Small and specialist universities have long been anchors within their communities and specific sectors in the economy. Frequently located in smaller towns, on the edge of cities, or in rural or coastal locations, many are also innovative, agile industry experts that carry out high impact, practical research and knowledge exchange. Closely aligned to the professions they serve, they are well-positioned to stimulate the growth of key priority economies, such as the creative industries, health and agriculture.
GuildHE’s new Building the Jigsaw report uses a combined experimental heat mapping and case study approach to capture the plethora of knowledge exchange activities by smaller and specialist higher education providers, bringing new evidence to the sector not always apparent in traditional statistics and often in unexpected locations throughout the UK.
