It has been said that York is too small a city to be the home of two universities.

Well, if anyone still thinks that, they had better think again, because that is going to be the situation - and soon!

The deputy principal of York St John University College, Professor David Maughan Brown, has told members of the York Professional Initiative (YPI) that he expects it to receive final approval of university status from the Privy Council within the next few months.

So York will have its second university, reflecting a period of exceptionally successful activity at the college over the past few years.

Colin Parkin, director of facilities at York St John, explained how, as part of a strategic development programme, the college is investing more than £45 million in its facilities and estate to support its future in York.

This includes the development on the corner of the campus at Lord Mayors Walk and Clarence Street, which will include state of the art learning facilities, and research and enterprise support services and resources.

Both the University of York and York St John University College are relatively small within the higher education sector. More importantly, they are very different institutions that provide complementary resources and capabilities with very few areas of direct competition.

They are part of the HigherYork initiative that links together Askham Bryan College, the University of York, York College, York St John University College and the City of York Council, so enabling the higher education providers in the city to work together to mutual benefit and to the benefit of businesses in the area.

Other small cities have shown that they can thrive in the presence of more than one university. Bath and Oxford are just two that spring readily to mind, and York might count itself fortunate to have such a broad range of capabilities across the higher education sector.

But what does all this mean for local business? This was where Professor Michael Troke, head of the research and enterprise office at York St John University College, emphasised the increasing commitment of higher education institutions (HEIs) to working effectively with businesses.

One of the main problems in the past has been the real or perceived difficulty of businesses accessing higher education expertise. That is set to change if the recently created Knowledge RICH (Regional Innovation Clearing House) initiative fulfils all the expectations of it.

The intention is to increase the market for HEIs in the region to engage with businesses; to work with businesses on R&D projects; to offer innovative solutions for business needs; and to improve access to the expertise and knowledge base residing in the universities in the region.

Professor Troke told the YPI: "Knowledge RICH is a one stop shop for businesses large and small to make good use of the world class expertise available in the universities in Yorkshire. This doesn't just mean York and North Yorkshire, although both the University of York and York St John University College are active partners in this initiative. It means companies can find partners from anywhere in the Yorkshire region."

Inquiries to Knowledge RICH go through a central point, either via the website (www.knowledgerich.com) or by phone (0845 833 6533). The inquiry is then sent out to all ten universities in Yorkshire and proposals are fed back to companies as to how help might be provided from the university best suited to assist with the particular question.

So York is indeed well provided for by its "higher" educational institutions: a top ten university; York St John University College, about to be awarded university status; a Further Education College, with significant higher education provision, currently being completely rebuilt; and Askham Bryan College with its focus on land-based industries.

Few cities can boast such assets which, through activities such as Knowledge RICH and YorkHigher, will increasingly contribute to business success in the knowledge-driven economy.

Updated: 09:51 Wednesday, May 10, 2006