University of Bristol to join new defence alliance

By Matthew Brown, Comment Subeditor

The University of Bristol will be one of 35 founding members of the new Defence Universities Alliance (DUA), which aims to build on existing ties between academia and the defence sector.

The initiative is part of a £182 million government-led investment package to develop skills and opportunities in defence and national security.

It aims to ‘support a pipeline of skilled graduates’ into careers including cyber security, robotics, AI, aerospace engineering and advanced manufacturing.

The government’s Defence Industrial Strategy also outlines plans to ‘increase places on defence-related courses’.

The nature of funding for this scheme is yet to be announced.

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The DUA Charter commits member universities to advancing defence research, providing graduates with relevant skills and promoting careers in the sector. 

The alliance’s launch at the University of Manchester was met with heavy student protest.

Manchester SU’s Executive Officer Team released a statement condemning their university’s participation. They said the University of Manchester was ‘happy to prioritise the escalating drive to war, over the needs of students and staff.’

Manchester SU’s statement also criticised an apparent drive towards the ‘militarisation of young people’, warning the Alliance would ‘transform our campus into an academic army base.’ 

Bristol SU has not yet released a statement on the DUA. Various Bristol student groups have previously protested over the University’s partnerships with arms firms, which they claimed amount to over £75 million.

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Prof. Evelyn Welch, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Bristol, said joining the DUA reflects the ‘strength of our existing work with organisations across a wide range of sectors, including those aligned to considerations of national security and resilience.’

She added the University remained committed to ‘safeguarding academic freedom, ethical standards, and transparency.’

However, campaign group Demilitarise Education (dED) said the Alliance threatens academic freedom by making universities ‘dependent’ on arms funding and creating ‘institutional pressure’ to align with military priorities.

Featured image: SaiKrishna Saketh Yellapragada via Unsplash