The five partnering universities

• Brunel University • The University of Reading • Royal Holloway University of London • University of Surrey • University of Sussex

Brunel University
Since its establishment over 40 years ago, Brunel has prided itself on the quality and relevance of its academic work. Through a combination of excellent teaching, research, and flexible and innovative degree courses, the University has developed extensive links with industry, commerce, the public sector and educational institutions. All these factors, together with the practical skills and expertise that are integrated into its programmes, mean that the University produces highly sought-after graduates. Research is at the heart of all the University does and is responsible for much of its collaborative work with business, industry and the public sector. A robust and successful process for the commercialisation of intellectual property generated by its research is a visible manifestation of the success of this approach.

University of Reading
The University of Reading is an internationally recognised research institute that received its Royal Charter in 1926. The University's ability to attract leading-edge academics has created a world-class research environment in which innovation and enterprise can flourish.

The University has been active in technology transfer activities for many years and its location, at the heart of the economically prosperous Thames Valley, has nurtured a culture of industrial liaison and commercial exploitation. As the local and regional business community has changed and diversified, so too has the University, responding to the varying needs of both traditional and emerging sectors.

Beyond the traditional routes to technology transfer, the University has recently opened Reading Enterprise Hub, a business incubation facility for knowledge based start-up companies. This centre aims to provide a regional focus for the Environmental Technologies & Services cluster which will be formed of business networks that are closely linked to the knowledge base of the University.

The University also hosts the largest Knowledge Transfer Partnerships Office (formerly TCS) in the country and houses 20 high-tech small enterprises in its Science and Technology Centre.

A dedicated Technology Transfer Team support and encourage academics seeking to engage in enterprise activities, whilst the Business Development Team provide a one-stop-shop for businesses seeking to access expertise, facilities, services and information. For more information please visit www.reading.ac.uk.

Royal Holloway, University of London
Royal Holloway, University of London, enjoys an international reputation for the highest quality teaching and research across the sciences, arts and humanities. Founded by the Victorian entrepreneur Thomas Holloway, the College was opened by Queen Victoria in 1886 since when it has continued to grow in size and status. Today, a combination of distinctive character, academic vision and membership of the University of London has established Royal Holloway among the top research-led university institutions in the country.

Following the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise, Royal Holloway is one of only ten university institutions whose departments all earned the top three ratings for research, with scores of 4,5 and 5*. Two-thirds of Royal Holloway's scholars and scientists are working in departments that have achieved the top scores of 5 or 5*, indicating research of international excellence.

University of Surrey
The University of Surrey, the lead partner in the new University Challenge Fund, is one of the UK's leading professional, scientific and technological universities with a world class research profile and a reputation for excellence in teaching and research. Ground-breaking research at the University is bringing direct benefit to all spheres of life - helping industry to maintain its competitive edge and creating improvements in the areas of health, medicine, space science, the environment, communications, defence and social policy.

The University's status has been strengthened considerably by the truly excellent outcomes of the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise, which places the University fifth in the sector for the quality of its research. Over the past year, the University has featured prominently in a wide range of performance indicator tables. It has also been described by the Times Higher Education Supplement as both 'the rising star of higher education' and 'head and shoulders above the rest' for the way in which it conducts the most efficient research of any UK university. The University of Surrey continues to top the graduate employment league tables at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. In addition to the campus on 150 hectares just outside Guildford, Surrey, the University also owns and runs the Surrey Research Park, which provides facilities for 80 companies employing 2,500 staff.

Research and Enterprise Support is the University of Surrey's business interface. Its role is to assist in supporting and developing business in the region served by the University, largely through the provision of skills training and access to the University's research expertise and facilities. For further information on Research and Enterprise Support please go to www.surrey.ac.uk/RES

University of Sussex
The University of Sussex is a leading research institution with strengths across a broad range of disciplines. Many of its faculty are academics of world renown, working at the cutting edge of their disciplines, and include two Nobel Laureates and 13 Fellows of the Royal Society.

The 2001 National Research Assessment Exercise confirmed the University's status as a leading research university, with every one of its subject areas judged to produce research of national and international excellence.

The quality of research at Sussex is also reflected in the high level of funding it attracts from industry, the research councils, foundations, government agencies, the European Union and other international bodies.

The Sussex Innovation Centre, which opened on the University's campus in 1996 to provide support for the creation and growth of technology- and knowledge-based companies in Sussex, is currently providing support to over 60 high-potential new businesses. These include IT companies, with biosciences, engineering, design and electronics businesses.

The University recently set up Sussex IP, a company based in the Sussex Innovation Centre that works with academics at the University of Sussex to commercialise its intellectual property by forming new companies and licensing technologies internationally.