UEL creates working partnership with Australian university

The University of East London has signed an agreement with Western Sydney University in Australia heralding a new era of academic collaboration.

The memorandum of understanding outlines where the two universities can work together on projects in areas such as sustainable development and health innovation. The partnership will also champion exchanges for academics and students.

It was signed by the University of East London's Professor Verity Brown, pro-vice chancellor (impact and innovation) and Professor Barney Glover, vice-chancellor and president of Western Sydney University, at UEL's Knowledge Dock building on its Royal Albert Docks campus.

Prof Brown said: "The potential for close collaboration is something we're very excited about and it will be very easy to translate this document into real, positive action.

"Most of the progress we achieve in universities is achieved through partnerships. The most obvious partnership is between academics and their students but for universities to work effectively there must be partnerships with the local community and internationally with other universities."

Prof Glover said: "There are some really powerful reasons for Western Sydney and East London to talk to each other. We serve and support a region where there is educational disadvantage and we have student profiles that are very similar.

"And there are also real opportunities to deepen our relationship in areas such as sustainability and the digital disruptive world reflecting the impact these changes are having on our students and their career paths. We're very pleased to be signing this agreement."

Some of the aims of the partnership are to develop collaborative research programmes; organise joint academic and scientific conferences and courses; and share staff development and best practice.

The signing came at the end of a four-day visit to London by the delegates from the Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue, a community initiative to promote the cause of the metropolitan area within the state capital of New South Wales.

The delegation was in London to learn lessons from London's post-Olympic regeneration. Before the signing, representatives attended a discussion at Knowledge Dock about social housing provision, hearing how developers at the local Barking Riverside development worked closely with Barking and Dagenham Borough Council to meet the community's housing aspirations.