One of the West of England’s most influential business and academic leaders, UWE vice-chancellor Professor Steve West, has said it is “critically important” the UK stays in the EU.
In an emphatic backing of the ‘remain’ campaign, Prof West said being in the European Union was vital not just for the future of the UK’s universities but for its regions, communities, business and trade. 
Prof West, who is also president of Business West – the region’s largest business group – and chair of the South West CBI, said: “As the vice-chancellor of UWE Bristol, I believe that it is vital that we remain in the EU.
“It is clear from the evidence that membership of the EU makes our outstanding British universities even stronger. This in turn benefits local communities and people by supporting the economy and helping to create jobs.
“The decision to stay or leave is a decision that will impact on generations to come. The world is a small place with significant challenges. My personal view is that we need to work more effectively across continents to create better understanding, greater opportunities for health, wealth and prosperity.”
Prof West’s comments are among the highest profile interventions in the EU debate in the region and in UK academia.
Last year he was ranked at number 45 in the 50 top movers and shakers in higher education in the UK and the 10th most influential vice chancellor.
Last month a survey among its members staged by Business West showed that more than twice as many want the UK to stay in the EU as leave.
The hotly anticipated results also showed 57% of business people said they will vote to remain part of the EU in the referendum on June 23, compared to 26% who say they will back the leave campaign.
Prof West said: “Now is not the time to increase uncertainty about our futures. Now is not the time to stall investment and disrupt global projects. This is about the futures of young people and how we respond will impact for many years to come. I want to open opportunities up not close them out. That is why I’m clear we should remain and continue to shape and influence Europe.
“Universities contribute £73bn to the UK economy annually. The EU plays a crucial role in supporting this. Our membership helps to attract students and the brightest and best teaching staff from across the EU. It also supports ground-breaking, collaborative research that leads to innovations and discoveries that boost our economy, create new jobs and improve people’s lives.
“EU students make an invaluable contribution not only to economic growth, but to the local community and to academic life. They also help to promote an international and outward-looking culture on campus and across Bristol and the rest of the region. And let’s not forget the benefits of UK students having easy access to study opportunities abroad. Every year more than 800 students from Bristol alone study or undertake a work placement in the EU.
“Some will argue that European students and staff will still come to the UK if we’re not in the EU. This is a risky assumption to make. Leaving the EU means putting up barriers to work and study making it more likely that many of the brightest and best people will choose to go elsewhere – strengthening our competitors and weakening British universities and the local economies they support. The UK currently derives enormous benefit from EU initiatives which enable researchers to spend time working in other countries. In one example of a scheme that encourages academic mobility – the Marie Skłodowska-Curie programme – the UK has received over 10% (€21m) of the total funding issued over the past two years.”
He said EU research and innovation funding also had a positive impact on Bristol and the rest of the region by supporting new jobs and helping to generate new ideas, products and services.
In the past seven years Bristol’s two universities had undertaken more than 300 EU grant-funded research projects, with a total value of more than £150mn.
“However, far more important than the money is the fact that by providing scale, access to established networks and programmes, EU membership helps UK and European universities to achieve more together than they could alone,” said Prof West.
“From regional development activities to health treatments to climate change policy, this leads to cutting-edge discoveries that benefit everybody.
“I firmly believe that UWE is stronger in Europe. This should matter to everyone in Bristol and across the West because universities support our future prosperity – driving the economy, creating jobs and enhancing our society.”
Prof West is also a Fellow of the Society of Chiropodists, Fellow of the College of Podiatric Medicine and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine.
