With a global reputation for research and knowledge exchange the University of Southampton is a jewel in the Central South’s crown, generating £4.14 billion annually to the UK economy.
University of Southampton – Highfield Campus
Ranked 12th in the UK and in the top 100 globally, the University of Southampton is a founding member of the prestigious Russell Group and has campuses in Southampton, Winchester and Malaysia.
A major report, published last year, revealed that the University of Southampton generates £4.14 billion of annual impact across the UK economy. The findings came from the policy and economics consultancy London Economics, which analysed the University’s performance during the 2020/21 academic year.
With innovative thinking and pioneering research at the heart of the University’s culture, its academics are finding solutions for some of the biggest challenges that our planet is facing, pursuing environmental sustainability, and making a difference to the world.
Nowhere is this better highlighted than with Juerg Matter, a professor of Geoengineering and Carbon Management, from the University’s School of Ocean and Earth Science. Juerg played a key role in helping a UK-Omani company, which eliminates CO 2 by turning it into rock, being named as the winner of the prestigious 2022 #earthshotprize in the ‘Fix our Climate’ category.
Professor Juerg Matter (centre right) celebrates with Talal Hasan, CEO of the UK Oman company 44.01, winner of the earthshot prize.
Meanwhile, LifeLab is an education programme that links the University of Southampton and the University Hospital Southampton with schoolchildren to empower them to understand the science behind the health messages they see and hear.
A DIVERSE, WELCOMING UNIVERSITY
Home to more than 19,000 students from more than 130 countries, with around 6,000 members of staff, the University is proud of the diverse, vibrant, and welcoming people who make up its community. Once the University’s students become graduates, they join a global community of over 250,000 alumni and can gain access to a network that can provide further opportunities across the world. As one of the UK’s fastest growing cities – and with the newly acquired Freeport status promising more than 30,000 jobs and over £1.35bn investment in the region – Southampton is brimming with opportunity. There’s no doubting that the area is the perfect place for students and academics alike to take their work further and discover what they’re capable of: from turning an idea into reality and making a real difference and finding new passions.
DRIVEN BY RESEARCH AND ENTERPRISE
Lifelab is a unique initiative where young people take part in fun and engaging sessions, conduct experiments, meet scientists, and learn first-hand why and how to lead healthier lives.
The University of Southampton’s Science Park is a centre of excellence for innovation and is home to more than 100 companies. In addition, with a turnover of £370m in 2020-2021, the University’s 72 spin-out companies boosted the UK economy by £928 million, also attracting talent and investment to the region. Situated within the Park‘s Innovation and Science Centre, a forthcoming Future Towns Innovation Hub will deliver a joint industry-academic Centre of Excellence. Its aim will be to bring together expertise, skills and knowledge alongside stateof-the-art research laboratories that can be easily accessed by local businesses and enterprise to advance innovation.
The Hub will create an environment for innovative translation of research to commercial applications that will contribute to the economic growth of the region, and it will capitalise on the innovation, technology transfer and business growth capability which is inherent in the Park’s operation. A strong culture of enterprise is illustrated by the fact that more than 150 international businesses have chosen Southampton as a major research partner, which equates to over 40 per cent of its research activities.
Culture plays a key role in University life. Its John Hansard Gallery, located in Southampton’s Cultural Quarter, is one of the UK’s leading contemporary art galleries. Meanwhile, situated at the Highfield campus, Turner Sims is a nationally renowned concert hall and live music producing organisation.
UNIVERSITY’S BUSINESS SCHOOL LEADS THE WAY
Making an important contribution to business in the Central South is the globally accredited Southampton Business School (SBS), delivering an AMBA accredited MBA and supporting local economic growth as evidenced with holding the Small Business Charter Award. SBS supports organisations in the region, and beyond, with high level staff expertise from operational research and management science to sustainability reporting. An outward facing business school, it boasts engagement with Local Enterprise Partnerships, and knowledge exchange though Public Policy Southampton (PPS) to a range of public sector organisations. It’s one of the leaders in its field.
Commenting on the Economic Impact Report, Professor Mark Spearing, Vice President of Research and Enterprise at the University of Southampton, said: “We welcome this report which not only underlines the University’s importance to the UK economy but across the world. More than that, it demonstrates the farreaching impact our research and enterprise has, leading on innovation and nurturing talent for the future and more directly, the huge impact we have on our host city Southampton.”
As featured in Central South’s PROSPER Magazine – download the full magazine here.
