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Falmer House, University of Sussex

The University of Sussex has today (Thursday 26 June) announced that it is one of 10 leading research-focused universities that will form a new strategic partnership.

ResearchPlus is a new collaborative of research-focused universities, whose primary aim is to strengthen the UK’s research and innovation base to advance the common good. It will give a collective voice to universities that constitute a critical element of the UK’s research and innovation system, and that deliver vital research-informed education and advanced skills. 

Through strategic collaboration and proactive engagement, this new partnership will seek to support economic growth, prosperity, and societal wellbeing across the whole country, working with government, business, and civil society, and complementing rather than competing with other sector bodies.

The group’s manifesto can be read in a blog on the Higher Education Policy Institute’s website.

Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Sussex, Professor Sasha Roseneil, said: “ResearchPlus is an exciting new proposition that will bring universities renowned for excellence in research, teaching and positive societal impact together.

“We are diverse. Some partners are large highly research-intensive and broad-discipline universities, like Sussex, others are more specialised institutions with distinctive research capabilities. We are united by a commitment to collaborate for a common purpose – to drive economic growth, prosperity, and societal wellbeing for the benefit of the cities and regions in which we are located and for the wider world. 

“Many voices across government, the university sector, and more widely, have been calling for greater collaboration between institutions, and we believe the time is right for ResearchPlus.”

The foundations of most ResearchPlus universities were laid by successive government and industry initiatives to invest in economic growth and social development, through fundamental research, the advancement of technology and public services, and the expansion of educational opportunity and the provision of advanced skills.

ResearchPlus universities remain true to those missions and are essential partners for government, businesses, and communities in the expansion and re-imagining of universities’ contribution to the public good. They will play a vital role in delivering the ambitions of the Industrial Strategy across all eight high-growth sectors.

Welcoming the formation of ResearchPlus, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, and MP for Hove and Portslade, the Rt Hon Peter Kyle MP said:

“The UK is home to some of the best universities in the world, making ResearchPlus an exciting opportunity to bring that top talent together to solve challenges and unlock new innovations that improve lives across our country.

“By strengthening collaboration between universities, industry and government we can break down barriers to opportunity and work together to drive the economic growth that is central to the Government’s Plan for Change.”

Over the next few months, the ResearchPlus partners will develop a programme of collaborative work and policy engagement, with a formal parliamentary launch planned for the autumn. 

Launching with an initial 10 partners, the intention is for other leading universities to join the group over time.

The initial partners of ResearchPlus are:

• Brunel University of London
• City St George’s, University of London
• Keele University
• Royal Holloway, University of London
• SOAS, University of London
• The University of Essex
• The University of Hull
• The Open University
• The University of Sussex
• Ulster University

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