Wednesday, 04 February 2026
Three leading East Midlands universities, including the University of Nottingham, have joined the Mayor of the East Midlands in pledging to drive inclusive growth across the region.
The University of Nottingham, with Nottingham Trent University and the University of Derby have signed a University Compact with Mayor Claire Ward and East Midlands Combined Authority chief executive Amy Harhoff.
The agreement sets out a shared commitment to closer collaboration on issues that matter to people, communities and businesses in the East Midlands. The Compact focuses on four key areas: education and skills; research and insight; business growth and innovation; and inclusive growth.
The universities and EMCCA (East Midlands Combined County Authority) will work together to create more opportunities for local people to learn, retrain, and find good jobs in the East Midlands, aligned with the recently published East Midlands Growth Plan.
Effective engagement with regional skills and growth priorities, and meaningful partnerships with key stakeholders, are central to shaping a university that meets the future needs of our students, employers and our place.
This Compact Agreement cements our shared ambitions across education, skills, innovation and inclusive growth, and recognises the strong collaboration already under way to deliver shared priorities such as the East Midlands Investment Zone.
By working together, EMCCA and the universities will attract major funding and turn research into real solutions that benefit communities, businesses, and the local economy.
Our universities are among our greatest regional assets. They educate our people, support our businesses and help shape the future of our communities. This Compact is about working together so that growth in the East Midlands is not just bigger, but better – and felt by people in their everyday lives. By pulling in the same direction, we can speak with a stronger voice, attract investment, and make the East Midlands a place where people want to live, work, study and build their future.
The partnership will help businesses grow, innovate, and attract new investment to the region, making the most of opportunities such as the East Midlands Freeport and Investment Zone.
Professor Dave Petley, Vice-Chancellor and President of Nottingham Trent University, said: “Universities have a vital role to play in shaping the future prosperity of our region, and this Compact reflects a shared commitment to working together for the East Midlands. By aligning our strengths in education, research and innovation with the Mayor’s priorities, we can help create opportunities that support inclusive growth, strengthen skills pathways and ensure that the impact of our work benefits communities, businesses and young people across the region.”
Inclusive growth is central to the partnership, with a focus on giving everyone, especially young people and underrepresented groups, a fair chance to succeed while supporting sustainability and wellbeing.
Professor Kathryn Mitchell CBE DL, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of the University of Derby, added: “Universities are anchor institutions within their regions, with a responsibility to use their teaching, research and civic leadership to make a meaningful and lasting difference to our communities. This Compact recognises the vital role that universities play in creating opportunities, developing skills, fostering innovation and promoting inclusive growth, and it strengthens our shared commitment to collaboration and partnership for the benefit of the East Midlands.”
EMCCA and the universities share a long-term ambition to make the East Midlands one of the most innovative, productive, inclusive, and sustainable regions in the UK. Together, they are aiming to tackle inequalities, strengthen education pathways, drive sector growth, and attract investment. The Compact also recognises the unique strengths of each university and the value of working with a strong, unified voice to champion the region.
It is hoped regular collaboration and shared projects will help turn shared ambition into real outcomes for the region.
For more information, see https://shorturl.at/skUfG
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More information is available from the Press Office at The University of Nottingham at pressoffice@nottingham.ac.uk
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About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 97 in the world and 17th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the third most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2024 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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