South London’s leading universities and further education colleges have formed a bold new partnership to strengthen collaboration and boost opportunities for people and businesses across the sub-region.
Uniting under the banner of the South London Colleges and Universities Partnership – and underpinned by a Memorandum of Understanding – the agreement brings together 10 institutions in a coordinated partnership focused on skills, innovation and growth.
By aligning research, skills provision and employer engagement, the partners aim to help businesses find the expertise they need and residents move more easily from education into high-quality jobs.
The partnership will build on the excellent collaborative work already taking place across the sub-region between colleges, universities, industry, and wider partners and will work closely with the South London Partnership – the cross-party collaboration of the London Boroughs of Croydon, Kingston upon Thames, Merton, Richmond upon Thames and Sutton – to deliver the ambitions set out in BIG Ambition: South London Growth, a blueprint for accelerating South London’s economy, attracting investment, and supporting more people into well-paid, secure jobs.
South London is a £38 billion economy – home to 1.2 million residents, 55,000 businesses and 550,000 jobs – and the partnership is designed to match that scale of opportunity.
Priority sectors include health and life sciences, digital and creative industries, the visitor economy and green technologies – areas where the sub-region already has major strengths. From life sciences research linked to NHS and academic centres, to dynamic creative clusters and fast-growing low-carbon businesses, the partnership aims to connect these assets more effectively.
The partnership is also ground-breaking due to its focus on promoting collaboration between Further and Higher Education. By combining the partner Colleges’ strengths in technical and community-focused learning with the partner Universities’ expertise in advanced study and research, the partnership will widen participation, create opportunity, better meet local skills needs, lever investment, and support local employers to innovate and grow. By working together, the Colleges and Universities will ensure a more coherent system that delivers better opportunities for learners, better outcomes for businesses, and stronger and more sustainable outcomes and impact for South London.
In a joint statement, the Vice Chancellors, College Principals and Chief Executives of the ten institutions said: “Our Universities and Colleges are engines of innovation, growth, and learning, creating opportunity right across the region, and both enriching and being enriched by the economic, social and cultural life of South London’s diverse communities.”
“Each institution brings its own strengths, and together our global, national and regional networks give us the power to create real impact. By working as one, right alongside our partner South London Boroughs, we can amplify that impact for everyone who lives, works, studies and is vested in South London.”
Councillor Gareth Roberts, Chair of the South London Partnership and Leader of Richmond Council, welcomed the initiative:
“South London already has outstanding universities and colleges. This agreement brings them together with a clearer focus and a stronger shared voice.
“It means better coordination on skills, closer links with employers and a clearer o er to investors. Most importantly, it helps local people access the training that growing sectors demand – making it easier to turn talent into opportunity.”
The partnership builds on proven results. Since 2021, institutions have worked together through BIG South London, supporting over 1,000 businesses, creating more than 1,000 jobs, developing over 150 new products and services, and generating over £40m in additional economic value.
Deputy Mayor for Business Howard Dawber welcomed the partnership, highlighting the important role universities and colleges play in boosting productivity, supporting London’s long term competitiveness and delivering on the Mayor’s ambitions set out within the London Growth Plan.
"It’s great to see colleges and Universities work hand-in-hand to boost opportunity, investment and growth across South London. This supports our commitment to building a more integrated skills and employment system, as outlined in the Mayor’s Inclusive Talent Strategy, growing our economy whilst ensuring Londoners can access the career and training pathways they need.
“I am looking forward to working with South London Colleges and Universities Partnership on this exciting project, as we continue to build a fairer and more prosperous London for everyone."
A formal signing ceremony will take place later this year, marking the launch of the partnership and underlining a shared commitment to ensure South London’s tertiary education sector drives skills, opportunity and innovation across the capital’s south.
Notes to editors
South London Colleges and Universities Partnership
The partnership brings together the following institutions in a coordinated partnership focused on skills, innovation and growth – CITY. ST. GEORGE’S, UNIVERSITY OF LONDON; CROYDON COLLEGE; THE INSTITUTE OF CANCER RESEARCH, LONDON; HARROW, RICHMOND & UXBRIDGE COLLEGES; KINGSTON UNIVERSITY; LONDON SOUTH BANK UNIVERSITY GROUP; ST MARY’S UNIVERSITY, TWICKENHAM; SOUTH THAMES COLLEGES GROUP; UNIVERSITY OF ROEHAMPTON; and UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS LONDON
South London Partnership (SLP)
The South London Partnership is a cross-party collaboration of the London Boroughs of Croydon, Kingston upon Thames, Merton, Richmond upon Thames and Sutton.
The partnership provides a single sub-regional voice when engaging with government and the Mayor of London and works to secure investment and coordinate delivery across shared priorities.
BIG Ambition: South London Growth
BIG Ambition: South London Growth is the sub-region’s shared growth statement, published in 2025. It builds on the Mayor of London’s Growth Plan and sets out the case for greater devolution and locally led delivery across skills, innovation, infrastructure and employment.
BIG South London
BIG South London is the collaborative initiative through which South London’s universities and further education colleges have been working together with the SLP Boroughs and regional stakeholders since 2021 to support research, development and innovation across the sub-region.