KESS Home
What is KESS?
KESS stands for Knowledge Economy Skills Scholarships. KESS is a major European Convergence programme led by Bangor University on behalf of the HE sector in Wales. Benefiting from European Social Funds (ESF), KESS supports collaborative research projects (Research Masters and PhD) with external partners based in the Convergence area of Wales (West Wales and the Valleys). KESS will run from 2009 until 2014 and will provide 400+ PhD and Masters places across the HE sector in Wales.
The key objectives of KESS are as follows:
- Increase the research capacity of SMEs by linking with a PhD / Masters project
- Encourage SMEs to undertake research and recruit researchers
- Prepare and train individuals to contribute to research as professionals
- Support the development of key technologies in the Convergence area*
- Promote Higher-level Skills Development
KESS is closely aligned to meeting the higher-level skills needs of the Welsh Assembly Governments’ priority economic sectors and will prioritise projects in these sectors:
- Digital Economy
- Low Carbon Economy
- Health and Bioscience
- Advanced Engineering and Manufacturing
KESS, sits alongside the other collaborative ESF Convergence HE projects, Access to Masters, ) Work Based Learning and Foundation Degree to provide 'demand responsive’ accredited provision for key growth sectors in the economy. The KESS project is unique in Europe in the way it uses ESF support to deliver collaborative research projects and higher-level skills training in partnership with employers.
*This project is part funded by the European Social Fund.
