Cranfield University - Talking shop about hard times

A conference to bring university and industry heads together to discuss how they can help boost Britain's flagging economy is to be held at Cranfield University. The two-day conference, to take place this week, will examine how members of the Association of Universities in the East of England (AUEE) can help with the recovery of the regional economy. Les Ebdon, chair of the AUEE, said: "It's quite clear that this latest recession is more serious than experts had imagined, so we have changed the focus of our first conference to look at the vital role universities can play in getting this region on the road to recovery." Speakers will include Graham Leach, chief executive of the Institute of Directors.