Working with Companies and Professions

Through working with companies and professions, our school has a rich and lively culture of engagement with businesses, local government and professional bodies. This culture encompasses both research and teaching led by our academic staff and is also in conjunction with practising professionals.

We are inclusive, reactive and supportive to ideas. These can come from colleagues, partners and alumni about ways to broaden or deepen our impact on society.

One example in particular is the Newcastle City Futures project.

Newcastle City Futures

Newcastle City Futures was established in 2014 to bring together research with long term policy trends and business needs in the city. It led a very successful public exhibition and events at the Guildhall in 2014 with 24 partners addressing Newcastle's past, present and future.

In 2015, the City Council established the City Futures Development Group comprising local authorities, universities, the Local Enterprise Partnership and the private sector to think long term about the city’s prospects and research needs.

NCF was part funded in 2014-15 by the Government Office for Science Future of Cities Foresight Project. A long term report, Newcastle City Futures 2065, was published in July 2015 identifying evidence and priority themes, setting out the case for Newcastle to be seen as a test-bed city for innovation.

In 2016, NCF became a £1.2m Research Councils UK/ Innovate UK Urban Living Partnership pilot project addressing the future needs of Newcastle and Gateshead through the collaborative design of projects across the city region. 

The project’s uniqueness lies in its approach to involving everyone in the city in the development of its future. 

Previously, single sectors, disciplines, agencies or businesses worked independently to provide solutions. Newcastle City Futures has provided a new way to harness the creative thinking and expertise of diverse groups of people.