Universities join new UK ‘defence alliance’ to boost research

The inaugural members of a new UK “defence alliance” that aims to bring together academia and the armed forces have been named.

Defence minister Luke Pollard launched the initiative at the University of Manchester on 13 July, saying it will boost “research, skills and defence expertise across the UK to strengthen industry”.

The Defence Universities Alliance (DUA) will bring together the Ministry of Defence, the UK armed forces, the Office of the Chief Scientific Advisor for National Security and 35 higher education institutions to support research, deepen collaboration between universities and industry, and help develop graduates to enter careers in engineering, advanced manufacturing, cyber security, and artificial intelligence.

The announcement comes as part of the government’s £182 million defence skills package, and follows an £80 million investment in 2,500 student places across 24 universities and colleges.

The founding members of the DUA, chosen from almost 100 applicants, includes Durham and Loughborough universities, the universities of Lincoln, Nottingham and Oxford as well as UCL and Queen’s University Belfast.

It also includes King’s College London and Cranfield University, two institutions who recently announced they are merging.

Pollard, minister for defence readiness and industry, said the DUA will create “meaningful connections between students, academia and defence”. 

“Universities play a key role in innovating and supporting defence, and the DUA helps marshal those efforts,” he added.

Tim Dafforn, chief scientific advisor at the Ministry of Defence and professor of biotechnology at the University of Birmingham, said the announcement represents a “genuinely transformative step forward in how defence partners with the UK’s world-leading academic sector”. 

“By bringing together our shared expertise, ambition and innovation, the alliance will help us tackle some of the most complex challenges facing defence at a strategic level.”

Duncan Ivison, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Manchester, which has been selected for the alliance, said that by working more closely together, “we will better align with government and industry and create more opportunities for researchers and students, for the benefit of our region and the UK as a whole”.

juliette.rowsell@timeshighereducation.com