UK universities rank highly in scientific research and development, but success in R&D relies on international collaboration to solve the world’s big problems
UK prime minister Boris Johnson’s desire is to restore the country’s status as a “science superpower”, with academic research and development front and centre. But does the current state of R&D in UK universities match this status, and what is the role of global collaboration? Attendees at a round-table discussion, held by Times Higher Education in partnership with Huawei, reflected on scientific achievement as part of a “global village”.
“We’d be naive to think we were totally self-sufficient in any one part of science anymore,” said Marion Campbell, vice-principal of research at the University of Aberdeen. “The purpose of universities now is to address those large, intractable global problems, and the world itself is more interconnected.”
Simon Hettrick, deputy director of the Software Sustainability Institute at the University of Southampton, commented that software developers had long taken the view that collaboration could be “done from anywhere”. “Once you’ve opened that global view, there’s no going back because you’re building on layers of work,” he said.
With Overseas Development Assistance funding for universities significantly reduced, big business can provide a conduit for global research partnerships. Louise Bates, head of strategic partnerships at the University of Manchester, described how her institution operates an account management model so that corporate partners have a single point of contact with the university. “This pre-empts some of the research focuses they might want to explore and helps us get under the skin of what they need,” Bates said.
Michael Hill-King, collaboration director at Huawei UK, was mindful of the time and resources required to build up partnerships at this level. “Some of the smaller universities just don’t have the critical mass to justify having a team of specialists to understand the new governance requirements,” he explained. Luke Georghiou, deputy president and deputy vice-chancellor of the University of Manchester, noted that, even if a team is in place, there is a “need to get everyone engaged, to manage their own relationships” when forming these vital knowledge exchanges.
External scepticism that research will be used in ways that might hamper national security can stand in the way of open data and evidence-sharing. “Any ground-breaking research comes through collaboration, and any barriers that are put in place may mean you don’t build it,” said Muhammad Imran, professor of communication systems and dean of UESTC at the University of Glasgow. “This means individual academics can be scared to initiate risky collaborations, despite the fact there are philanthropic aspects to opening up your research.”
But Dave Robertson, head of the College of Science and Engineering and professor of applied logic at the University of Edinburgh, argued that partnerships were crucial. “Industry is the vehicle for getting these scientific results out into the world,” he said. “Cycles are so tight now between a discovery and the ability to get it out into the world in a meaningful way, you need to move fast.”
Finally, exchanges move more than one way. Robertson described a “benevolent cycle” where international research talent “comes into a university, goes out into the world and then comes back. The loop closes and that’s the synergy we’re looking for,” he added.
The panel:
- Louise Bates, head of strategic partnerships, University of Manchester
- Phil Baty, chief knowledge officer, Times Higher Education (chair)
- Marion Campbell, vice-principal of research, University of Aberdeen
- Luke Georghiou, deputy president and deputy vice-chancellor, University of Manchester
- Simon Hettrick, deputy director of the Software Sustainability Institute, University of Southampton
- Michael Hill-King, collaboration director, Huawei UK
- Muhammad Imran, professor of communication systems and dean of UESTC at the University of Glasgow
- Matthew Jackson, head of academic relations, Huawei UK
- Dave Robertson, head of the College of Science and Engineering and professor of applied logic, University of Edinburgh
Watch the round table on demand above or on the THE Connect YouTube channel.
Find out more about Huawei and higher education.
