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.
