Cardiff to improve research capabilities for students

Cardiff hopes to boost it’s research capabilities in a new collaboration with three of the South West of England’s leading research-intensive universities. Vice-Chancellor, Professor Colin Riordan hopes this new link will help to create a ‘critical mass of knowledge’ in an aim to ‘compete for more research income.’

Known as GW4 (Great Western Four) and named after the main railway line which links the four partners together, the collaboration brings together Cardiff with the universities of Bath, Bristol and Exeter.

The universities will seek to work across all academic activity opening up more opportunities to collaborate in common areas of research and research infrastructure, resources and funding, joint capital investment, doctoral training and joint staff appointments.

Vice-Chancellor, Professor Colin Riordan said: “We want to enhance Cardiff’s world-leading research and reputation by creating a critical mass of research excellence with other UK universities. In a competitive higher education sector we need to find new ways for Wales to compete for research income.

“Working in collaboration with fellow Russell Group and research-intensive Universities will help us to succeed in research and tackle some of society’s biggest research challenges.

“Critical mass is the key to success and the combined research excellence of Bath, Bristol and Exeter will give Cardiff – and Wales – a new and competitive edge that will place us at the forefront not only in the UK, but internationally.”

It is hoped that this new relationship will improve the student experience at Cardiff. Aiming to strengthen the quality of teaching, particularly for PhD students.