SOAS joins new collaboration to give research universities a collective voice

SOAS University of London is among 10 leading research-focused universities forming a new strategic partnership. 

ResearchPlus 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.   

ResearchPlus has the primary aim of enhancing the strength of the UK’s research and innovation base. Through strategic collaboration and proactive engagement, this new partnership will seek to support economic growth, prosperity, and societal wellbeing across the whole of the UK, working with government, business, and civil society, and complementing rather than competing with other sector bodies.  

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 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.  

The UK is home to some of the best universities in the world, making ResearchPlus an exciting opportunity to bring that top talent together

Welcoming the formation of ResearchPlus, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, 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 collective and collaborative work and engagement, with a formal parliamentary launch planned for the autumn.  ResearchPlus Vice-Chancellors set out their manifesto in a blog published by the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) [insert embedded link].    

The initial ResearchPlus partners 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