Research and Partnerships Development

Research and Partnerships Development (RPD) works with the academic community, other professional services departments and external partners to increase the success of new research initiatives, partnerships and funding applications.

We collaborate with a range of regional, national and international partners to turn research challenges into real-world solutions. Our team works across all sectors, allowing the exchange of best practices and innovations.

Research and Partnerships Development (RPD), part of the Research, Partnerships and Innovation Directorate (RPI), works with the academic community, other professional services departments and external partners to increase the success of new research initiatives, partnerships and funding applications.

Our responsibilities range from identifying the right opportunities, to giving specialist support to funding applications and creating and maintaining collaborative relationships with all types of external partners. As a central team, we combine Faculty-facing teams with a matrix-approach to ensure we provide the right expertise for the project, and we add value particularly when projects cross Faculty-boundaries. This enables us to work in a tailored way with academics through the research application, knowledge exchange and impact phases of their work.

The services we offer include:

  • Building and managing strategic relationships with external partners
  • Research development for larger, more complex and strategically-significant research funding applications and fellowships
  • Developing strategic responses to changing research and partnership landscapes
  • Ongoing support for interdisciplinary research, including oversight of the University’s institutional research themes
  • Delivery and development of pump-priming schemes which aim to lead on to larger externally-funded initiatives
  • Funder relationship management
  • Coordination of institution Peer Review College, to support strategic funding opportunities, including demand management and mock interviews.

Key contacts

Research Development enquiries

Peer Review enquiries

Partnership Development enquiries

Further information for University staff can be found on Research and Partnerships Development intranet.

Further information for businesses looking to collaborate.

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