Welsh universities can be more than the sum of their parts

Deeper collaboration would help institutions strengthen themselves and their communities, says Graeme Reid

Wales has relatively low levels of R&D investment and the second-lowest level of productivity per person in the UK. Welsh universities also face a fast-changing landscape for research and innovation funding.

At the domestic level, UK Research and Innovation’s budgets are increasing, with a growing emphasis on the levelling-up agenda across the UK. There is no upper—or lower—limit to the level of UKRI funding that can be secured for Wales, but that funding can only be won in UK-wide competitions.