Tremough Campus growth to boost Cornwall’s economy

A report released today reveals that the planned growth of the Tremough Campus, Penryn, will provide a major boost to Cornwall's economy. The report shows that the proposed development of the Campus will double the benefits it currently brings to the local community and the rest of Cornwall by 2016.

University College Falmouth and the University of Exeter share and jointly manage the Campus as part of the Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC) initiative, in an arrangement that is unique in the UK. The Campus already enjoys impressive facilities for research and teaching in a range of subjects - from mining engineering to textile design and natural history photography to law. Both institutions are now planning for the next stage of the development and have ambitions to create a Campus that is truly world-class, and the preferred Higher Education destination for local people as well as students from across the globe.

The number of students on the Tremough Campus, which is now around 2200, is expected to rise to between 4,400 and 5,000 by 2016.

The report, which was carried out by independent research group DTZ, identifies the following benefits from the expansion of the Campus by 2016:

• Up to 428 new jobs in Cornwall, of which 365 will be in the local area. This will bring the total number of jobs created as a result of the Campus to over 1,500
• 345 students actively engaged in the local community through volunteering
• Staff and student spend rising to over £20,000,000 a year in the local area and over £33,000,000 in Cornwall
• Institutional spend rising to over £2,000,000 in the local area and over £8,000,000 in Cornwall.
• The University of Exeter has ambitious plans to build an internationally-competitive research and teaching centre for the environment and sustainability, which will give Cornwall the opportunity to become a world-leader in generating environmental knowledge.

In April 2008, University College Falmouth merged with Dartington College of Arts to create a new institution focusing on the expansion of Falmouth's expertise in Art, Design and Media and Dartington's expertise in Choreography, Music, Theatre, Art and Writing. The merger will pave the way for a new specialist Arts University in Cornwall in 2012, creating a Higher Education institution unique to the South West. University College Falmouth‘s future plans focus on the provision of high-specification spaces for the Dartington Campus's Performance courses, when staff and students relocate to Falmouth in 2010, and an Academy for Innovation & Research which will encourage entrepreneurialism and foster dynamic collaborations between graduates and industry to the benefit of the Cornish economy.

Professor Matthew Evans, Provost of the University of Exeter's Cornwall Campus (Tremough) said: "By developing a world-leading centre for the environment and sustainability, we will not only be creating unprecedented opportunities for research and teaching in Cornwall. We will also be working closely with businesses to develop new technologies and ways of working that will allow Cornwall to take advantage of the opportunities created as we move towards a low carbon economy. This, coupled with the growth of the Campus, means that our contribution to Cornwall's economy and the community will continue to build in the future."

"The benefits that Higher Education bring to the regional economy through job creation and the sourcing of local goods and services cannot be underestimated, particularly at this time of economic downturn," added Professor Alan Livingston, Rector of University College Falmouth. "UCF's continuing investment in world-class facilities; our emphasis on entrepreneurialism and professional practice; our commitment to working with our local communities, and our significant impact on the creativity of the region all play a major role in securing a better future for the people of Cornwall."

"The Combined Universities in Cornwall is one of the main foundations of our more knowledge based economy," commented Carleen Kelemen who is the Director of the Convergence Office for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. "CUC is already contributing to our economic regeneration over the long term by offering both Higher Education opportunities for the individual and crucial links between academia and business - including graduate placements and business oriented research - designed to boost business productivity and success."

The plans for the future of the Campus were developed through consultation with local people over the summer of 2008.

The multi-million-pound Tremough Campus is a Combined Universities in Cornwall initiative ­of which the University of Exeter and University College Falmouth are two of the founding partners. It is funded mainly by the European Union (Objective One), the South West Regional Development Agency, and the Higher Education Funding Council for England, with support from Cornwall County Council. Set in 95 acres, and close to the waterside towns of Penryn and Falmouth, the Campus offers a lively student community. The University of Exeter now offers degrees in Biology, Cornish Studies, English, Geology, Geography, History, Law, Mining Engineering, Politics and Renewable Energy on the  Campus, whilst University College Falmouth offers undergraduate degrees in Broadcasting, Contemporary Crafts, Digital Animation, English with Creative Writing, English with Media Studies, Film, Garden Design, Interior Design, Marine & Natural History Photography, Photography, Press Photography, Spatial Design, Textile and 3D Design as well as MAs in Broadcast Journalism, Design, International Journalism, Professional Writing and Television Production at the Penryn site.

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For further information:

Sarah Hoyle
Media Relations Manager
University of Exeter
(01392) 262062 / 07989 446920 / s.hoyle@exeter.ac.uk

Jilly Easterby MCIPR
Head of Public Affairs
University College Falmouth
(01326) 213792 / 07825 420690 / jilly.easterby@falmouth.ac.uk

Notes to editors:

Campus growth - three phases

• In the 2007/2008 academic year, there were 2,200 full-time equivalent (FTE) students based at the Tremough Campus. This total comprised 1,240 UCF students and 960 Exeter students
• Phase 2 of Tremough's development plans included provision for 3,500 students at the Campus by 2010/11
• The Phase 3 Masterplan for Tremough makes provision for between 4,400 and 5,000 students by 2015/2016.

Employment benefits

• 513 full-time members of staff are currently directly employed at the Tremough Campus and without the CUC initiative and the presence of the two institutions at Tremough, this employment would not otherwise occur. Between 180 and 290 full-time jobs would be created at Tremough as a result of the Phase 3 expansion. On average, these would be better paid and more highly skilled than the average job in Cornwall. However, job opportunities would open up across skills and earnings levels with academic, administrative and support services employment being created.

Spending in the region

• Local and county-wide expenditure is anticipated to double with the planned Phase 3 expansion of the Campus
• The wages earned by staff create additional benefits in the area as they are spent in local shops and on local services. This expenditure becomes turnover for the recipient businesses and underpins their employment.  44% of full-time staff live in the local area. It is assumed that they spend 25% of their disposable income in the local area and a further 25% elsewhere in Cornwall
• As with staff, students at Tremough spend their money in the local economy during term time. The level of off campus term-time student expenditure is broadly £6k per annum per student. Again, this amount would double with the planned Phase 3 expansion of the Campus
• Each student currently attracts 12 person nights to the tourist accommodation sector by bringing visitors to the area. Again, this amount would double with the planned Phase 3 expansion of the Campus.

Construction

• The construction and civil engineering work to develop the planned Phase 3 expansion of the Campus will also create additional economic benefits to the local area. Total costs are currently estimated at £162.2 million, a level of expenditure that would generate 1,291 person years of employment. The resulting local impacts of the construction phase would generate 14.2 full-time equivalents (FTEs) in the local area and 42 FTEs at a county level.

More graduates for Cornwall

• There will also be wider economic effects through the engagement of the institutions at Tremough with the business community and through the provision of skilled labour to the local workforce. The institutions are already working with leading businesses in Cornwall with UCF leading on the creative sector and the University of Exeter in the environmental and sustainability sector. The levels of business engagement in these areas will grow through the implementation of the Phase 3 masterplan with the Academy for Innovation & Research, the Performance Centre, the Environment & Sustainability Institute and the Tremough Innovation Centre that is being built adjacent to the site. 

Other community benefits

• The presence of the two institutions at the Tremough Campus brings a number of positives, socially as well as economically. The institutions engage with a broad range of groups across the Falmouth/Penryn area. The student body itself is actively involved in volunteering and also adds significantly to the vitality and vibrancy of the two towns.

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