The new Alliance will support both the Australian and UK governments' plans to develop a highly skilled workforce to support the full range of innovation under the AUKUS Agreement.
The Rt Hon. Bridget Phillipson, UK Education Secretary of State, and the Hon. Jason Clare, Australian Education Minister, visited UNSW Sydney to witness the signing of a landmark UK-Australia university pact. The Advanced Skills Alliance sees eight leading universities join forces to fast-track the skills and research needed to build security, defence and resilience capabilities as part of the UK-Australia Geelong Treaty and to support delivery of the AUKUS innovation program.
Alliance members include:
- King's College London (UK)
- Imperial College London (UK)
- University of Southampton (UK)
- University of Strathclyde (UK)
- Cranfield University (UK)
- UNSW Sydney (Australia)
- Curtin University (Australia)
- Adelaide University (Australia)
Education and innovation are the backbone of the AUKUS partnership, and the UK and Australia are home to incredible universities driving cutting-edge research... By joining forces, our countries are investing in our future security, technology and above all people - opening up opportunity for students, boosting industry, and building a stronger workforce ready to meet the challenges of tomorrow.
The Rt Hon Bridget Phillipson, Secretary of State for Education
One key initiative is the creation of a joint UK-Australia Centre for Doctoral Training focusing on security, defence and resilience. PhD students will undertake research in areas such as nuclear engineering and safety, systems design and cybersecurity. A major innovation will see students spending up to 12 months in the partner country, sharing expertise and building lasting ties between the nations' education, defence and security sectors.
King's has a proud and long-standing tradition of supporting national security priorities through the delivery of world-class defence education and research. The UK-Australia Advanced Skills Alliance builds on that legacy by bringing together leading experts from academia and industry to tackle the evolving challenges of defence and security. This partnership reflects a shared commitment to advancing knowledge and fostering collaboration in support of the strategic defence priorities of both the UK and Australian governments.
Professor Shitij Kapur, Vice-Chancellor & President of King's College London
The Alliance will also collaborate on education and training for the broader workforce, including specialised short courses, micro-credentials and new curriculum design to meet the needs of the Nuclear Powered Submarine Partnership and Collaboration (Geelong) Treaty and the AUKUS Agreement. It is intended to expand the agreement to colleges in both countries in the future, including TAFE in Australia.
AUKUS is not just about submarines, it's about people....having universities work together, PhD students working together, is what this is all about. In addition, having key businesses in our two countries work together is in the interests of both our nations for the decades ahead.
The Hon. Jason Clare. Australia's Education Minister
A defining feature of the new agreement is the industry involvement. The MoU was drafted by the partner universities in consultation with the Australian and UK governments. It also involved engagement with UK and Australian defence contractors, multinational firms and scale-up businesses with deep expertise in priority areas aligned with the AUKUS requirements.
