ResearchResearch culture & environment

Strathclyde is committed to creating and sustaining a supportive research and innovation environment.  We aim to drive cultural change and impact through stimulating collaboration with internal and external partners, and promoting equality, diversity and inclusion across the Strathclyde community. Further information on Strathclyde’s Research Environment is provided below.

Current Strathclyde staff can learn more about our ongoing activities to support our research environment on the RKES Portal (internal link only).

Supporting & developing academic professional staff

Strathclyde has developed a number of activities and initiatives that are focused on supporting and developing our staff and students, including:

Research governance, integrity & ethics

Strathclyde is committed to delivering world-leading research in accordance with the highest standards of research excellence and integrity. This is supported via clear policies, guidance and training, which can be accessed via the links below.

Facilities & Equipment

To be at the cutting edge of research requires an array of state-of-the-art equipment. Conveniently based in Glasgow city centre, Strathclyde has extensive analysis facilities which, when not in use for our own research purposes, can be hired by businesses as an economical way to further development of new products and services.

As a university keen to collaborate with industry, we also have a number of staff dedicated to assisting you explore collaboration opportunities and access to facilities, as well as potential funding streams.

Research Excellence Framework

The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is the current assessment of research quality in UK Higher Education Institutions. In the latest REF exercise, almost 90% of research produced by the University of Strathclyde was rated ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally-excellent’. In a reflection of Strathclyde as ‘the place of useful learning’, the University’s impact and research environment has been recognised as particularly strong.

Partnerships & Enterprise

Working with entrepreneurs, academics and external business partners, our aim is to support the formation and growth of commercial opportunities and to facilitate new partnerships between these communities.

Knowledge Exchange & Impact

Knowledge Exchange at Strathclyde encompasses a wide range of activity bringing together academic staff, external partners and communities to benefit from our combined research and expertise.

We strive to produce excellent research that has benefits to society through economic, social, environmental, and political impact, and support many aspects of the research environment to enable and promote the creation of that impact.

Collaborative Research Cultures

As a socially progressive university, we seek to recognise and value everyone in our research communities involved in delivering, leading and enabling innovative, impactful and rigorous research. This includes our partners in industry and the public and third sector; our academic staff; our staff working in research, teaching, technical expertise, knowledge exchange, administrative and professional services; and our doctoral students. 

“Cultures of Collaborative Research in a Socially Progressive Technological University” is a 2-year Wellcome funded project to enhance collaborative research culture. This represents close to £1M of investment in Strathclyde from the Wellcome Trust as part of a sector wide initiative.

Wellcome Trust Sustainability Concordat

The University is a proud signatory of the Wellcome Trust’s cross-sector concordat for the environmental sustainability of research and practice.

The concordat aims to ensure that the UK research sector supports the Government’s 2050 Net Zero target, and continues to develop more environmentally responsible practices whilst working to tackle one of the most complex challenges of our time: climate change. The Concordat aligns with the University’s own social and environmental sustainability ambitions.

 

Principal & Vice Chancellor of the University of Strathclyde, Professor Sir Jim McDonald wrote the following in his letter of commitment to the priorities of the Concordat: 

I, Professor Sir Jim McDonald, Principal & Vice Chancellor on behalf of the University of Strathclyde, confirm our commitment to the priority areas outlined in the Concordat for the Environmental Sustainability of Research and Innovation Practice.

University of Strathclyde fully supports the priority areas outlined in the concordat. We will deliver against all the priorities in practice and recognise our responsibilities as a signatory, as set out in the concordat.

By signing this concordat, we recognise the need to change how we conduct research and innovation as well as promote wider solutions. We also agree to take shared action now and into the future to reduce and eliminate our own environmental impacts and emissions and achieve the transition to sustainable practices.

The University carries out research and innovation across a spectrum of areas that includes sustainability in the curriculum under the auspices of its University-wide Centre for Sustainable Development, which itself works alongside our operational sustainability team in the University Sustainability Strategic Steering Group to drive and advise the University Executive on all matters related to our sustainability commitments.

Our infrastructure strategy already reflects the commitments in the concordat in terms of standards for new build, a prioritisation of refurbishment of existing buildings and a commitment to sustainable labs. Our sustainable procurement policy applies across all areas of the University. We have a policy for reducing emissions from business and academic travel and will keep this under review. We have committed resources and have procedures in place to reduce waste and minimise the environmental impact of our operations including our research and innovation activities.

Through our academic and business collaborations and partnerships we strive to lower carbon emissions and are strategically investing in research and innovation in this area as well as actively contributing to policy with Scotland and the UK. Finally, we can confirm that we commit to publishing our data as set out in the concordat.