King's has been selected to be part of the UK's inaugural Defence Universities Alliance (DUA) network of 35 UK universities whose work will help to maintain safety and security in an increasingly insecure global environment.
The UK faces a new era of threat, and the work of universities like King's is crucial to building resilience, driving innovation and research, and maintaining safety and security in the face of global conflict.
By coordinating defence work across universities in a strategic alliance, the DUA will help to ensure the UK has the research capability, skills base and resilience required to meet these rapidly evolving challenges, and support stability, now and in the future.
Founding membership to the DUA was awarded after a competitive process and was today announced at the University of Manchester, alongside other participating universities.
Already a world-leading centre for security, defence and resilience research and education, King's will continue to operate in a robust ethical framework and to focus on understanding, preventing and resolving conflict and supporting stable and secure societies.
For decades, King's has helped to shape global understanding of conflict, strategy, diplomacy and security, and the alliance provides opportunities to focus these efforts on global issues in a more coordinated way across the country to better meet the challenges of these turbulent times.
King's has long been committed to using, and sharing, our expertise and research to help prevent violent escalation, encourage conflict resolution, and bring about positive change as part of our tradition of public service, now made ever more pressing in a time of global instability and conflict.From equipping global leaders to respond strategically in times of crisis, to ensuring the resilience of health systems in conflict-affected settings, and developing understanding of cyber security and robotics, we have long been at the forefront of research, education and policy in areas relating to defence and national security. As a founding member of the DUA we look forward to continuing to strengthen these contributions to UK national security and resilience.
Professor Sir Bashir M. Al-Hashimi CBE FRS FREng, Senior Vice President (Research and Special Initiatives)
The UK faces significant and evolving security threats and King's plays a significant role in developing knowledge, educating future leaders, and contributing informed analysis to questions of national and international security. Defence-related research and innovation will not only safeguard the UK's national security but also supports economic growth.
King's brings unique expertise and interdisciplinary strength to the new alliance, as a world-leading centre for defence work spanning areas including conflict prevention, diplomacy, peacebuilding, strategy, health security, cybersecurity, evolving technologies and the ethical, legal and societal dimensions of defence.
We are pleased to be able to contribute our expertise to the Defence Universities Alliance, working even more closely with other universities to improve the UK's resilience and address national challenges. As part of the Defence Universities Alliance, we will continue to help to develop the knowledge, judgement and ethical awareness required for the UK to navigate complex security challenges in a rapidly changing world.
Professor Shitij Kapur, Vice-Chancellor & President of King's College London
The Defence Universities Alliance will work closely with the Ministry of Defence, meaning that King's will be amongst leading voices at the heart of Government in shaping the UK's response to defence and security challenges.
The Defence Universities Alliance represents a genuinely transformative step forward in how Defence partners with the UK's world-leading academic sector. By bringing together our shared expertise, ambition and innovation, the Alliance will help us tackle some of the most complex challenges facing Defence at a strategic level. I am incredibly excited about the opportunities this creates. The DUA will fundamentally change the way Defence, universities and industry work together - strengthening our national security, creating strategic advantage and supporting growth to deliver better outcomes for the UK.
Professor Tim Dafforn, Chief Scientific Advisor, Ministry of Defence
