OUR THEMES AND ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES

Emerging from consultation with Schools during the development of the previous Research and Knowledge Exchange strategy, our four themes represent our main areas of activity and the nature of the way in which our institution collectively influences and benefits society. These themes of Productivity, Healthy Living, Sustainable Environments, and Creative and Resilient Communities are ever more relevant to society and therefore will be retained and developed further. At the present time the UK and wider global community face numerous societal challenges. Economies must respond to the fallout from the pandemic and build back to ensure a sustainable future, while on a national level there is a need to address slow growth in productivity, especially in manufacturing. The pandemic has also exacerbated existing social inequalities and our expertise at reaching marginalised communities is needed more than ever at this time. Alongside COVID-19, an ageing population places strain on health systems, therefore new products and services are required for the management of long-term health conditions. Action on climate change is imperative and we must contribute to achieving Net Zero targets to reduce and prevent irreversible damage to our planet.

Underpinning these themes, we have focussed on three enabling technologies to build on our existing capabilities, aligned to areas of external opportunity and stakeholder needs: Robotics, Digital, and Smart Living. Our focus on technology links to our past as an institution, from our beginnings as the Royal Technical Institute in 1896, and to our present and future as it drives so much of what is possible for the future of society. It affects all areas of life and must be developed and used ethically and responsibly to ensure it generates positive outcomes for people and the environment. To lead as responsible innovators, we must continue to invest in the best facilities and focus on the place of technology in our world.

Since the publication of the previous strategy, we have consolidated our efforts on the support of four challenge themes and invested in infrastructure to further our mission in these key areas. Our approach now is to embed our themes as meaningful and perceptible within our culture and to use them to promote our activities and in discussions with external partners to communicate our areas of expertise and priorities.

Our themes, supported by the enabling technologies, will be used as mechanisms to foster interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary working. They will not be considered as groups in which individuals and teams will be assigned a home, as it is expected that any individual could contribute to multiple themes, and it is this way of working that will be particularly encouraged. Led by external opportunities, our themes will be used to develop our culture and bring people together, creating excitement and inspiration around the possibilities of addressing these challenges in new ways with others who bring complementary skills and are driven to achieve the same goals. Our enabling technologies will support all themes, ensuring that staff and researchers with expertise in technology and underpinning approaches can support and interact with others across different disciplines as we seek to combine knowledge and skills in new ways to generate new avenues of inquiry and innovation.