The northern research partnership involving eight of the region's universities - called N8 - has appointed DR DAVID SECHER as its first chief executive.
The N8 group comprises the universities of Durham, Lancaster, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield and York.
The universities have a total turnover of £1.75bn and a combined research income of £620m and represent the most research-intensive universities in the North of England.
The initiative is part of the Northern Way project, launched by the Deputy Prime Minister and aimed at overcoming the inequalities between the North and South of England. If the North operated at the same level of productivity as the South, it is estimated the UK economy would benefit by £29bn.
Dr Secher is currently director of research services at the University of Cambridge and a former director of drug development for the Cancer Research Campaign.
He will develop partnerships between the universities to boost research across the North.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article