We welcome the new government investment to strengthen the UK’s defence skills pipeline, with four of our member universities awarded funding through the Strategic Priorities Grant.
The Office for Students’ Defence-related skills funding competition has allocated £80 million of investment, in partnership with the Ministry of Defence and the Department for Education, to support the expansion of defence-focused courses.
The funding will support the development of high-level skills in key areas such as cyber security, artificial intelligence and advanced engineering. This will help to deliver the workforce needed for the UK’s future defence capability.
Through this investment:
- Birmingham City University will expand its computing and engineering programmes with live cyber ranges, robotics and real-world threat simulation facilities.
- Bournemouth University will launch two new undergraduate courses: a BSc in Cyber Defence Intelligence and a BEng in Autonomous Systems.
- Teesside University will scale up provision in AI, computing and engineering, boosting teaching capacity and applied learning linked to defence challenges.
- University of Westminster will create a new Cyber Security Laboratory equipped with industry-standard infrastructure.
Commenting in response, Vanessa Wilson CEO of University Alliance said:
“As professional and technical universities, our members bring deep expertise and strong employer partnerships, meaning we are well placed to develop the teaching, facilities and high-level skills provision required across the Government’s eight priority areas as outlined in the Industrial Strategy.
“This vital investment highlights the key role Alliance universities play in delivering the talent and skills needed to support national priorities. This funding will equip students to develop essential practical skills needed in defence-related roles.”
Read more about the allocations on the OfS’ website here.
