University of Glasgow Connect

A partnership with purpose

Professor Rachel Sandison OBE, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (External Engagement), University of Glasgow, and Professor Kathy Belov AO, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Global & Research Engagement, University of Sydney, discuss how a shared mission to tackle the world's greatest challenges has led to a partnership with purpose.

The University of Glasgow and the University of Sydney may be geographically poles apart (10,525 miles to be exact) but the two institutions are united by a shared mission and vision – to have a transformational impact on the communities that we serve locally, nationally and internationally.

"Together, we cross organisational and geographical boundaries at greater pace and scale."

The partnership between the two institutions spans more than a decade, but a strategic alliance has been developed over recent years with both universities committing to a partnership with purpose – one that is both deep and broad, enabling joint research and educational collaboration as well as supporting student and staff mobilities.

Fundamental to the success of the relationship has been an intentional prioritisation of projects and initiatives that respond to the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals and the collective ambition to build a more equitable and sustainable world; ambitions that are also part of the DNA of each institution.

There is clear recognition that global challenges will require global solutions that are interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary and harness the collective perspectives and experiences of a diverse colleague community. Together, we cross organisational and geographical boundaries at greater pace and scale.

So, what does this mean in practice for the Glasgow-Sydney partnership? It means a commitment to supporting opportunities for our respective communities to connect, share best practice and co-create activities. One such example is our newly launched Health Inequalities Initiative.

Addressing health inequalities together

The Health Inequalities Initiative is intended to support collaborative projects that are explicitly positioned within the broader systems framework of health inequality. Our aim is to address systemic issues facing the health and wellbeing of society. Both universities have invested pump-priming money into a small number of research projects with the aim of this leading to sustainable collaborations with real-world impact.

The initial funding round is supporting four projects in

• the development of novel interventions promoting incidental physical activity in low socioeconomic groups in Sydney and Glasgow
• investigating equigenesis
• leveraging AI to support colorectal cancer screening for people with an intellectual disability
• optimising surveillance and control of Japanese encephalitis.

These projects will hopefully lead to successful external funding grants, joint research outputs and the establishment of international research networks that produce meaningful societal change.

And whilst this initiative is a key strand of the partnership and directly links back to each institution’s own strategic priorities, it also forms part of a broader framework of collaboration.

Evolving collaborations

"We have a similar vision, a similar mission and similar values in terms of the way we work. A lot of that comes down to chemistry and trust."

The two universities are progressing several activities across Glasgow’s College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences and Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre in areas such as chronic disease (having successfully bid for a Heart Research Institute grant), planetary health, veterinary medicine and biodiversity.

In addition, exciting cooperations are also being developed in the fields of sustainability and our response to the climate emergency, public policy, and in a range of areas across our respective business schools. Last year, both universities took the opportunity to showcase the legacy of one of Glasgow’s most famous alums, the father of modern economics, Adam Smith, through coordinated tercentenary celebration events. Funded double PhD degrees are also being delivered across each campus, supporting the next generation of world changers.

Ignition Grants are competitive funds that enable colleagues to develop interdisciplinary, cutting-edge research that will directly lead to academic and societal impact. The Ignition grants offer one-off funding pots to help galvanise collaborative research links with prioritisation given to those projects that involve staff at all stages of their academic career, from PhD candidates and post-docs to early and mid-career researchers. This is vital for the long-term sustainability of the partnership; the relationship between the two institutions must be deeply embedded with meaningful connections fostered at all levels. We are thrilled that alongside senior leadership engagement, so many colleagues and students at Glasgow have had the opportunity to work, study and learn from the Sydney community, and vice versa.

Bigger than the sum of our parts

A joint steering group now oversees the evolution of the partnership guiding investments, supporting strategic decision-making and evaluating success. And whilst the success has been significant, crucially it is rooted in the values of mutual trust and respect, and the shared agenda of advancing humanity. The partnership transverses the molecular to the societal, allowing both universities to be bigger than the sum of our parts and achieving greater global reach and relevance as a result.

Global engagements give us untold opportunities. We have a similar vision, a similar mission and similar values in terms of the way we work. A lot of that comes down to chemistry and trust.

Both universities have, and will, change the world, but we know we can go further, and get there faster, together.