‘Life in the periphery is more fun’

Twente is among the Netherlands’ poorer regions. Nonetheless it has the stability of the UT as an important flagship and employer. Marloes van Amerom chats with Dr Paul Benneworth from the Center for Higher Education Policy Studies on how universities can positively affect economic life in less developed regions – and conversely. You moved to Enschede from Newcastle in England's North-East, also a relatively poor city in an economically challenged region. Is it your personal preference to live in economically challenged regions? ‘Absolutely. Peripheral regions simply work better. They are not congested, and people are very friendly and there is a lot of space to embark on new things.’ But aren’t there also more problematic aspects to them? ‘Certainly. Geographically, peripheral regions are often also less economically developed with low education levels and high unemployment levels, mutually reinforcing trends. And when you are located in the sparsely-populated periphery, it is harder to gain the national government's attention. If the Dutch government spends money in, say, Amersfoort, it will ripple out across a much wider region that’s much closer to the Hague. This ripple effect gives politicians a sense that money is much better spent. This is not the case for Twente, which makes it harder to get investors and create a big university presence. If a university in London disappeared, it would barely be noticed; there is already economic activity, and there are many more universities. But in my hometown of Newcastle the closure of a university would leave a huge gap. The same holds true for Enschede.’ That's all very well, but universities across Europe are faced with governmental cut-backs. Should the hunt for alternative funding resources not outweigh regional cooperation as a priority? No. Universities operate in an increasingly competitive market place, competing globally to attract the most talented students and scientists. But regional policy-makers also want to attract these people. So there is a strong case for regions and universities to work together, creating innovative and attractive regional environments. This becomes more urgent during the economic crisis because if universities – or even critical courses close – then they are gone forever and the regional will lose out permanently. So in reality, regional governments may think it makes sense to subsidize activities that the central governments may overlook.’ So universities can benefit from being situated in an economically challenged region. On the other end, how do universities affect ‘their’ economically challenged regions, other than through university and students' expenditure? Universities can be big employers and help to create and anchor a high-tech labor market: if a local high-tech firm closes, some staff may find employment with the university, helping to prevent ‘brain drain.’ And having a university helps to encourage all firms to be more innovative, not just firms who are already good at innovation: universities contribute to the ‘innovative atmosphere of a place.’ What about spin-off companies? Do they have an effect on universities in peripheral regions? ‘Yes. Whether big and successful or small, spin-offs implement technological ideas into economically viable products. Having a large number of successful spin-offs is also a way regions can profile themselves. This is particularly the case for Twente: Twente can rightly be proud of its successes in creating spin-offs for over 25 years, something which is unique and unparalleled in Europe.’ How can the UT and Twente further optimize their cooperation? All Twente municipalities could exploit the presence of the UT, but need to be more targeted and canny in their requirements. The clearer their demands, the better the UT can deliver. Marloes van Amerom Dr Paul Benneworth: ‘Universities also affect a city culturally: students and university staff share similar consumptive patterns and constructive interaction among them often helps create cultural hubs. Take Enschede's recent GOGBOT festival, in which UT students and staff featured prominently.’ Photo: Arjan Reef.