Surrey Hills Enterprises and the University of Surrey announce new education partnership to support local businesses

By Georgie Gould

Businesses across the county of Surrey can now access world-class training courses, student placements, academic expertise, and UN-affiliated certification thanks to a new partnership between the University of Surrey and Surrey Hills Enterprises (SHE). The new partnership has also committed to engage in research collaborations during the year-long pilot that runs to March 2027.

The University has been named as the inaugural Education Partner of SHE, recognising each organisation’s shared role in connecting businesses with vibrant research, innovation and ambitious student talent.

The one-year pilot is designed to give Surrey-based firms practical access to a university on their doorstep, collaborative and research opportunities for staff, and students with real-world commercial problems to work on. The partnership will also look to strengthen links between members of SHE and Surrey Research Park – a world-class 70-acre science and technology park

SHE members will be able to take up a range of funded or discounted places on University short courses, including sustainability training run by CIFAL Surrey, a UNITAR (United Nations Institute for Training and Research)-affiliated centre hosted by Surrey's Institute for Sustainability, offering both training and certification.

The University of Surrey is an anchor institution for the county of Surrey, and that should mean something concrete to the businesses around us. A student who spends a summer solving a supply chain problem for a local producer gains vital insights that bring to life their in-classroom learning and comes away with experience that employers actually value.

Businesses, in turn, working with students and the expertise of staff, help co-create solutions vital not only to their bottom line but also to their wider sustainability and community needs. We are proud to be partnering with Surrey Hills Enterprises to launch and grow this genuinely reciprocal, place-based opportunity. Professor Amelia Hadfield, Director, CIFAL Surrey. Co-Director of the Institute for Sustainability. Associate Vice-President for External Engagement. Founding Director, Centre for Britain and Europe.

"One of Surrey Hills Enterprises' greatest strengths is bringing people together. This partnership creates exciting new opportunities for our members to connect with the University's expertise, students and innovation, while giving the University a closer understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing local businesses. Together, we can create relationships that benefit businesses, students and the wider Surrey economy." Maggie Howell, Chief Executive Officer of Surrey Hills Enterprises

Surrey Hills Enterprises supports more than 240 organisations across the county through networking, collaboration, marketing, training and business development.

[ENDS]

Notes to editors

Professor Hadfield is available for interview. Please contact the University of Surrey press office via mediarelations@surrey.ac.uk to arrange.

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Prof Amelia Hadfield

Director, CIFAL Surrey. Co-Director of the Institute for Sustainability. Associate Vice-President for External Engagement. Founding Director, Centre for Britain and Europe.

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