Hackney Council agrees new partnership with Loughborough University London
Hackney Council and Loughborough University London have announced a shared commitment to working together to help strengthen health and wellbeing and create vibrant, inclusive communities in the borough.
The partnership will see the Council use insight from Loughborough University London – based in Hackney at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park – to help inform its ambitions to build a fairer, greener local economy and a more environmentally sustainable borough.
The university, which is part of a cluster of universities and enterprises at the tech and innovation campus Here East, will use the agreement to ensure its research delivers real social, economic and educational value for the local community.
It will see the Council and Loughborough University London work together to address cross-cutting challenges and inequalities faced by our communities, build an evidence base of what works to close the gap between research and practice, and maximise opportunities for a locally-based university to contribute to civic life and the local economy.
The agreement, made as part of a joint memorandum of understanding signed by both organisations, builds on a long standing collaboration since the university first moved to Hackney eight years ago.
Most notably, the Inspiring Success programme, now in its eighth year, has supported over 100 unemployed or under-employed graduates from east London through employability workshops and scholarships at Loughborough University London. This has already seen 37 people graduate with postgraduate qualifications. Of those completing their studies 79% are already in graduate level employment.
Philip Glanville, Mayor of Hackney, said: “In the ten years since 2012 we’ve seen the huge benefits that the transformation of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and the organisations now based there have created in terms of job, facilities and opportunities.
“Having renowned institutions like Loughborough University based here in Hackney is a major advantage to the borough and at the heart of a long-term legacy from London 2012.
“This partnership is a milestone in our commitment to collaborating more actively with these organisations to ensure local people and businesses here in Hackney are the first to benefit from the expertise they bring.”
Professor Tony Edwards, Dean of Loughborough University London, said: “We’re delighted to be working in partnership with Hackney Council on such hugely important issues.
“The partnership will enable us to build on the Inspiring Success programme, offering employability support and funding for unemployed or underemployed graduates within the borough, and we’ll be able to use our research to directly benefit the Hackney community.”
The organisations will now progress a shared work plan, focusing on projects including continuing the Inspiring Success programme, developing the work of the Council’s Diversity in Tech Commission, creating a shared programme of health research and identifying opportunities for Loughborough University London students to take up placements in Hackney Council and in local businesses.
Loughborough is one of the country’s leading universities, with an international reputation for research that matters, excellence in teaching, strong links with industry, and unrivalled achievement in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines.
It has been awarded five stars in the independent QS Stars university rating scheme, named the best university in the world for sports-related subjects in the 2020 QS World University Rankings and top in the country for its student experience in the 2018 THE Student Experience Survey.
Loughborough is in the top 10 of every national league table, being ranked 4th in the Guardian University League Table 2020, 5th in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2020 and 8th in The UK Complete University Guide 2020.
Loughborough is consistently ranked in the top twenty of UK universities in the Times Higher Education’s ‘table of tables’ and is in the top 10 in England for research intensity. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, Loughborough has been awarded seven Queen's Anniversary Prizes.
Specialising exclusively in postgraduate-level study, Loughborough University London is based on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and offers cutting-edge master’s and PhD degrees, as well as business collaboration, research and enterprise opportunities.
The seven specialist institutes at Loughborough University London include: Design Innovation, Digital Technologies, Diplomacy and International Governance, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, International Management, Media and Creative Industries, and Sport Business. Close industry partnerships with a wealth of leading businesses and creative organisations means teaching and learning is informed by real-life challenges and driven by true industry pressures.