Enabling strategy on research with impact

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Recognising strength

The bedrock of Dundee’s global reputation for impact is the extraordinary strength of our research. We have the third highest proportion of research-related income of any UK university. 

We value basic, curiosity-driven research as a driver of discovery. These knowledge foundations allow us to develop new ideas and theories, and have supported us towards design-led innovations addressing global challenges in the fields of health, education, sustainability, and social justice. 

Today we are recognised as one of Europe’s most innovative universities, for our commitment to translational research and industry partnerships, especially in our highly intensive research areas of life sciences and medicine.

Strategic vision

We will be recognised as a world-leading university, and collaborative partner of choice, based on the excellence and transformative impact of our research.

We will build on our areas of strength, with a focus on health and wellbeing, sustainability and the just transition, human-centred technologies, and design and creativity. This work will be developed in line with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.

We will strengthen Dundee’s position as a knowledge-rich environment, organising interdisciplinary research to support cluster-based talent-development, innovation and dynamic entrepreneurship. Priority cluster opportunities include the Life Sciences Innovation District, Eden partnership, and the city’s cultural and creative industries.

Our aim is to champion national, regional and local benefits in terms of prosperity, jobs and wellbeing.

Supporting excellence

Investing to enhance performance and reputation

  • We will grow our research capability, and scale with focused investment and retention of top talent.
  • We will establish new leadership teams, aligned to our thematic priorities, and establish new interdisciplinary research institutes.
  • We will create an annual Strategic Research Fund to invest in the research base.
  • We will increase our number of research-active staff by 2027.
  • We will significantly grow our research income by 2027 by ensuring that all academic staff pursue external funding, against benchmarked targets, supported by a consolidated Research and Innovation Service.
  • We will diversify research funding sources, with emphasis on pursuing UK Research and Investment funding across all Schools and growing industry income.

A vibrant research culture

  • We will double the size of our postgraduate researcher (PGR) community by 2027.
  • We will promote a culture of open research, inclusive of open access publishing and fair open data, prioritising best practice in relation to researcher integrity and inclusivity.
  • We will enhance our digital research capabilities – including high performance computing, artificial intelligence, informatics, immersive realities, apps and games, simulations and programming.
  • We will promote a culture of shared endeavour across of academic and professional service teams.
  • We will ensure research excellence is harnessed to maximum benefit for student experience.

A broad spectrum of approaches

  • Along with our commitment to ‘research with impact’ we will continue to grow a vibrant curiosity-driven research-base in pursuit of new knowledge.
  • We will partner with Scottish Enterprise, to bring expertise to support the Life Sciences Innovation District as a pathfinder to regional economic development.
  • We will support staff to build reputation for translational research through policy engagement.
  • We will embed enterprise and innovation in all teaching and PGR programmes.
  • We will nurture commercial partnerships through research services, licensing deals, and new spinouts.

Widening engagement

  • We will extend our strategic partnerships in the region, across Scotland, the UK and internationally to attract major investment to ensure the sustainability of our research.
  • We will grow our international Joint Programmes and Institute in China delivering educationally excellent global programmes, maximising collaborative research opportunities, launching new national and international doctoral training programmes and growing our global footprint in new geographies consistent with our social purpose.
  • We will promote the University globally to celebrate, inspire and leverage academic reputation and will proactively improve standings in international reputational league tables.
  • We will build on our reputation as the first university in Scotland to achieve a Gold Watermark from the National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement.

Enabling strategies