Australian and UK universities to bridge the international divide and tackle global challenges together

Academics in Australia and the UK 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 Adelaide and the University of Nottingham will bridge the distance 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.

“This signifies a deeper commitment by both parties and is the first step towards both institutions developing an Adelaide-Nottingham Alliance,"University of Adelaide Vice-Chancellor and President Peter Hoj

It will expand on an existing six-year partnership which has offered students from all over the world the opportunity to study on a joint PhD programme, with time spent at both Adelaide and Nottingham, leading to a degree awarded by the two international research-intensive universities.

The signing ceremony on Wednesday, 15 December, was attended virtually by a delegation from The University of Nottingham, as well as by representatives visiting Adelaide from the British High Commission including Lord Ian Botham OBE, UK Trade Envoy to Australia, and Stephen Lysaght, Consul-General.

‘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.” 

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.”

“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.” 

Speaking from the UK, University of Nottingham Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Shearer West noted the strategic nature of the partnership. She said: “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.”

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.