Collaboration drives research capacity in specialist sectors

As a sector and a society, we should celebrate the diversity of institutions that makes this possible. That diversity drives collaborations, which expand the range of research in specialist domains and affords access to research careers in professions and sectors that may not otherwise exist. 

In recent years, GuildHE has supported a number of universities, including Solent University, University for the Creative Arts, and St Mary’s University Twickenham, to achieve their own research degree awarding powers. We are now seeing these institutions support others in the sector to develop their research cultures, and drive forward strategies that expand the provision of research degrees in specialist domains. 

Expanding provision in allied health

Health Sciences University recently announced 11 new students enrolling on PhD programmes, with a mixture of institutionally funded studentships, externally funded research projects with the Chiropractic Research Council and the Royal College of Chiropractic, and self-funded provision. The PhD programme will extend professional practice in areas of allied health not delivered extensively by other higher education institutions. It will also provide those researchers with opportunities to apply their research to real-world situations. HSU works closely with the local NHS Trusts to deliver services and knowledge exchange projects, deploying specialist equipment such as walk-in MRI scanners to the benefit of local health-care provision.

HSU’s research degrees are delivered via an accreditation arrangement with Solent University, another member of our GuildHE community. Solent was awarded research degree awarding powers in 2017 and is now playing a vital role in diversifying access to research degrees in their region, and developing expertise of value, in this case to the local health professions. 

Sustaining the pipeline in dance research

The Place: London Contemporary Dance School has partnered with University of the Arts London to develop a new PhD Programme in contemporary dance and performance. The partnership will build a cohort of postgraduate research students in dance and related embodied practices within a cross-arts and interdisciplinary framework. 

Here the PhD cohort will also have the benefit of the close-to-profession nature of the host institution. PhD students at The Place will be able to draw on the expertise of the public programmes team at the institution which hosts the leading venue for contemporary dance in the UK and provides touring programmes globally.

Creative arts specialist University of the Arts London was formed in 2003, bringing together six art and design colleges. The UKADIA member plays an important role in supporting research degree programmes at a variety of specialist institutions, and now including The Place. This new initiative will strengthen research in dance, which has suffered a decline as a result of provision being reduced across the higher education sector, and is a discipline recognised to be under threat by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

Collaborating to provide local opportunities and support specialisms

Importantly, these initiatives are resulting from professions-oriented, practice-focussed, specialist institutions coming together to provide nimble solutions to address gaps in provision and opportunity. Such pathways represent a step change, both for the institutions expanding their community of researchers, and for the expertise developed in allied health care and creative arts. 

At a time of financial constraint for most universities, multi-faculty providers may not be as committed to such disciplines as they may be on the periphery of their provision; maintaining the health of those disciplines will potentially increasingly rely on more specialist institutions.

A diverse sector brings benefits to all

This expansion in postgraduate student cohorts goes beyond a good news story for the individuals in receipt of those places. It demonstrates a capacity to collaborate across higher education institutions to bring about new opportunities. Initiatives like these would simply not emerge without a diversity of institutions empowered to share their degree awarding powers with others. They are forged by innovative practice and dedicated investment by specialist institutions and professional associations who identify the benefits of engaging in research. 

Such pathways in research develop professions, whether by interrogating standards, expanding expertise, establishing new practice, or realising different applications for their skills and expertise. As these examples show, GuildHE members are at the forefront of maintaining diverse disciplines, providing access to research careers in them, and working together to achieve benefits for key sectors of the UK economy.