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Research Strategy

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Our vision for 2025 is to be a University that undertakes innovative research that has wide- ranging and significant impact on the lives of local, national, and international communities. We want our research to make a positive difference and create social value.

Research excellence framework tableClick to enlarge image

Our Values

Equality and Inclusion

We will embrace and celebrate difference, respect and support each other, and act with integrity to benefit society and the environment by transforming and enriching lives. Equality, diversity and inclusion strengthen our University and will be at the heart of our research activities.

Training and Support

We will support all our research staff and students in achieving our core goals as outlined in this plan. We will help our staff by identifying and accessing the most appropriate funding, academic mentorship and training opportunities to support their career development and progression. We will fulfil the requirement of Concordat for Researchers and look to enhance our Researcher Development Programme and Research Support services. We are committed to providing the necessary tools and systems to maximise the potential reach and impact of our research.

Ethics and Integrity

We will maintain the highest standards of rigour and integrity in all aspects of research and have appropriate policies, systems and procedures in place to ensure compliance with the Concordat to support research integrity.

Health and well-being

We will develop a researcher health and well-being strategy for all research career stages and further integrate wellbeing and mental health support into researcher development. We will also monitor researcher health and well-being and evaluate progress. We will create a safe working environment for staff to explore, grow and develop in research ensuring all staff are able to be fully supported and have access to health and well-being resources across the University.

Our Priorities for 2025

1. Research Quality

We aim to produce research in our Faculties and Research Institutes of the highest quality that has the potential to be world leading and world changing.

2. Equality and Inclusion

We will aim wherever possible to use our research and our research practices to advance issues of equality, inclusion, and social mobility.

3. Income Growth

We will grow and diversify our research income portfolio to increase external grant and contract income and to achieve financial sustainability for research activities.

4. Internationalisation

We will build on our existing approach of engaging in research with a strong social purpose which has real world/global impact.

5. Collaboration and Knowledge Exchange

We will aim to build strong links at institutional and individual researcher level with other academics, both internal and external, and nurture sustainable partnerships beyond academia with industrial, corporate, cultural, civic, public and third sector partners

6. Innovation

We will undertake creative and innovative research to develop new ideas, new ways of looking at things, and new methods or products that have value.

7. Impact

We will work to ensure that our research has impact beyond academia by engaging with and influencing people and organisations to affect policy and practice. We will ensure that our impact contributes to the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals.

8. Postgraduates

We will continue to be recognised as a centre of excellence for the development and support of postgraduate students.

9. An open and responsible research environment

We will develop our research environment to support Open Research and a Responsible Research Framework for how we organise, resource, conduct and share our research to meet the highest standards of research conduct and integrity; environmental sustainability; equality, diversity and inclusion; and positive economic and social impact.

10. Support the career progression of research-active staff

We will develop a centre for research support and funding that brings together the RIFS team and Research Support in LLS to develop an enhanced researcher development programme aimed at mid- career and senior researchers.