2024 - 2025 Sector Priorities
These outline the University’s innovation and business engagement priorities for the academic year.
Our priority is to deliver transformational partnerships that address the three themes in Strategy 2030 and provide innovative solutions aligned to national priorities, regional development and economic growth.
Brigid Howarth
Biomedical Sciences
Sector Lead:
Dr Kourosh Norouzi k.norouzi@exeter.ac.uk
Capabilities
> Neurodegeneration
• New tests to improve early diagnosis
• Finding and testing new therapies
• Innovative clinical trials
> Rehabilitation
• Biomechanics and falls prevention
• Experimental medicine and precision rehabilitation
• Access to cutting-edge facilities, including VSimulator
> Diabetes
• Preventing and diagnosing diabetes
• Precision medicine
University Initiatives
> Building a network of external expertise in the Health and Life Sciences (HLS) faculty
• Engaging with Professors in Practice (PiPs) and Experts in Residence (XiRs) in relevant areas to support academics in translating research outcomes into patient benefits
• Championing and facilitating translational and spin-out activities
> Commercialisation of HLS facilities
• Supporting improved access to HLS facilities for external collaborators, for example VSimulator and the sequencing facility
• Synergizing assets for translational impact: leveraging our infrastructure across the translational pathway to drive commercialisation
> Genetics and genomics
• Making precise genetic diagnoses
• Discovery of new genetic causes of rare and common diseases
• Identifying new targets and therapeutics
> Clinical mycology
• Understanding the fundamental biology of fungal pathogens
• Patient care and translational science by discovering better diagnostics and treatments
• Addressing emerging antifungal resistance
> St Luke's campus development
• Scaling up biomedical and clinical research power
> Centre for Medical Mycology (CMM)
• Supporting the development of innovative one health solutions to tackle antifungal resistance as part of the UK Government's Global AMR Innovation Fund (GAMRIF)
• Industry research collaboration for vaccine and antibody candidate
Creative Economy
Sector
Capabilities
> Screen and screen skills
• Equality, diversity and inclusion in film
• Film business
• Creative writing and communications
• Digital impact: implications of data centres, including carbon footprint; gaming theory
• Online and remote performance
> Literary industries
• Publishing, including digital
• Creative writing
• Transmedia storytelling, including Artificial Intelligence (AI)
• Gender and sexuality, including queer literature, ecocriticism and environment
• Popular culture and genre studies
University Initiatives
> Strategic development
• Creative Industries Strategic Investment Case driven by business engagement
• Further expansion of the new film distribution label following successful launch
> Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
• Developing and expanding publishing capabilities and opportunities, with sector specialisms across Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
> Hetitage
• Establishment of heritage archaeology as a commercial facility, working with Digital Humanities
• Establishment of a partnership with Greenway (National Trust) and the Christie archive
> Social science policy
• Social media, including political use and online safety
• Implications of AI, Intellectual Property and deep fakes
• Rural and semi-rural clusters development
• Behaviour change, and sustainability
> Digital humanities and heritage
• Digital platforms for heritage experiences
• Digital imaging
• Heritage data science
• Immersive experiences for audience research, training, heritage, health, mining and astronomy
> Creative Arc
• Continued delivery of Creative Arc collaboration between Exeter City Council and the University providing seed corn funding for researchers and local creative organisations across the city; hosting for the Exeter Heritage Volunteers programme
Critical Minerals
Sector Lead:
Claire Eatock c.e.eatock@exeter.ac.uk
Capabilities
> Renewable energy and environmental sustainability
• Geothermal energy
• Enabling sustainable resource futures
• Environment: metals, microbes and minerals
> Technology and innovation in resource management
• Circular Economy for technology minerals
• Equipment for mineral processing
• Deep Digital Cornwall legacy development: datahub and visualisation suite
University Initiatives
> Centres and Hubs
• Supporting the start-up, delivery and future financial sustainability and legacy of the NERC Critical Minerals Accelerating Green Economy Centre and UN Centre of Excellence for Critical Minerals, building on global reputation and reach of Camborne School of Mines and faculties
• Supporting the commercial deployment, exploitation and integration of the Critical Minerals Equipment Hub with state-of-the-art mineral processing and hydrometallurgy kit
• Met4Tech – Circular Economy Centre for Technology Minerals
> Sustainable resource extraction
• Accelerating commercialisation of projects for domestic production of critical minerals, and expanding the associated industry cluster that is already operating worldwide to enhance mineral production
• Mining, environment and society
• Mining, geotechnical and safety engineering
• Ore deposits and critical metals
• Initiatives supporting skills for the responsible mining sector
> Partnerships
• Focus on progressing existing and emerging global partnerships
• Supporting the Great South West to realise the identified high potential opportunity of mining and critical minerals for the benefit of the region
Data Science and Artifical Intelligence
Sector Lead:
Dr Isabel Gonzalez
i.gonzalez@exeter.ac.uk
Capabilities
> Artificial Intelligence (AI) for a fair society
• Data ethics and governance
• Responsible/ trustworthy AI and technology implementation
• Demystifying AI, data and digital transformation
• Transforming public sector services through digital means
• Misinformation and disinformation
> AI for health
• Machine vision for medical imaging
• Biomedical informatics
• Health economics for digital health technologies
University Initiatives
> Research and development
• IDSAI (Institute for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence)
• Project ADA (Accelerating Data Science and Artificial Intelligence)
• AI for Collective Intelligence (AI4CI) Hub
• Defence Data Research Centre
• The Centre for Computational Social Sciencerelaunched 2023, focus on education and social mobility, Election Centre, Policing and terrorism
> Digital economy and innovation
• INDEX (Initiative in the Digital Economy at Exeter)
• Utilisation / commercialisation of digital tools via Green Futures Solutions
• DIGIT Lab (Accelerating digital innovation for growth, impact, and transformation of large organisations)
> AI for sustainability and resilience
• Data ethics, governance and law
• Bayesian hierarchical statistics and modelling.
• Uncertainty quantification and analysis for decision making
• Risk / hazard impact modelling, including air pollution and health
• AI for extreme weather-event, climate systems, biodiversity and nature recovery
• Land use, soil and water assessment tool (SWAT) and ecosystem modelling
> Environment and climate
• Relaunch Environmental Intelligence theme –Autumn 2024
• Centre for Climate Communication and Data Science (C3DS)
> Professional Education
• Taster events for data science training
• Short courses for executives on high level computer science (Large Language Models interfacing, computer vision, etc)
• Partner support for Doctoral Training students in Environmental Intelligence
• Implementing Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the workplace
• Defence Data Research Centre’s Education Work package
Defence, Security and Resilience
Sector Lead: Colette Defoe (Defence)
c.defoe@exeter.ac.uk
Capabilities
Sector Lead: Sam Bull (Security)
s.bull@exeter.ac.uk
> Advanced materials and systems engineering
• Metamaterials, nanomaterials, acoustic photonics, quantum systems
• Autonomous systems, marine dynamics, reliability, sensor technology
> Climate change
• Global dynamics
• Sustainability, critical minerals
• Geopolitical instability and population migration
> International security and governance
• Foreign policy, conflict management, military strategy
• Law: International, armed conflict, humanitarian, space, cyber
University Initiatives
> Networks and collaborations
• Establishment of a University network for defence, security and resilience including website and events
• Large collaborations with strategic partners QinetiQ and DSTL
• Development of partnerships with Devon and Cornwall Police, Frazer Nash and Smith’s Detection
• Extension of Defence Data Research Centre, in partnership with DSTL
> Professional Education
• Professional education, Digital Forensics Degree Apprenticeship, explore Pre-join Policing Degree
> Human protection and performance
• Chemical Biological Radiological (CBR) defence
• Human performance, biomechanics, rehabilitation, immersive training and simulation
> Digital transformation
• Digital forensics and cyber security
• Data assurance, ethics, governance, exploitation
• Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning, modelling, simulation, digital economy
• Organisational behaviour
> Homeland security
• Forensics and evidence based policing
• Counter terrorism, radicalisation
• Modern day slavery, crime, racism, social dynamics
> Commercialisation and facilities development
• Facilities: develop commercialisation income stream
• Commercial forensics lab established, development and expansion over 2024/25
> Academic development
• Develop and increase academic numbers responding to calls in defence, security and resilience
Engineering
Sector Lead: Gareth Jenkins g.jenkins3@exeter.ac.uk
Capabilities
> Engineering materials and manufacturing
• Advanced materials for bioengineering and energy
• 2D materials, metamaterials and quantum technologies
• Additive Layer Manufacturing (ALM), high performance polymers
• Engineering management
> Infrastructure and built environment
• Water systems
• Energy generation, storage and application in buildings
• Structural and geotechnical testing and facilities
University Initiatives
> Sustainable energy
• Floating Offshore Wind (FLOW) Opportunities Group: Interdisciplinary academic team working with Exeter Innovation to develop research opportunities arising from the Celtic Sea
• Partnership activity on the GW-SHIFT PlaceBased Impact Accelerator Award (£2.5M), led by Bath University, to support regional research impact in the hydrogen economy
> Manufacturing and the built environment
• Engineering materials and manufacturing: developing commercial outputs from our testing facilities for high-performance polymers and alternative materials for efficiency and sustainability
• Intelligent Buildings Programme to stimulate collaboration with businesses in the built environment sector
• Building performance
• Low carbon materials
> Clean energy engineering and decarbonisation
• Wave analysis and marine hydrodynamics
• Moorings and cables
• Operations and maintenance (O&M) strategies
• Life cycle analysis of offshore wind farms
• Environmental impact and biodiversity gain, sensors and tools
• Electrical power systems
• Smart grid networks
• Hydrogen production and storage
> Commercial development and opportunities from facilities and services:
• VSimulators
• Exeter Technologies Group
• Centre for Water Systems
• Centre for Metamaterial Research and Innovation
• Centre for Future Clean Mobility: Propulsion test facility, AI-enabled co-design in Engineering Laboratory (ACE- Lab), Dynamic Marine Component (DMaC)
Environment and Sustainability
Sector Lead: Alex Huke
a.r.huke@exeter.ac.uk
Capabilities
> Environmental and food systems
• Food systems and nature recovery
• Environmental bioeconomy, marine and aquaculture
• Reforestation
• UK Sustainable King Prawn Project
> Environmental development
• Environmental intelligence
• International development and behavioural change
• Specialist capability via Green Futures Solutions in circular economy, life cycle analysis, naturebased solutions, and earth and climate systems
University Initiatives
> Centres and initiatives
• Centre for Resilience in Environment, Water and Waste (CREWW)
• Carbon Storage in Pasture through Ecological Restoration (CASPER)
• Net Zero Plus and ADD Trees
• SeaCURE
• Future Fibres Network
• Economics of Energy Innovation and Systems Transition (EESIT)
• Continue to build the environmental intelligence offer around the Joint Centre for Excellence in Environmental Intelligence (JCEEI), linking to advance environmental intelligence activity in Accelerating Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (ADA)
> Climate change and decarbonisation
• Climate systems and responsible climate interventions
• Carbon Storage
• Marine-based carbon dioxide removal
• Decarbonising textiles
• Low carbon innovation and technology change
> Water systems
• Water systems
• Environment, Water and Waste
> Funded programmes
• Support the setup, development and delivery of new funded programmes including Accelerating Action on Nature and Climate, Governing Sustainable Futures and the Climate Scaling Collaborative programme
> Green Futures Solutions and Networks
• Development of an adaptive sustainable business model for Green Futures Solutions (GFS) and Network - continue building commercial products and services
• Support Exeter Energy, based on institutional business case
Future of Business
Sector Lead:
Ben Clifford-Kitching
b.clifford-kitching@exeter.ac.uk
Capabilities
> Sustainable business
• Financing the green transition
• Emissions markets and carbon pricing
• Public finance solutions to climate change
• Private markets and impact investing
• Sustainable transition (across industries)
• Applying climate science to real-world situations Circular economy – evidence, tools, and methods
• Applications of digital technologies to enhance sustainability
> Responsible business
• Responsible leadership development
• Facilitating organisational change and developing talent for future leadership
University Initiatives
> Sustainable business
• Exeter Sustainable Finance Centre
• Circular Economy Hub (until Jan 2025); Exeter Centre for Circular Economy; Digital Innovation and Circular Economy Network+; Digitally Enabled Circular Healthcare Innovation
• Circular Economy Deep Dive for Procurement professional education programme
• Green Futures Solutions
• Developing Business-Aware Academics programme
> Responsible business
• Exeter Centre for Leadership
• Leading Now professional education programme
• Creating fairer and resilient workplaces
• Creating purposeful work environments reflecting equality, diversity and inclusion values
> Technological transformation
• Measuring impact of digital disruption in business and society
• Demystifying modern technology, data and digital transformation
• Business applications including Web3 and platform-based business models
• Impact of digital technology on organisational design and management
• Responsible digital transformation
• Transforming public sector services
> Technological transformation
• Initiatives in the Digital Economy at Exeter (INDEX) and DigitLab
• AI in Business professional education programme
• Centre for Entrepreneurship
• Accelerating Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (ADA)
• Institute for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (IDSAI)
Innovation in Law
Sector Lead:
Sam Bull
s.bull@exeter.ac.uk
Capabilities
> Law of violence, rights and testimony
• Use of force in policing
• Domestic violence, violence against women and girls
• Evidence Based Justice Lab
• Witness testimony
> Technology and AI, medical, environmental and cultural law
• Digitisation and the legal industry
• Productivity and efficiency in legal systems
• Regulation of AI
• Corporate Social Responsibility
University Initiatives
> Professional Education
• Development of new Degree Apprenticeship (DA) programmes for Solicitor and Barrister. Engagement with legal sector to engage existing suite of programmes such as Senior Leader DA
• Development of a broad professional education offering including AI and technology, cyber security and lawfare, digital copyright and defence and security
> Funded programmes
• Law 2030; Business Engagement and Innovation (BEI) supporting partnerships and collaborative research
• Evidence Based Justice Lab, development of a research and impact network building on the sector leading work exposing miscarriages of justice
> Vulnerability and the law
• Human rights and democracy
• Migration and displacement
• Rural justice
> Family justice
• Parenting and relationships
• LGBTQ+ rights
• Family justice
• Family law and technology
• Children's voices
• Youth justice
> Law Clinic
• Enhancing the University’s Law Clinic
Life Sciences
Sector Lead:
Dr Kourosh Norouzi k.norouzi@exeter.ac.uk
Capabilities
> Biomedical and clinical research
• Neuroscience and central nervous system disease
• Neurodegenerative diseases (for example Parkinson's, Alzheimer’s, dementia)
• Rare diseases
• Genetics, genomics and epigenetics
• Target identification and drug repurposing
• Diabetes, obesity and metabolic health
• Healthy ageing and chronic disease
• Health data science and Artificial Intelligence (AI)
• Experimental medicine and clinical trials
University Initiatives
> Southwest Hub for Life Sciences
• Fostering regional collaboration and synergy
• Expanding collaborations within the life sciences ecosystem, including with the Biomedical Research Centre
> Dementia and mental health
• Positioning the University and region as a Centre for Excellence in dementia and mental health research
• Engaging in the Dementia and Neurodegeneration Policy Research Unit and Dementia Network Plus; backing government priorities, such as the National Dementia Misson Ecosystem; supporting relevant research networks
> Wider biosciences
• Engineering biology
• Stem cells and development
• Mathematical modelling of living systems
• Gene expression and genomics
• Medical mycology (antifungal drug targets, diagnostics, vaccine antigens and adjuvants)
• Microbes and phage therapy (using viruses to fight antimicrobial resistance)
> MedTech capabilities
• Diagnostic technologies
• Precision rehabilitation
• Digital health and immersive technologies
> Healthy Futures
• Streamlining the innovation process with a commercially driven approach; supporting commercialisation of Health and Life Sciences facilities and facilitating translational and spinout activities
• The redevelopment of St. Luke's Campus
> Centres
• National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Healthtech Research Centres
Living Well
Sector Lead: Gemma Mendham
g.mendham@exeter.ac.uk
Capabilities
> Mental health
Sector Lead: Emma McBurney
e.k.seymour@exeter.ac.uk
• Brain and behaviour change and interventions across the lifespan
• Mental health and addiction treatment innovations
• Head impacts, brain injury and trauma
• Children and young people’s mental health
> Nutrition
• Effects of bioactives and exercise on musculoskeletal, cognitive, vascular and metabolic ageing
• Integrative physiology, nutrition and training interventions
• Oral and gut microbiome
• Elite sports performance
• Food systems and healthy local food networks
University Initiatives
> St Luke's campus development
• Health and wellness focus; scaling up biomedical and clinical research power
> Improving human performance and function
• Pioneering research and training centre supporting better ageing
• Improving human performance and function from childhood to older age and pushing the limits of human performance
• Establishing 6 state-of-the-art laboratories for exercise physiology, focusing on body composition, vascular physiology, dynamometry and cell culture
> Human movement science
• Physical activity and health across the lifespan
• Biomechanics, sensorimotor performance, skill acquisition
• Novel rehabilitation solutions to support patients with long term mobility problems
• Children’s health and exercise
> Health environments and communities
• Climate change and impact on human health
• Community and social inequalities
• Nature, biodiversity and health
> Clinical Applied Psychological Practice Centre of Excellence (CEDAR)
• Training the current and future psychological workforce
> Facilities
• New facilities for food, psychology, and clinical research, including 2 virtual reality labs and a sequencing unit
> Drive research and education in climate change and impactions to social health inequalities
• European Centre for Environment and Human Health, ECEHH, a WHO collaborating Centre of Nature and Health
Metamaterials
Sector Lead:
Dr Isabel Gonzalez
i.gonzalez@exeter.ac.uk
Capabilities
> Metamaterials and advanced materials
• Optical Metamaterials
• Acoustic, Fluidic and Mechanical Metamaterials
• RF, Microwave and THz Metamaterials
• Magnetic Materials
• Quantum and 2D Materials
> Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
• Process, modulate, transmit, store signals and data
> Energy and sustainability
• Harvest, store, transmit, save energy
University Initiatives
> Funding and research hub applications
• Internal investment into metamaterials strategic initiatives
• Application for the £10M Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) 3D Nanoscale Metamaterials Hub for a Sustainable Future
• Apply for a Ministry of Defence Regional Defence Hub
> Professional education
• Support the development of professional education in metamaterials
> Networks
• Delivery of the UK Metamaterials Network Plus
> Health
• Wireless monitoring
• Targeted treatment
• Novel microscopy
> Security
• Protecting goods and people
> Design
• Multi-domain and multi-scale design
• Modelling and optimisation
> Collaborative innovation
• Development of the Materials Innovation Hub jointly with QinetiQ and National Physics Laboratory
• Long-term opportunity for a partnership with DSTL for a Functional, Animate and Metamaterials Exploration (FAME) Centre
• Partnering with National Physics Laboratory and Henry Royce Institute for closer alliance
Optimising Patient Outcomes
Capabilities
> Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning
• Validation of novel technologies
• Assessing technologies for clinical improvement
• Assessing technologies for enhanced patient outcomes
• Positioning technology within patient care pathways
> Education
• Devising and moderating imaging technology within clinical education themes
> Resource utilisation: Staff
• Delivering efficiencies within healthcare staff workflows
• Validating the effect of novel technologies on patient care improvements Sector Lead:
• Degree Apprenticeships and Continuing Professional Development provision
University Initiatives
> Accelerating Data Science and Artifical Intelligence (ADA)
• Cross-disciplinary powerhouse in data science and AI to provide collaboration opportunities in this space with external partners, with a strong Health sector component
> St Luke's campus development
• Scaling up biomedical and clinical research power
> Great Western Secure Data Environment (SW SDE )
• Online platform for the analysis of health and social care data in research
• AI and machine learning prioritising patient need within acute care
• AI and machine learning prioritising patient need within tertiary care
• Moving beyond the virtual ward to tertiary and home-based care
> Resource utilisation: Diagnostic workflow
> University of Exeter as a Centre of Excellence for Health Technologies
• National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Exeter Biomedical Research Centre / NIHR HealthTech Research Centre for Sustainable Innovation / NIHR HealthTech Research Centre in Brain Health (with Kings College London)