Channel 4’s successful fulfilment of its public service remit relies in no small part on its engagement with academic institutions. We recognise the significant benefits that collaboration with universities can play in developing and enhancing our impact on viewers, nurturing young talent, and innovating in our on and off-screen work.



At the heart of this activity – and in line with our remit – is the development of those with creative skills. Channel 4 has a long history of providing new opportunities for creative individuals regardless of background. Universities play a central role in allowing us to fulfil this commitment, with Channel 4 partnering with a number of higher education institutions on a range of its work placement schemes.



Our Scholarship Programme has allowed two individuals to work within our Audiences, Technology and Insight department for five years while working towards a PhD in statistics at University College London. Similarly, talented graduates on our Marketing and Communications Graduate scheme are able to work towards an MA in Creative Media Leadership – delivered by Bournemouth University through tailored Channel 4 modules – while also gaining hands-on experience within our organisation.



We want to ensure that we’re casting our net as wide as possible in developing this creative talent, which is why our award-winning 4Talent scheme partners with universities across the breadth of the UK to hold open days for 16-25 year olds to attend creative workshops and receive careers advice in relation to the media industry. Encouraging social mobility remains central to this activity, with 4Talent actively working alongside universities outside of the traditional media ‘hubs’ to deliver these days, including, in the past year, with Liverpool Hope University, Teesside University, and Ravensbourne.



Channel 4’s collaborations with academic institutions are not just limited to talent development however. Our remit also requires us to demonstrate innovation and creativity – and in an era of continual technological developments, pioneering research conducted by a number of universities has allowed Channel 4 to keep ahead of the competition.



We are, for example, working closely with the Operations Research Team at Nottingham University to help us better understand how we can improve the efficiency of the scheduling of our TV advertisements. At Durham University, too, we have commissioned research with leading neuroscientist Dr Amanda Ellison to help highlight, through the use of eye tracking measures, how adverts on 4oD attract viewers’ attention more so than on YouTube. These academic insights are hugely valuable both for us – allowing us to maximise our revenue streams – and for viewers, who benefit from increasingly personalised services.



Our innovation off-screen is matched by our innovation on-screen, and here, too, universities continue to play a key role. From following archaeologists at the University of Leicester as they discover the remains of Richard III under a car park, to our collaboration with scientists at Brighton University on the behaviour of urban foxes for our multi-platform series Foxes Live, we also aim to provide a window into the work of academics across the UK and a source of support for their wider research.



Enabling innovation, nurturing talent, demonstrating creativity – all core to Channel 4’s remit and all enhanced through our collaboration with universities across the UK.