A strategic alliance including the nine universities in the Yorkshire and Humber region has been launched in collaboration with Yorkshire Forward, the regional development agency.
The universities contribute about £2 billion to the region's economy in their roles as employers, employment generators, importers of students and creators of knowledge and skills.
The alliance will cooperate to increase business start-ups, particularly through spinoffs, and to attract inward investment by matching potential investors' needs to universities' research and technology strengths.