Building Global Engagements at the University of Nottingham

The University of Nottingham is widely recognized as a pioneer in the internationalization of research and teaching through the development of our overseas campuses in China and Malaysia, our membership of Universitas 21, and numerous specific partnerships with leading institutions across the world. Indeed, the Times described the University of Nottingham as "the closest the UK has to a truly global university".

We now wish to undertake a step change in the way that we approach global partnerships by establishing a new multilateral approach in which multiple research teams join up across multiple regions to tackle the most pressing global challenges.

We will drive this forward through a series of initiatives that develop global partnerships in three key priority themes across three geographic regions. Our three themes of Digital Economy, Energy and Quantum Technologies are all key priorities for the UK and are underpinned by critical mass funding at Nottingham, including large EPSRC portfolios. Our three regions of India, North America, and South Korea are strategically important for Nottingham, and have been chosen to strike a balance between building on established relationships with world-leading partners while also opening up important new opportunities.

We will fund a combination of catalyzing and integration activities. Ten catalyzing activities will deliver tailored programmes of visits and exchanges addressing specific areas of overlap with our chosen partners. These focused explorations will be integrated into a wider multilateral approach through theme-based roadtrips, high-level regional delegations, a final integrating workshop, and a reflective final report.

Our proposal will impact on knowledge in several key ways. We will grow key international collaborations to underpin future scientific advances over the coming years. We will also undertake activities to increase the impact of ongoing research at partners including the joint analysis of existing data and the integration of complementary techniques. From a broader institutional perspective, our proposal represents an opportunity to try out a distinctive new approach to stimulating multilateral research collaborations so as to tackle major global challenges, and our ultimate goal is to embed this into our culture and practice at Nottingham.

We will develop the skills of researchers at all levels of our organization, from PhD students to Pro-Vice Chancellors. PhD students will benefit through increased skills and international experience, which will also enhance their future employability. Early- and mid- career researchers will benefit from opportunities to collaborate with the best researchers world-wide in their fields, advancing their knowledge and giving them access to facilities that are not available at their home institutions. We include twelve senior research leaders who will benefit from a deeper understanding of how multilateral international activities can enable a step-change in research leadership.

In terms of impact on the economy, Nottingham's research across the three themes of Digital Economy, Energy and Quantum Technologies is deeply connected to industry partners who will also benefit from new opportunities for international collaboration. The Horizon Centre for Digital Economy Research is already working with a network of more than one hundred industry partners who engage in collaborative projects. Our Energy themed projects involve a wide spectrum of industrial partners from the power, chemical manufacturing and automotive industries. Similarly, Nottingham's quantum technologies research involves collaboration with many UK and EU companies.

Finally, our proposal will impact on our society. RCUK strategy recognises that "collaboration with overseas partners increases the impact of research and enhances the reputation of the UK as a preferred location for research and business investment." The overall purpose of our proposal is to stimulate such collaboration and so this will be an especially significant form of impact for us. Our chosen themes explicitly address key societal concerns, especially with regard to quality of life. The global challenge of sustainability is addressed head on by the Energy theme that focuses in sustainable energy technologies. The Digital Economy theme also addresses key quality of life issues through a focus on enhancing our essential digital infrastructure, both in everyday homes in developed economies as well as in rural communities in India. This aspect is also addressed by the rural bio-energy project.