AWE welcomes new Defence Universities Alliance
A new alliance of 35 UK universities will boost defence industry skills, new technologies and research, as part of a £182 million investment.
Launched by Defence Minister Luke Pollard MP at the University of Manchester on 13 July, the Defence Universities Alliance (DUA) will create a network of defence research expertise and drive a highly-skilled workforce across the UK.
Several of the universities selected as founding members of the DUA – Cranfield, Manchester, Surrey, Bristol and Strathclyde – are also AWE strategic alliance partners.
A collaboration between the Ministry of Defence (MOD) the UK Armed Forces, the Office of the Chief Scientific Advisor for National Security and the higher education sector, the long-term initiative will create a pipeline of skilled people into some of the most exciting career pathways from cyber security, robotics, AI, aero-space engineering and advanced manufacturing.
Luke Pollard MP, Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, said:
“As we prepare for warfighting readiness, working with universities, students and innovators boosts skills and help keep our country safe. 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. Universities play a key role in innovating and supporting defence, and the DUA helps marshal those efforts.
“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 MOD spending.”
Professor Tim Dafforn, Chief Scientific Advisor, Ministry of Defence, said:
“The Defence Universities Alliance represents a genuinely transformative step forward in how Defence partners with the UK’s world-leading academic sector. By bringing together our shared expertise, ambition and innovation, the Alliance will help us tackle some of the most complex challenges facing Defence at a strategic level.
“I am incredibly excited about the opportunities this creates. The DUA will fundamentally change the way Defence, universities and industry work together – strengthening our national security, creating strategic advantage and supporting growth to deliver better outcomes for the UK.”
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