The N8 Research Partnership, which consists of research-intensive universities in the North of England including Durham, Lancaster, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield and York, aims to promote collaboration, establish research programmes and drive economic growth. Our Ideas Forum and Panel Discussion on 7 February will be the latest in a series of innovative UP North events hosted by N8 universities.

The first UP North event was hosted by the University of York in June 2023 as part of the York Festival of Ideas, and examined the need for a new approach to urban regeneration through inclusive growth and by harnessing the power of major employer institutions, education providers and social enterprise to deliver more equitable and inclusive economic outcomes for everyone.

The second event in the series was hosted by the University of Liverpool in October 2023, as part of the fringe programme at the Labour Party Conference, and considered how to level up living standards through tackling digital exclusion and closing the ‘digital divide’.

In November 2023, the University of Sheffield hosted a day of debates at the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre’s Factory 2050 facility on the opportunities and challenges for Innovation-led Growth.

In early December, the opportunities and challenges associated with Transforming Coastal Communities was the focus of the event hosted in Morecambe by Lancaster University.