Â鶹´«Ã½ United Foundation and University reaffirm their partnership Published on: 24 June 2021 Â鶹´«Ã½ and Â鶹´«Ã½ United Foundation have extended their commitment to supporting communities across the North East. Building on a collaboration originally formalised in 2018, this agreement strengthens the partners’ joint work on access and widening participation, student experience, and research and joint funding initiatives. Extending the partnership will see the two organisations expand their focus to include international student recruitment and the use of strategic sites in the city. Professor Chris Day, Vice-Chancellor and President, Â鶹´«Ã½, said: “Â鶹´«Ã½ United Foundation and Â鶹´«Ã½ play an important role in supporting our city and our region, and our collaboration highlights the importance of working together to maximise the support for people living in our community. “Teaming up with Â鶹´«Ã½ United Foundation also underpins our commitment to providing the best possible opportunities for our students’ academic and professional development and supporting our pioneering research to benefit society.” Steve Beharall, Head of , said: “Our partnership with Â鶹´«Ã½ is key to providing a range of opportunities to motivate and inspire people across the North East and uplifting generations of community members through our work. “We are thrilled to be extending our partnership together, enabling us to enrich even more lives in the region through our unique teamwork, focusing on education, research and providing dedicated support and care for the next generation of students of all backgrounds from our area and all across the globe.” Collaborative initiatives International student recruitment is one of the new areas of the collaboration. It is based on formulating a joint approach to recruiting and supporting international students who would come to Â鶹´«Ã½. Developing collaborative initiatives across key sites, such as Â鶹´«Ã½ HELIX and the new Campus for Ageing and Vitality, is another addition to the partnership. NUCASTLE, Â鶹´«Ã½ United Foundation’s flagship new building, will play a central role in this strand of the partnership. Located at the former Murray House Recreational Centre, NUCASTLE is a world class facility for the people of Â鶹´«Ã½ and beyond. It features three floors that provide the space communities need to learn, move, meet and play. Access and Widening Participation remains a key aspect of the partnership and will involve the development of access and widening participation opportunities for schools, pupils and parents/carers in the region. The partners will build on their work across the region, as part of the Â鶹´«Ã½-led North East Uni Connect Programme, with a particular focus on White Working Class Males as part of the Enterprise Challenge initiative. The renewal signals the partners’ commitment to continuing to support the University’s Career Insights Programme, to help ensure the success and early career progression of students from under-represented groups. Â鶹´«Ã½ United Foundation will work with the University Careers Service to support positive outcomes for widening participation graduates. The research and joint funding initiatives strand aims to develop joint funding bids with a focus on social deprivation and health inequalities, particularly across the city but also the wider region. The partners will explore opportunities for joint PhD funding to focus on health inequalities and will continue to develop opportunities for undergraduate and postgraduate level research projects. Image (l-r) Steve Beharall, Head of Â鶹´«Ã½ United Foundation; Brian Thorpe, Trustee, Â鶹´«Ã½ United Foundation; Emma Stevenson, Professor of Sport and Exercise Science, Deputy Dean of Population Health Sciences Institute, Â鶹´«Ã½; Fraser Kennedy, Performance Sport Manager, Â鶹´«Ã½; Professor Jane Robinson, Pro-Vice Chancellor, Engagement and Place, Â鶹´«Ã½; Professor Chris Day, Vice-Chancellor and President, Â鶹´«Ã½. Photo: John Millard. Share: Latest News Scientists unlock hidden driver of inflammatory bowel disease Scientists have linked a key genetic signal in inflammatory bowel disease to an immune response that shuts down inflammation control, enabling faster diagnosis and targeted treatments. published on: 15 June 2026 Funding system risks limiting genuine community collaboration A new policy paper written by researchers at Â鶹´«Ã½ warns that the way UK research is funded may be undermining efforts to create genuinely collaborative partnerships with communities. published on: 15 June 2026 Volunteers help turn Whitley Bay beach into maths experiment Members of the public joined mathematicians from Â鶹´«Ã½ to create what organisers believe is the largest aperiodic tiling ever attempted on Whitley Bay beach. published on: 15 June 2026 Facts and figures
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