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Research and impact

Ground-breaking, world-shaping

The University of Liverpool is a place of discovery and creativity where researchers, increasingly working in multi-disciplinary teams and environments, make breakthroughs that enhance society’s ability to understand and address even the most complex of challenges.

We are committed to creating the optimal conditions for individual researchers and teams to succeed, including sector-leading development opportunities, a re-imagining of the Liverpool PhD, and increasing research income to a level that matches our aspirations. We will also establish a new multi-disciplinary centre for research that will be a focal point for identifying and supporting new and existing collaborations. And, to help ensure we keep pushing the boundaries, our new Research Frontiers will see the University inject additional support and investment into some of our most impactful and globally-significant research.

91%
of our research is considered world-leading or internationally excellent
19th
ranked in the world for our research power
24
research adjacent companies founded from our research in the last 6 years

Our objectives

A person working in a lab, wearing purple gloves and pouring an orange liquid from one beaker into another.

Support all those involved in research to flourish and excel – through a thriving and inclusive research culture, prioritised infrastructure and investment

We will:  

  • Deliver sector-leading support for the development of research talent at all career stages, as exemplified by our commitment to Prosper, The Concordat and wider initiatives for postgraduate researchers and mid-career researchers  
  • Enhance our research culture and our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion with new approaches to teamwork, our contributions framework and narrative statement that position us as sector leaders in these areas
  • Deliver our CREATE project, a five-year plan to increase grant income to at least the Russell Group median
  • Support knowledge exchange including public engagement through a range of pump priming grants to strengthen our impact, partnerships and research environment
  • Support a more entrepreneurial culture and establish a greater number of successful spin-out companies with increased investment in commercialisation, aided by external collaborations such as those with Northern Gritstone and LYVA Labs
  • Continue to invest in early career talent, including through the recruitment of Research Fellows, with diversity, cohort-building and leadership development embedded in the process 
  • Reimagine the Liverpool PhD to enhance the environment and experience for our postgraduate researchers, prepare them for a variety of careers, and attract a diverse and talented intake from across the world
  • Enhance research performance and partnerships through access to specialist facilities, including the Liverpool Shared Research Facilities (LIV-SRF) initiative.

Stimulate multi-disciplinary research at scale to address national and global challenges  

We will:

  • Establish a centre to support new ways of convening multi-disciplinary research. This will bring together all those involved in research to explore grand challenge areas that benefit from multi-disciplinary teams from our different faculties working together and creating opportunities for impact
  • Introduce a dedicated physical location for this centre as a focus for networking and collaborations
  • Review our institutional research themes to identify cross-faculty activities to be run through the new centre
  • Host visiting researchers specifically to drive international collaborations
  • Promote and enable new models of collaboration and team research. 

Develop our unique, world-leading research strengths, growing their number, scale, leadership capacity and impact

We will:

  • Continue to identify, develop and support areas of excellence through established and new research centres
  • Establish a small number of Research Frontiers to support clusters of academics working in fields where they are taking unique and world-leading approaches to addressing key research questions and global challenges, with the demonstrable critical mass or potential to grow at scale.

The research pillar of our Liverpool 2031 strategy will shape the way that we support and showcase our world-leading discoveries and global impacts, encourage interdisciplinary collaboration and attract talented researchers from around the world.

Professor Anthony Hollander, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research & Impact

How do we know we're making an impact?

We will substantially increase our research income to above the median of the Russell Group.