A £100 million investment into research is underway to boost Coventry’s research performance and bring it up amongst the traditional heavyweight research institutions. It has already seen the launch of several new centres specialising in areas around which Coventry has historically had considerable expertise. The Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations, for example, has been established to build on and advance the university’s world-leading research around trust as a key component of peace building, reconciliation and community cohesion – echoing the very themes for which Coventry as a city is internationally famous. In a recent House of Lords debate, the Archbishop of Canterbury drew attention to the positive impact of the centre’s work. Researchers in the new Centre for Applied Biological and Exercise Sciences, too, have attracted global interest and media attention. A team of its scientists have developed a pioneering new way – using real human heart tissue – to test the effect of drugs on the heart without using human or animal trials.
Other notable projects which demonstrate the breadth of research underway at Coventry include initiatives to tackle female genital mutilation, collaborations with industry to combat automotive cyber security threats, and long-term studies into children’s literacy. The Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014 results portend well for the ambitions that Coventry University has going forward – the university was ranked joint 5th in the UK for the quantity of its research in the allied health professions category receiving the top ratings of four or three stars, with many other areas also being rated as ‘world leading’ and ‘internationally excellent’. Such successes are only bolstering Coventry’s international reputation. Already boasting one of the most culturally diverse campuses in the UK thanks to its 5,000-strong international student population – drawn from over 150 countries – the university is continuing to grow its overseas presence, including through recent collaborations with Kadir Has University in Istanbul and the South West University of Political Science and Law in Chongqing.
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