Cranfield University is one of the founding members of a new Advanced Skills Alliance, bringing together leading universities in the UK and Australia to fast-track the skills and research needed to build security, defence and resilience capabilities.

Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, and Jason Clare, Australian Education Minister, visited UNSW Sydney for the signing of the landmark UK-Australia university pact. The Advanced Skills Alliance builds on the UK-Australia Geelong Treaty and will support delivery of the AUKUS innovation programme. It supports both governments’ plans to develop a highly skilled workforce to support the full range of innovation under the AUKUS Agreement.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “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.” 

Collaboration to deliver key skills for both nations

A key initiative is the creation of a joint UK-Australia Centre for Doctoral Training, a PhD programme focusing on security, defence and resilience. Doctoral students will undertake research in areas such as nuclear engineering, systems design and cybersecurity. Students will spend up to 12 months in the partner country to share expertise and build lasting ties between the nations’ education, defence and security sectors.

The Alliance will also collaborate on education and training for the broader workforce, including specialised short courses, micro-credentials and new curriculum designed to meet the needs of the Nuclear Powered Submarine Partnership and Collaboration (Geelong) Treaty and the AUKUS Agreement.

Cranfield already provides specialist training in Australia, with experts recently co-delivering an Air Safety Investigation Course with partner MEMKO to a group of military and civilian investigators.

Professor Dame Karen Holford DBE FREng, Chief Executive and Vice-Chancellor of Cranfield University – one of the world’s leading universities for defence and security education, research and consultancy – said: “Strengthening international co-operation is a key part of delivering the skills, growth and innovation that keeps us secure and resilient as global threats increase.

“We’re delighted to bring our trusted expertise, specialist facilities and renowned industry knowledge in defence and security to this partnership and look forward to building the skills and research needed for sovereign capabilities both in the UK and in Australia.”

A defining feature of the new agreement is the unprecedented industry involvement. The MoU was drafted by the partner universities in consultation with the UK and Australian governments, with extensive input from organisations with deep expertise in priority areas, including the Australian Submarine Agency, Austal, Babcock International, BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce.

Alliance members include:

Cranfield University (UK)

King’s College London (UK)

Imperial College London (UK)

University of Southampton (UK)

University of Strathclyde (UK)

UNSW Sydney (Australia)

Curtin University (Australia)

Adelaide University (Australia)

The Alliance will seek funding from the UK and Australian governments and industry partners to support the delivery of their objectives.