A MASSIVELY accelerated drive to forge even closer links between the University of York and businesses in York and North Yorkshire is to begin in October.

It is fuelled by a £1.1 million government grant announced today to help the university to build up its Reach-out Development Team and shatter once and for all the perception that universities are remote, aloof and inaccessible, unable to interface their high-level science and technology with small local companies.

The grant, over four years, allows Sue Final, the university's research and industry officer, to add five people to her four-person team, better enabling her to identify and marry business problems with university solutions.

She calculates that this "quantum leap" in communications power will generate more than £3 million worth of benefit into business and the community "on a growing and sustainable basis" over the period.

Already her team has set up a company, owned by the university, academics and external investors to explore ways of usefully cleaning up pollution generated by regional companies.

Scampi shells left after processing by a Whitby Seafood company were found to be useful as filters to remove colour-stained streams from a dye-works in West Yorkshire.

The enlarged team will be set performance targets by the new business and external relations committee which reports to the university's policymakers chaired by Prof Tony Robards, the pro-vice chancellor.

Prof Robards said: "One component of what the Reachout Development Team will have to offer is the sort of technology that arises from a university which has an extremely good, high-level science base. There are small companies which want to tap into this technology whether it involves computer software, electronic support or bio-technology.

"The other area is training in higher level skills, not just in science and technology but also management specialities."

Ms Final said: "We will focus on teaching company schemes whereby a small company takes on a graduate with a relevant degree as an employee to address a detailed problem or help with detailed product development - a graduate who is supervised by an academic at the university."

Sue Final can be contacted at 01904 435102.

PICTURE: LEFT: Sue FInal: her team will get extra staff RIGHT: Prof Tony Robards: tapping in to technology