We are excited to announce that The University of Sheffield has further strengthened its longstanding relationship with our organisation, becoming an Ecosystem Partner. The University has been a part of Sheffield Digital’s journey from the start as a Founder Member organisation, and we’ve since collaborated on initiatives such as the Digital Spotlight Report back in 2017 and the last six years of the Startup Summer, as well as supporting recruitment efforts and promoting The University’s events and employer engagement opportunities.
Over 30,000 students from 150 countries study at The University of Sheffield, alongside over 1,500 of the world’s leading academics and researchers.
This new formal collaboration is set to reinforce The University of Sheffield’s commitment to continuously driving impact through research, education and engagement with the region’s leading tech firms.
Jonny Wright, Regional Economic Development Lead at the University, explains,
“The University of Sheffield is committed to collaborating with its partners in order to strengthen South Yorkshire. By maximising the impact of our collective tech and digital initiatives, we’ll create opportunities for our students, graduates and organisations to thrive within the regional tech sector.”
Nurturing the next generation of tech leaders
The University’s dedicated Careers and Employability Service works closely with local tech firms to inspire and prepare students for successful careers in tech, something that our partnership is set to bolster through greater communication and connection with our members.
In line with our ambition to support Sheffield’s startup culture, we’ll be helping to embed The University’s hub of entrepreneurial activity, ‘Emerge’ into the digital ecosystem, ensuring students have the best infrastructure to underpin their founder journeys.
Dynamic facilities open for collaboration
The University is home to a range of world-class facilities where local people and businesses can collaborate with one common goal: to drive digital innovation. This includes the Centre for Machine Intelligence and the Digital Innovation Zone, both equipped with state-of-the-art technology and with the potential to foster exciting innovation amongst our members.
Reflecting on the partnership and the enhanced opportunities this can offer our community, Sheffield Digital Director, Chris Dymond, says: “This is all about engagement – innovative tech ecosystems need human networks and interactions just as much as digital ones, and this relationship will help us to continually create and signpost opportunities for more people to meet, talk and share in fruitful ways.”
You can find out more about The University of Sheffield and our partnership in this Spotlight.
We are extremely excited to continue and enhance our collaborative working with The University of Sheffield, and are delighted to bring on board this key Ecosystem Partner.