This paper draws on an Economic and Social Research Council-funded project that explored the role of UK universities in regional processes of social and cultural transformation. The Higher Education and Regional Transformation (HEART) project explored the effects that universities have on the social and cultural lives of their local and regional communities using four case study universities. In particular it focused on socially disadvantaged and excluded groups, typically those segments of the population living in the most deprived areas and those belonging to lower socio-economic groups. It builds on previous research – specifically Brennan et al (2006) and Duke et al (2006). The paper first sets the context against which the project was developed. It discusses the project's method and operational concepts, one of which – embeddedness – is illustrated using one of the case study universities, Teesside University. It then concludes with some of the findings that have emerged from the analysis of the four case studies that formed the basis of the research.
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