The University of Cumbria has joined a new national partnership to help strengthen the UK’s defence capabilities.
The university was announced today as a founding member of the Defence Universities Alliance, with its Barrow campus set to play a key role.
The alliance is made up of 35 universities from across the UK and will work with the Government, industry and the armed forces.
It is part of a £182 million investment to grow defence-related skills across the country.
The university said the alliance would help address defence and national security challenges and create a network of defence research expertise.
It added that the project would reorientate academia towards defence and national security, while bringing universities into the defence industrial base.
Barrow is home to one of the country’s most significant defence manufacturing hubs.
Last year, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer described the town as a ‘blueprint’ for how defence spending could drive economic growth and opportunity across the country.
The university’s membership of the alliance builds on its recent success in securing an almost £4 million Defence Strategic Priorities Grant from the Ministry of Defence.
The grant will expand engineering, robotics and computer science education, create 277 new student places, and enhance specialist facilities.
The university is also taking part in the £23 million STAND-UP programme, which will train more than 80 engineering doctoral students at the Barrow campus.
It said it was also leading the Barrow Future Force ecosystem to connect learners directly with industry.
The initiative would provide students with access to mentoring, real-world projects and site-based learning experiences.
Prof Julie Mennell DL, Vice Chancellor of the University of Cumbria, said: “Membership of the Defence Universities Alliance is an important milestone in the University of Cumbria’s purposeful journey to align our education, research and skills provision with the sectors that are critical to Cumbria and increasingly important to the UK’s national security and resilience.
“Over many years, colleagues across the university have worked in partnership with Defence Medical Services, the armed forces community, industry and public sector partners to develop talent, leadership and innovation that deliver impact locally, regionally and nationally.
“More recently, the £13 million Town Deal investment in Barrow and the £4 million support secured through the Defence Strategic Priorities Grant have strengthened our ability to help meet the nation’s future workforce needs.
“By working with partners across Team Barrow, we are helping to establish Barrow as a university town and a nationally significant centre for defence, skills and opportunity.
“The Defence Universities Alliance creates the ability to deepen collaboration between universities, the Government, industry and defence partners.
“By sharing expertise, advancing research and developing the next generation of talent, we can make an even greater contribution to the UK’s defence capability while ensuring that the benefits of investment are felt in our communities, our economy and across the country.”
The alliance was announced by Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry Luke Pollard MP at the University of Manchester.
Founding members of the alliance, which were chosen from almost 100 applicants, will sign a charter committing to help grow defence research and promote careers in defence.
