year for the Corporate Development team!

We’ve worked on massive urban regeneration projects, organised an arts festival, helped launch an Academy for Health and Well-being and generally rolled with all the changes that the establishment of the new RED Office has brought about. So what were our 2007 highlights? I’m including a top ten here (in no particular order):

1. Helping to win a £1.2 million Beacons for Public Engagement bid in partnership with University of Manchester, Salford, Manchester: Knowledge Capital and the Museum of Science and Industry

2. Meeting all the new Business Development Managers – fantastic professionals who are going to make a huge difference to MMU.

3. The Manchester Monologues – a superb event that really captured the imagination of the people of Manchester.

4. Chris Dixon - a valued member of the team who went from strength to strength. He joined us as a modern apprentice and left to take up a new post as a Children’s Service Advisor in Bury – a big transformation and an all round great guy who will be missed.

5. The RED Office – we’ve worked on a new website, had some interesting staff development sessions and are all looking forward to coming together as one team – as Sen in the office says ‘Will it be a soup pot or a salad bowl?’

6. Seeing Innospace develop from a humble business plan written with some heavy support from this office to a fully fledged incubation unit with desks, people and everything. We’re looking forward to supporting new Capital Developments like the amazing-looking Business School in 2008.

7. Robert Putnam – what a pleasure seeing a globally renowned academic on top of his game – and a real coup for MMU to sweep him in here to talk about his famous Social Capital theories. Reminded us of what great jobs we have here in academia!

8. Lynn Setterington’s Garden at the Manchester International Festival – a GIGANTIC installation at Manchester Central that showed all 1200 visitors that recycling can be fun – and it caught the eye of none other than the Minister for Culture, Media and Sport James Purnell – who was visiting the Festival and had time for a chat with Lynn.

9. The Arts for Health conference “Critical Friends”. Proof positive that MMU can influence and inspire and deliver where it counts. What a fantasic opening address from Maureen Wayman.

10. And how can we possibly write about 2007 without mentioning the HUGE EFFORT that has gone into the Urban Regeneration: Making a Difference project? It’s been brilliant working on a truly cross-institutional project that is changing the perceptions of Universities across the North. The project has involved…49 academic members of staff, 34 individual MMU projects, 12 Associate Lecturers, 8 central Financial Staff, 6 Faculty Finance Officers, 4 MMU Theme Leads, 1 Academic Lead, 1 Insitutional Lead and a Patridge in a Pear Tree!

A big thank you to everybody that we have worked with in 2007. Here’s to a successful and interesting 2008.