Research environment

Our interdisciplinary approach

We have established an environment that allows interdisciplinary research to flourish, creating fresh ideas and approaches to problem solving.

We conduct interdisciplinary and impact-orientated research to address challenges at regional, national and global levels.

To achieve this our research is user-led and solutions focused. It is delivered through our ability to bring together disciplinary excellence in interdisciplinary teams and explore complex issues in ways that combine fundamental research and applied knowledge.

The University’s investment in the growth of major interdisciplinary platforms yields a number of benefits including: new research and innovation funding awards, new Centres for Doctoral Training, further collaborations with industry who directly invest in the work of the centres and new collaborations with other partners such as those in the public, civic and voluntary sectors.

Investment in research

The University is successful in attracting prestigious research funding – we rank second in the UK for the number of Newton and Global Challenge and Research Fund (GCRF) awards and third for the value of these awards. In addition, we are in in the top ten for UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funding. This enables us to support a broad and deep research base that delivers excellent and transformational, fundamental and applied research.

The cornerstone of our approach is significant investment in our people, in our facilities and in partnering with the very best research institutes. Over the past five years we have invested over £100 million in researchers at all levels, and a further £520 million in campus developments.

We are committed to attracting and nurturing the very best academics. Our ‘great minds’ and ‘top performers’ programmes are successful in recruiting and developing both future and current research leaders. We are active partners with the prestigious national institutes, including the Alan Turing Institute, the Henry Royce Institute and the Rosalind Franklin Institute in order to deliver collaborative research in areas where we have nationally-leading expertise.