University Alliance hosts showcase event in parliament

Published on March 18, 2025

On 11 March 2025, University Alliance hosted a parliamentary event showcasing the role of UA’s leading professional and technical universities across four themes: opportunity, community and civic impact, innovation and growth and skills. The event, which was partly intended as an introduction to UA for new parliamentarians following the 2024 general election, was attended by MPs and peers from across the UK.

A number of resources and a new short film were shared at the event. These can be found below.

The event was sponsored by Ruth Jones, MP for Newport West and Islwyn, who gave a passionate speech about the transformational role the University of South Wales has had in her constituency. Other speakers included Skills Minister Jacqui Smith, Chair of the Science, Innovation and Technology Select Committee Chi Onwurah, UA Chair and Vice Chancellor of the University of Greenwich Professor Jane Harrington and UA students and alumni: Jake Milner from Teesside University and UA’s Doctoral Training Alliance, Naomi Spence from the University of Brighton and Andrei Feraru, a Coventry University graduate.

Exhibitors at the event included graduate start-ups, spinouts and SMEs who have been supported to grow by Alliance universities. These included:

Goggleminds: a tech start-up that have been supported by experts from the University of South Wales to develop new training technologies for healthcare professionals. USW graduates have been recruited to develop Goggleminds’ advancements in AI.
Feraru Dynamics: a Coventry University graduate start-up. Their innovative gloves are the first real-time proactive wearable technology to protect tool operators from developing Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome: a serious and lifelong form of repetitive strain industry. The Feraru brothers developed their pioneering technology with support from the university.
Mimu: a music technology company whose product is a result of research conducted at UWE Bristol. Born out of a collaboration between Grammy Award winning musician Imogen Heap and UWE Bristol academic Dr. Tom Mitchell, the Mimu gloves are now being used by musicians around the world, including artists such as Ariana Grande.

The event was kindly sponsored by Duolingo English Test, who gifted a Duo plushie to the guest with the longest streak.

To support parliamentarians build their understanding of professional and technical universities and the role of higher education more widely, UA shared a number of resources at the event, which are also available online here: