News

On 4 June 2025, the Doctoral Education and Academia Research (DEAR) Centre was delighted to contribute to the Midlands Innovation Executive Management Group (MI EMG) meeting.

The Executive Management Group brings together the institutional research leads from all Midlands Innovation (MI) partner universities, including Professor Caroline Meyer, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) at the University of Warwick. Midlands Innovation is a strategic partnership between eight leading research-intensive universities, working together to drive regional, national, and global innovation.

As part of the meeting agenda, DEAR Centre Director Professor Emily F. Henderson presented on DEAR’s ongoing work on inclusive and mission-driven research cultures, with a particular focus on findings and future directions emerging from The Heart of Research project. This session also included a discussion of the significance of research centres as an increasingly central – and under-studied – component of the higher education research ecosystem.

The agenda item was very well received, sparking a lively discussion among institutional research leads and generating significant interest in developing a collaborative research agenda on research centres. Participants shared their own institutional challenges and innovations in supporting centres, and reflected on the potential for collective inquiry into research leadership, equity, and sustainability.

The DEAR Centre is proud to count Midlands Innovation as one of its official affiliates and welcomes the opportunity to continue building collaborative relationships within the MI network.

For more on Midlands Innovation and its member institutions, visit: https://midlandsinnovation.org.uk/About/Link opens in a new window