Friday, 17 December 2021
Academics in the UK and Australia are joining forces as part of a major new international partnership that will see them collaborating on solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges including global food security, climate change and health.
The new agreement between the University of Nottingham and the University of Adelaide, signed this week, will bridge the 10,000 mile divide between the two institutions and remove many of the traditional barriers to collaboration, paving the way for the two to work together seamlessly on projects across their shared areas of research.
It will expand on an existing partnership over the past six years which has offered students from all over the world the opportunity to study on a joint PhD programme, with time spent at both Nottingham and Adelaide, leading to a degree awarded by the two international research-intensive universities.
The signing ceremony on Wednesday 15 December was attended in Adelaide by a delegation from The University of Nottingham, as well as representatives from the British High Commission including Lord Ian Botham OBE, UK Trade Envoy to Australia, and Stephen Lysaght, Consul-General.
Global impact
Professor Robert Mokaya, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Global Engagement) of the University of Nottingham said: “I am delighted to renew our long-standing strategic partnership with Adelaide and formally establish the Adelaide-Nottingham Alliance, a truly unique relationship for Nottingham and one which I firmly believe will enable both universities to innovate, lead and make a global impact in higher education."
International collaboration is essential to our teaching and research, and the Adelaide-Nottingham Alliance provides a unique platform for our students to develop a global mindset and for our researchers to solve problems and improve lives locally, nationally, and internationally.
Speaking from the UK, University of Nottingham Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Shearer West noted the strategic nature of the partnership. She added: “The Adelaide-Nottingham Alliance highlights our enduring commitment to this long-standing strategic relationship. We firmly believe that the combined quality of the two universities offers our students a truly unique international experience and will allow us to continue to work together to make a difference in our cities, across our nations, and globally.”
Important milestone
"This signing represents an important milestone in the relationship between the University of Adelaide and the University of Nottingham,’’ said Professor Jacqueline Lo, Pro Vice-Chancellor (International).
“The collaboration between our institutions has grown over the last ten years but has flourished over the past couple of years – remarkable given this especially challenging time for the world. We look forward to jointly developing a more diverse range of experiences for our students, researchers and staff.”
“I am delighted to have signed this Joint PhD Program Award agreement with our long-standing partner, the University of Nottingham,’’ said University of Adelaide Vice-Chancellor and President Peter Hoj.
“This signifies a deeper commitment by both parties and is the first step towards both institutions developing an Adelaide-Nottingham Alliance.
“I want to express my thanks to University of Nottingham’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Shearer West, together with her senior leadership team, and am looking forward to visiting Nottingham as soon as I can.”
The signing follows the recent unveiling of the first official research collaboration of the Adelaide-Nottingham Alliance - a new international food flavour facility to improve the taste of sustainable, healthy, plant-based food and ingredients. The new $2.5 million facility at the University of Adelaide’s Waite campus in South Australia, will expand the University of Nottingham’s International Flavour Research Centre (IFRC), and is supported by a major investment by v2food, a global leader in plant-based alternatives to meat.
The facility will bring together world-class scientists across flavour chemistry, food and agriculture, under the one roof, to take on the challenge of getting more sustainable, healthy, plant-based food into people’s diet.
The research team, which will include a new post-doctoral and PhD position, will use innovative technologies and flavour chemistry techniques to help food manufacturers develop new sustainable products that are tasty and consumers will enjoy. This includes alternative proteins, meat free substitutes and healthier versions of existing plant-based products.
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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