Chris Henshall to lead York's innovation and enterprise
Posted on 20 September 2004
In his current job, Chris Henshall has delegated responsibility for the UK Science Budget, worth £3 billion a year and funding bodies such as the Research Councils, the Royal Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering. He has led work in the OST on projects such as Investing in Innovation and the 10 Year Framework for Science and Innovation, and worked closely with the North West Development Agency to develop science investment in north-west England. He also directed the project to set up the Diamond Synchrotron Joint Venture Company.
At York, he will represent and promote the University in local, national and international partnerships. University partnerships include the White Rose collaboration with Leeds and Sheffield universities, Higher York, and the Worldwide Universities Network. He will also work with the International Office to forge new relationships with universities overseas.
He will also work closely with Yorkshire Forward, industrial companies and business support agencies to promote the University's role in economic growth in the region.
Building research and business opportunities in conjunction with the University's Enterprise and Innovation Office will be another key focus of the job. The role of the Office is to create new businesses from University research, exploit the University's intellectual property, increase links with industry, and develop enterprising students and staff. The University has a track record in company spin-outs from its academic departments, many of which begin life in the specialist Innovation, Biocentre and IT Centre incubators on York Science Park.
The University has the potential to be a key player in a wide range of public and private sector initiatives.
Chris Henshall
Chris Henshall says: 'The University of York is known for its outstanding record in teaching and research, and it is also gaining a well-deserved reputation for innovation. I am looking forward to working with York's first-class academics to forge new relationships and develop existing ones. The University has the potential to be a key player in a wide range of public and private sector initiatives.'
'The Yorkshire region is a supportive environment for knowledge transfer and new companies. The recent Government report on business-industry collaboration, the Lambert Review, cited the University of York's partnership work as exemplary.
'The appointment of Chris Henshall as Pro-Vice-Chancellor is a tremendous boost to the University's work in contributing to the economy,' said Professor Brian Cantor, Vice-Chancellor of the University of York. 'His expert knowledge and enthusiasm for developing knowledge-based industry in Britain will be invaluable to us.'
Notes to editors:
- The Office of Science and Technology is part of the Department of Trade and Industry.
- Chris Henshall has worked previously in the research and development division of the Department of Health, where he managed the £500 million a year NHS and DOH research portfolio, at the Medical Research Council, the Health Promotion Research Trust and the Universities of Southampton, Warwick and Maryland.
- All UK universities engage with business and the community as a core activity in addition to their teaching and research. The new Enterprise and Innovation Office at the University of York ensures that the University fosters excellence in innovation and enterprise and has a positive impact on the regional and national economy. The University has created 14 new companies since 2000, with more in the pipeline. The University won £2.4 million from the Higher Education Innovation Fund in June this year, to create a new Innovation and Enterprise unit. At its core is a team of business development managers, each focused on an industry sector that maps on to the University's research strengths.
- The University has five pro-vice-chancellors who each lead a key strategic area of the University's work. These include research, teaching, innovation, projects, and staff and student affairs.