Charles, David (CURDS)

David is a Principal Research Associate in CURDS and holds the Goldman Chair in Innovation in the Newcastle University Business School, whilst retaining his post in CURDS. He has a wide range of research interests, which include the role of universities in regional development, corporate restructuring, regional technology policy and urban development. He has recently been leading a major EU TSER project on universities and regional development (UNIREG) and other work on the regional role of universities for the Higher Education Funding Council for England. He has recently directed a survey for the UK Office of Science and Technology and the HE funding councils on Higher Education Business Interaction, which is currently being cited by the Minister for Science as justification for significant investment in the science base. Building on these he leads the CURDS Marie Curie Training Site on Advanced Research Training in University Region Interaction.

In terms of studies of competitiveness David led CURDS role in the North East Competitiveness Project, a three year project led by the Northern Development Company, which involved regional benchmarking, cluster studies and investigation of innovation support needs. He has been involved in numerous other regional studies, and is currently advising Advantage West Midlands on the international benchmarking of their cluster strategies. He recently co-ordinated an evaluation of the EU RITTS programme. Other work in recent years on innovation policy includes participation in an OECD network examining cluster strategies, a project under the UK ESRC Intellectual Property Programme on the management of intellectual property by university spin offs, and a European Commission funded evaluation of the STRIDE, TELEMATIQUE and PRISMA programmes, in which he led the STRIDE evaluation.

Selected Publications:

• Charles, D.R. and Howells, J. (1992) Technology Transfer in Europe : Public and Private Networks. Belhaven Press, London.

• Charles, D.R. et al (1999) The Economic Links between Leeds and the Yorkshire and the Humber Region. Report to Leeds City Council.

• Charles, D.R et al (1999) The Core Cities: Key Centres for Regeneration. Report to the Core Cities Group.

• den Hertog, P., Bergman, E. and Charles, D.R. (eds.) (2001) Innovative Clusters: Drivers of National Innovation Policy. OECD, Paris

• Charles, D.R. and Benneworth, P. (2001) Are we realizing our potential? Joining up science and technology policy in the English regions. Regional Studies, 35, 73-79.

• Charles, D.R. and Benneworth, P. (2001) The Regional Mission: The Regional Contribution of Higher Education: National Report. Universities UK, London/.

• Charles, D.R. and Conway, C. (2001) Higher Education Business Interaction Survey. HEFCE, Bristol.

Conway, Cheryl (CURDS)

Cheryl is a Research Associate at CURDS and is a member of the research group on Innovation, Learning and Knowledge. She holds an M.A. in Macroeconomics from Liverpool University. Cheryl continues to develop her research interests on the role of universities in territorial development through research on the regional role of universities, the interation of universities and businesses, the graduate labour market and a benchmark analysis of levels of participation in higher and further education. Other projects have investigated the labour market for highly skilled workers in regions of the UK and Europe and issues related to the economic performance, survival and growth of SMEs. Cheryl has undertaken work for a number of international, national and regional organisations including European Commission, Department of Education and Employment (DfEE), Government Office North East (GONE) and Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and has presented her research findings to a variety of national and international audiences. She was formerly a researcher at Queens University, Belfast and Durham University.

Selected Publications:

• Conway, C., Coombes, M. G. and Raybould, S. (2002) Participation in Further and Higher Education across the North East region: A bench-mark analysis of recent patterns. Sunderland, Universities for the North East, October.

• Boucher, G., Conway, C. and Van der Meer, E. (2002) Higher Education Institutes and Regional Development. Paper presented at Regional Studies Association Conference on Ireland 2020: People, Place and Space, Bunratty, Ireland, 25-26 April.

• Conway, C., Benneworth, P. and Audas, R. (2001) Regional Higher Education Systems: Unequal Access, Unequal Outcomes. Paper presented to the 31st Annual Conference of the Regional Science Association International: British & Irish Section, Durham, 5-7 September.

• Charles, D. and Conway, C. (2001) Higher Education Business Interaction Survey. HEFCE, Bristol.

• Boucher G., Conway C. and Van der Meer E., (2001) The role of universities in the development of less favoured regions. Regional Transitions: European Regions and the Challenges of Development, Integration and Enlargement. Regional Studies Conference, 15th- 18th September 2001, Gdansk, Poland.

• Belt, V., Hentley, J., Charles, D., Jones, I., Audas, R. and Conway, C. (2000) North East Graduate Labour Markets: 1999-2000. Higher Education Regional Development Fund.

Dawley, Stuart (CURDS)

Stuart is a Research Associate at CURDS and is a member of the research group on Innovation, Learning and Knowledge. His research interests include inward investment, local and regional labour market processes and institutions. Stuart's doctoral thesis looked at the labour market and institutional implications of the fluctuating investment patterns of the semiconductor industry within the North East Region. This research was co-sponsored by the North of England Microelectronics Institute together with the ESRC. Stuart has contributed to a diverse range of research projects whilst at CURDS and has presented his research findings to a variety of international audiences including both the Global Economic Geography Conference (Singapore) and the AAG 2001 (New York). Additionally, specific elements of his research, namely the Semiconductor Skills Tracking Study, have been utilised by a variety of regional institutions, and subsequently cited by the DTI, in the process of attracting a new round of high technology inward investment to the North East region. He is currently participating within an advisory sub-group to the DTI regarding the development of the Motorsport Industry within Britain.

Selected Publications:

• Benneworth, P. and Dawley, S. (2002) How do small and medium sized innovating enterprises use business support services? Report to the Small Business Service, October.

• Charles, D.R, Dawley, S, Benneworth, P, and Conway, C (2002) The contribution of Universities to Northern Ireland. Report to the Department of Education and Learning Northern Ireland, Newcastle, CURDS.

• Dawley, S. (2001) 'MNC's High Technology (Dis) Investment in Peripheral Region Economies: Institutional and Labour Market Insights' in Vale M. (eds) DivesT - Desinvestemnto e Impactos Economicos, Sociais e Territoriais. DivesT Workshop, Lisbon, Portugal, 14 September.

• Dawley, S. J. and Pike, A. J. (2001) The ebb and flow of TNC's (dis)investment in host regions: microelectronics in North East England. Paper presented to the 97th Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers, New York, USA, 27 February - 3 March.

• Dawley, S. (2000) Labour market responses to foreign direct investment, disinvestemnt and re-investment: The case of the semiconductor industry in the North East Region 1989-2000 Paper presented to the Global Conference on Economic Geography (National University of Singapore), Singapore, Singapore.

• Dawley, S. (2000) Potential labour market displacement effects of a large high technology inward investor in the North East Region. Report to the North of England Microelectronics Institute May.