Brighton University contributes close to £700 million a year to the economy and supports more than 7,000 jobs, according to a new report.
The figures show a substantial growth from 2008-09 when the university’s economic impact was last measured.
The value to the economy has risen more the £100 million and the number of jobs supported by the university has grown by 1,000.
The research, commissioned by the university, was carried out by independent consultants specialising in the economic impact of higher education.
Julian Crampton, the university’s vice-chancellor, said: “The findings confirm the university as one of the biggest employers in the region and highlight its importance to the local economy.
“In these economically challenging times it is crucial to show how important the University of Brighton is, locally, regionally and nationally.
“Student spending alone is significant and we are seeing a growing number of international students coming here, while the number of visitors attracted to the city because of the student population is also increasing.
“All this has a positive impact on local businesses and services.”
Professor Crampton added: “We have exciting plans for the future, including a £150 million redevelopment of the former Preston Barracks site in Brighton and a £10 million student accommodation building in Hastings.
“As with all of our projects, we work closely with local authorities, businesses and local organisations.
“This ensures that our growth is compatible with the aims and needs of the communities and any growth in student numbers is more than compensated by the additional student residences we propose to build.”
Researchers studied the academic year 2012-13 when the university attracted more than 21,334 students.
Of those, 10,881 came from the South East, 7,453 from other parts of Britain and 3,000 of them from abroad.
University and student spending was strongest in its campus centres.
The university’s and its students’ expenditures generated £27 million of output and more than 280 full-time equivalent jobs in Hastings, nearly 1 per cent of all jobs in Hastings.
In Eastbourne the figures were £96 million and 1,060 jobs or 2.8 per cent of jobs.
And in Brighton and Hove they generated £483 million of output and more than 4,900 jobs, equivalent to nearly 4 per cent of all employees.
Overall, the university and students’ expenditure generated 7,085 jobs and £698 million of output in the south east region.
Besides direct expenditure for goods and services, the university’s activities create a knock-on effect in the economy, with suppliers making purchases to supply the university and employees spending their salaries on housing and living, eg, food and clothing.
The independent consultants calculated that every £1 million of university revenue generated a secondary output of £1.15 million in the region and a further £180,000 in the rest of the country.
Nearly half of jobs generated were direct university positions, with 46 per cent in the region and 5 per cent in the rest of the country.
Academics, including lecturers and researchers, accounted for the largest proportion of university jobs but there was a wide variety of other posts. These included administrators, skilled trades’ workers and managers.
Indirect jobs supported were mainly in manufacturing, wholesale, retail business, hotels and construction.
The consultants said: “The study shows the university to be of significant economic importance, bringing immediate benefits to its host communities in Brighton and Hove, Eastbourne and in Hastings, as well as to the south east region more generally in terms of output generated, jobs created and its contribution to regional gross value added.”
This is brilliant! They consultants appear to have proved that Brighton University is a magic money machine, defying the laws of thermodynamics and everything.
Clearly, all we have to do is keep pouring money into it, and for every pound in, we get £1.15 back. That’s SCIENCE FACT!!
NEXT WEEK: Magic porridge pot discovered on Falmer Campus.
They didn’t mention anything to do with the impact Students have on Accommodation and and the costs involved in clearing up after them.
Well of course not, Rolivan – that’s why they’re such highly paid “independent consultants”. It takes true skill and genius to craft your report like that and make sure it ignores any such blindingly obvious factors.