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Newcastle University seeks SMEs for postgraduate placement programme

Newcastle University is currently seeking 30 North East SMEs to take part in a subsidised placement programme later this year. The initiative supplies a masters or doctoral student to the SME to enable them to trade more successfully in the current economic climate, helping them to grow or develop their business.

The Postgraduates for Business Support Programme is looking for small to medium sized companies who have identified a problem which could be preventing the business from reaching their potential. A suitable Newcastle University masters or doctoral student could develop a solution to the issue through a subsidised placement lasting between 3-6 months. The student will be guided by a Newcastle University academic who will bring an extra layer of support to the project. Problems which could be addressed include – general high energy consumption, ageing product range, expensive production materials, existing products and processes which consume large amounts of energy, lack of business planning systems, or income diversification feasibility studies for renewable energy studies.

The two year ERDF funded project is expected to prevent the departure of highly skilled postgraduate students in science, technology, engineering and business from the region though the development of over 100 business support projects which will lead to the creation of over 30 new jobs for these students. The European funding allows the University to reimburse 50% of the employment costs of the student, thus making the salary an attractive £125 a week for a highly skilled postgraduate student.

The Postgraduates for Business team are working with a number of business support agencies in the North East to identify suitable companies. Several Tyne and Wear based organisations have already joined the programme, with the team currently establishing the needs of these businesses in order to enable business growth and possible job creation.

If you’d like more information about the programme, please contact Melanie Dunnett by emailing melanie.dunnett@ncl.ac.uk or phone 0191 222 5259 or visit the information page.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Newcastle University .