Cranfield University among founding members of Defence Universities Alliance
Cranfield University has been announced as one of the founding members of the Defence Universities Alliance.
The alliance consists of a network of 35 universities that will partner with the Ministry of Defence to bring together academia and the Armed Forces.
The universities were chosen from 100 applicants, with the partnership designed to strengthen research, develop skills and build the workforce required to support the UK’s future defence capability.
Universities in the alliance are set to support graduates into careers including cybersecurity, robotics, artificial intelligence, aerospace engineering and advanced manufacturing.
Since 1984, Cranfield University has been the Ministry of Defence’s main academic partner at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom, based at Shrivenham.
Professor Dame Karen Holford, chief executive and vice-chancellor of Cranfield University said: “Cranfield has a deep understanding of the entire defence ecosystem and has decades of experience in providing world-class education for the defence and security community.
“Our embedded culture of research security has been evidenced by the leadership roles we take throughout the sector, and our capabilities, facilities and impact in defence and security are unmatched by any other higher education institution in the UK.
“We welcome the opportunity to contribute further to Government and industry with the Defence Universities Alliance.”
The alliance was launched by Defence Minister Luke Pollard MP during an event at the University of Manchester on July 13.
Mr Pollard MP said: “The Defence Universities Alliance will create meaningful connections between students, academia and defence, boosting research, skills and defence expertise across the UK to strengthen industry.
“In this new era of threat our £182 million defence skills package is helping to create opportunities for students, apprentices and young people, making sure our historic £298 billion defence investment is an engine for growth across the UK, and building on the more than 272,000 industry jobs supported by Ministry of Defence spending.”
The universities joining Cranfield in the alliance are Durham, Newcastle, Northumbria, Lancaster, the Universities of Cumbria, Lancashire, Liverpool, Manchester, Huddersfield, Sheffield, York, Lincoln, Nottingham, Birmingham, Warwick, Oxford, Portsmouth, Surrey, Bath, Bristol, Exeter, Plymouth, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Strathclyde, Loughborough University, Aston University, Cardiff University, Swansea University, King’s College London, Kingston University, Queen Mary University of London, University College London and Queens University Belfast.