In an increasingly competitive economy, one strategy consistently overlooked is collaboration with university students. Far from a purely educational exercise, these partnerships offer tangible commercial

Professor Bob Garratt. May 2026 IFD exists to bridge higher education students’ learning with the identification and resolution of live community issues. Currently much discussed,

It may seem odd to begin an article on Higher Education (HE) with English football, but the parallels are instructive.

With growing demands for more relevant and applied outcomes in higher education, there is an increasing need for closer collaboration, not only between universities, businesses, and communities, but also across faculties within institutions themselves.