Research and innovation

We compete in the world league of humanities research with strengths in all aspects of social and cultural life.

Research and collaboration within each of our 10 Academic Schools directly inform policy and practice and are helping us to understand and shape the future.

Our research focuses on some of the longest-established fields of human academic endeavour, such as history, law and music, providing a continually-updated knowledge base for the professions, asking questions about the development of our societies, and examining pressing contemporary issues.

Experts have been called on to review the future of the digital industries by both the Welsh and UK Government, to inform the forthcoming Domestic Abuse (Wales) Bill, and to advise on minimum prices for alcohol.

Our research has, amongst others, informed the Home Office's Prevent counter-terrorism strategy, helped teenagers in Africa to talk for the first time about their experiences of living with HIV/AIDS, shaped the legal framework of Anglican churches, and has had a major influence on school food policy and practice in and beyond the UK.

Many of the our Academic Schools and Centres are recognised as authorities in their respective field, including the School of Journalism, Media and Culture, the School of Geography and Planning and the Wales Governance Centre.

We are commited to engaging the Welsh, national and international communities in our work. Our links with the local community have helped schoolchildren and residents in Caerau and Ely, South Wales reconnect with their history, while the Centre for Community Journalism is helping shape the future of local news.

Research themes

We pursue cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research across our Academic Schools, collaborating with researchers throughout the University and externally. We attract major research awards from funding councils and our academics are regularly commissioned to undertake major projects for organisations and industries in the UK and around the world.

We have strengths in all areas of culture, society, politics and the economy. These include themes such as:

• Digital economy
• Governance and devolution
• Language and linguistics
• Welsh culture and history
• Banking and finance