Cardiff’s collaborative research funding rise biggest in UK
27 April 2017
Cardiff University has grown its collaborative research funding by £13.3m - the largest increase in the UK.
The major rise has been complemented by an increase in Intellectual Property (IP) income, strengthening Cardiff’s reputation as a great place to do business.
The University ranked 2nd in the Russell Group for IP income – accounting for 98% of IP income among Welsh HEIs, according to data from the Higher Education-Business and Community Interaction (HE-BCI) Survey.
The release of an investment in IP Group plc helped the University to significantly increase its IP revenue.
Professor Colin Riordan, Vice-Chancellor of Cardiff University, said: “Our continued investment in the Cardiff Innovation System, and our relentless pursuit of research excellence, continue to produce outstanding results.
“Our system brings the world’s best researchers together to forge partnerships that create growth..."
"It is an exceptional achievement to rank second only to Cambridge for IP income among the Russell Group of the UK’s 24 research-intensive, world-class universities.”
The latest HE-BCI data show 22 out of 27 patents granted to Welsh universities in 2015-16 went to Cardiff – more than 80% of the total.
The University also produced more than half of new patent applications (56.6%) filed by the eight Welsh Higher Education Institutions in 2015-16.
Major initiatives in neuroscience and brain imaging helped the University boost its collaborative research income by 70%.
Professor Hywel Thomas, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Research, Innovation and Engagement, said: "Cardiff's collaborative research income has seen an upward trend after a period of focused investment, capacity building in key areas of research. The investment strategy has focused on creating and sustaining University Research Institutes in areas such as Energy Systems..."
"We have also co-invested with the Funding Councils and industry partners to grow research areas, recognising their importance in driving Britain's economic growth post-Brexit."
The rise in Cardiff’s collaborative research funding is featured in this week’s Times Higher Education.
Cardiff is a top 5 UK university for the quality and impact of its research, according to the 2014 Research Excellence Framework.
