The College of Biomedical and Life Sciences has formulated and agreed five broad research Themes.
- Cancer
- Immunology, Infection and Inflammation
- Mind, Brain and Neuroscience
- Public Health and Primary Care
- Biosystems
These are intended to enable the College to realise fully the objectives of The Way Forward 2012-2017. The Themes will be the College’s primary research drivers, and will facilitate the development and integration of research across the full spectrum of the College’s activities.
Each Theme will be supported by an appointed ‘Lead’. The Themes will enable the College to develop critical mass, coherence and scale in areas where Cardiff has the potential to be world leading, and to identify and grow research synergies.
To re-cap the development and implementation of the Themes has been led by five Convenors who, with the assistance of Task and Finish Groups, undertook a scoping exercise to ensure that each Theme is supported by a robust underpinning rationale. Each of the research themes will shortly be supported by a ‘Theme Lead’. The Theme Leads will be responsible for driving and developing the themes strategically – ensuring a coordinated and integrated approach to research across the College and the wider University.
Theme Leads will be responsible and accountable to the College via its Dean for Research, within the framework of the College of Biomedical and Life Sciences and the University’s overall strategy, policies, and procedures, for research activities. They will be members of the College Research Committee and will be expected to undertake the delivery of cross-College strategic leadership essential for the implementation and development of the Research Themes and the development of the College’s research portfolio.
Earlier this month the themes were launched on the Cardiff University website. The five Convenors completed the unenviable task of trying to describe each theme in approximately 350 words for a broad and varied audience. This initial soft launch will be followed by a period of subsequent phased development.
Theme Leads
Each Theme will be supported by an appointed ‘Lead’. Research Theme Leads will be members of the College Research Committee and will be expected to undertake the delivery of cross-College strategic leadership essential for the implementation and development of the Research Themes and the development of the College’s research portfolio. We are in the process of appointing the five ‘Theme Leads’ and it is anticipated that the Leads will be in post prior to Christmas 2014.
We’ll continue to provide regular updates on progress with the research themes. In the next edition of the College newsletter we’ll hopefully be in a position to introduce the new ‘Theme Leads’.