Institutional Context
Summary
The University plays a vital role in training the workforce of the future; as thought leaders through our research; and as champions and a major employer for the locality. We have a strong track record of partnership working to leverage funding and other resources to enhance the social, environmental, cultural, and economic wellbeing of the county through our Changemaker Commitments.
We work with key public authorities, business and industry, community, and voluntary sector organisations, responding to their strategic priorities and needs. UON is internationally recognised for creating Social Impact, winning awards for this work accredited by the Social Enterprise Gold Mark. Social impact is a key driver within UON strategic plan and guides KE (Knowledge Exchange) activity within the institution.
Institutional Context
The University of Northampton (UON) was awarded full university status in 2005 and in 2013 was the UK’s first internationally accredited Ashoka-U Changemaker Campus. This was in recognition of UON’s commitment to social impact which has been key to the University mission, research strategy since 2013, and embedded within the knowledge exchange plan. Four key themes underpin this commitment – Education, Health and Well-Being, Heritage and Culture, and Business and Enterprise. In 2018 the University opened its new £330m Waterside Campus and welcomed 11,985 students. Our current (2022/23) student population is 17,233 based on campus or with our academic partners. We have a strong widening participation remit with one of the most diverse student populations in the country, and derive most of our income, and dedicate most of our activity, to learning and teaching.
UON is comprised of three Faculties (Faculty of Arts, Science and Technology, Faculty of Business and Law and Faculty of Health, Education and Society), offering disciplines within the Arts, Business, Education, Law, Health professions, Humanities, Social Sciences, and physical sciences and Technology. Our research areas are History and English alongside Health, biomedical sciences, Education, and Geography/Environmental Sciences. Recent research strengths have developed in biological sciences, engineering, psychology and sociology. Within the Faculties are 13 interdisciplinary research centres, focussing on China and emerging economies, dementia research, education, environment, health sciences and services, history, physical activity and life sciences, psychology, sustainable business practices.
UON has three research institutes: the Institute for Creative Leather Technologies (ICLT), the Institute for Social Innovation and Impact (ISII), the Institute for Public Safety and Criminal Justice (IPSCJ). These support research-only staff and focus on key research areas with a focus on interdisciplinarity, collaboration and applied research.
Located within the SEMLEP (South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnerships) area, UON is at the centre of the strategically significant Oxford to Cambridge corridor which is set to deliver transformative growth and investment across the region. Northamptonshire is currently home to 384,000*jobs across 37,695** SME and corporate businesses. This includes key growth sectors underpinning the Southeast Midlands Local Industrial Strategy such as those related to digital technologies and artificial intelligence, logistics, clean growth, precision engineering and autonomous vehicles, as well as life sciences specialisms UON algins as best it can to these specialisms.
Following recent local government reorganisation, two new unitary authorities were formed in the North and the West of the County. UON works closely with the new authorities as anchor institutions and to ensure continued benefit from UON’s KE activity is achieved across the county.