Aston's Competitive Advantage
Collaborative research with high translation and impact is one of four core activities that underpin the Aston Mission to deliver over the short, medium and long-term for our beneficiaries.
Since our creation in 1895 we have been an integral part of our region and its employers, advancing knowledge in a relevant and meaningful manner. In addition to conducting fundamental research, Aston has developed a strong reputation for working closely with industry, the professions, and other stakeholders.
Our competitive advantage is based on: our strong performance in REF2021; our research partnerships and business engagement; our cross-school, collaborative and interdisciplinary research ethos; and the employability and entrepreneurship of our graduates.
Our Research Strategy feeds into each of the five strategic aims of Aston 2030:
Elevate Ambition: Our strategy is a blueprint to increase our capacity for sustained excellence and impact, and hence to build our reputation via REF 2028
Create Value for our PGR students; for our research-active staff, and especially for our Early-Career Researchers, through the People Strategy; for research stakeholders through our URIs and Knowledge Exchange activities
Leverage our Place, by growing research, research facilities and innovation which is both excellent and distinctive within our region, and which underpins Aston’s anchor position in the Birmingham Innovation Quarter
Build Digital Enterprise, through data management and digital infrastructure
Transform Business and Communities, through research impact, translational research, commercialisation and spin-outs, KTPs and wider Knowledge Exchange, as will be set out in our Enterprise Strategy
This is enabled by impactful, collaborative, excellent and financially sustainable research