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Research Strategy

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UON Research Vision

To be a research-based University that creates an impactful and inclusive research and knowledge exchange community striving for excellence in creating knowledge and, delivering on enterprise to tackle major societal challenges, locally, nationally, and globally.

Strategic Objectives for 2028

These objectives align with the wider UON strategy and underline our commitment to not only being answerable for the research and knowledge exchange that we undertake and the difference that it makes, but also for the way in which we engage with these activities: how we support colleagues in their career ambitions, how we acknowledge the many skills that contribute to a successful environment, and how we instil trust both in the outcomes of our research and knowledge exchange as well as our working culture. We will create an inclusive and diverse research and knowledge exchange environment and set clear expectations for research and knowledge exchange culture, enterprise activity, individual performance, and support systems. We would like to build a culture where excellence in research and knowledge exchange and excellence in education are valued equally and work to provide an exciting and transformative experience for staff and students alike.

  • Invest in creating a healthy, sustainable and supportive research, enterprise and innovation environment where diverse and dynamic people can flourish. (People)

    We aim to recruit more people committed to quality-led research, enterprise and knowledge exchange and support more staff to have significant responsibility in these areas. We will further develop our research environment to ensure all people interested in research, enterprise and knowledge exchange are trained, developed, supported and rewarded in the knowledge that they are undertaking their activities in a safe, responsible and transparent way.

  • Embed an open, responsible, rigorous, and sustainable quality-led research and innovation culture. (Quality)

    We aim to commit to an environment where UON research and knowledge exchange is as open as possible. Open research will help to improve public value, research integrity, re-use and innovation. It will also support collaboration within and across disciplines internally and with external partners and to ensure our research meets the highest standards. Nationally and internationally the research landscape is increasingly focused on good, responsible, safe and inclusive research and knowledge exchange.

  • Support and enhance collaborative public, community and business engagement in research and innovation that focuses on local, regional, national, and international priorities. (Place)

    Over the next five years we will commit to placing a stronger emphasis on engaging and collaborating with the public and our communities (public and private) through our research, enterprise and knowledge exchange activities. There will be a strong focus on inclusion and on local and regional connections and impact. We will utilise this focus to ensure that we bring local and regional and wider national and international priorities to the centre of knowledge exchange and knowledge transfer in the form of research and enterprise.

  • Increase and diversify our research income with a strategic alignment of research and enterprise initiatives to UKRI, wider funder priorities and external stakeholders. (Income)

    The University research will aim to be more aligned to wider societal challenges and government/UKRI priorities. This means a strategic focus on some key areas of research activity with investment and support. These key areas will have a strong multi-disciplinary research focus and to engage as a meaningful partner with the public and private sectors and deliver research with local to global societal impact.

  • Build operational excellence into our research and enterprise systems, processes, and support. (Environment)

    We aim to ensure our systems, services, information and processes that support academic and professional staff alongside external stakeholders and partners are purposeful, clear, efficient, enabling and add value in underpinning research and knowledge exchange ambitions for UON. This will encompass constant review, training, development and feedback to ensure quality outcomes.

  • Raise the profile of UON research and knowledge exchange activity. (Engagement)

    The previous objectives will all support raising the profile of research at UON, but we need to do more to ensure that UON successes are recognised and celebrated internally and externally. A communication strategy for research and knowledge exchange that targets both internal and external audiences and uses a range of media and supports a variety of events that showcase the research and knowledge exchange activity undertaken.