Research

Research strategy and policy

Our vision

As an anchor institution, and a driving force for prosperity, our success as a University has been built on an engaged approach to research and innovation.

With a reputation for social inclusion, we deliver research that makes a difference to individuals, organisations, and society. The majority of our research impact was assessed as world-leading or internationally excellent in the REF 2021.

Over the last five years we have refocused our research and innovation activities to ensure they address the socio-economic and environmental challenges faced by our region and beyond, and have invested in staff, facilities, equipment and infrastructure, improving the quality of the research environment.

Recovery, Regeneration, Renewal

Our Research and Innovation Strategy 2022-2027 will see us invest in and deliver research which makes a real difference to individuals, organisations and societies.

Key examples include our National Horizons Centre, a centre of excellence for bioscience and healthcare. In partnership with industry, we deliver life-changing research on disease discovery, treatment and drug development.

Our art in action approach, centred around the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art (MIMA), has generated discussion on urgent issues such as climate change, migration, inequality, and ageing.

And through international research partnerships we have improved post-harvest practices in Uganda, alleviated groundwater contamination in Brazil and empowered women writers in Pakistan.

Over the next five years, we will build on these foundations. Aligned to the UN's sustainable development goals, our research will contribute to improving health and wellbeing, reducing social inequality, advancing affordable and clean energies, and developing sustainable cities and communities.

By 2027, we will establish three areas of strategic focus:

In response to the challenges of reaching net zero and to support regional priorities around innovation and economic growth, we are building a Net Zero Industry Innovation Centre. This Centre will develop new technologies to deliver decarbonisation and sustainable energy solutions.

In collaboration with long standing partners in the healthcare system, we will support advancements in clinical practice through our Integrated Care Academy.

And through new collaborations forged with civic partners, policymakers and community leaders, we will enhance productivity and address social inequities through the Institute for Social Innovation.

These strategic initiatives will be supported by interdisciplinary networks and public engagement activities around three broad themes of net zero, health and well-being, and people and place.

To deliver the scale of our ambition, we have developed a research and innovation strategy that focuses on recovery, renewal, and regeneration. Over the next five years we will focus on five priorities. These are:

Enhancing our research capacity and capability by investing in leadership, staff, facilities, and equipment.
Partnering with stakeholders and communities to ensure our research meets local and global needs.
Fostering a responsible and inclusive research culture that ensures the highest academic standards.
Creating a vibrant research environment by providing time, space and resource for ideas, interdisciplinarity and networking.
Ensuring the sustainability of our research through investment in talent and increased research council, charitable and commercial income generation.

Through a regionally engaged approach that is of global relevance, we will support recovery, regeneration, and renewal in the region and beyond.