Enabler 3:
Research Infrastructure
Purpose
To invest in future-proofed, sustainable research infrastructure that builds on Exeter’s strengths, empowers our research community, and maximises shared and commercial value to translate world-class research into impact. United as one research team, we will turn excellence into impact by growing our research power and shaping positive change worldwide.
Purpose
To build on Exeter’s strong foundations by investing in future-proofed, sustainable infrastructure that enables world-class research and innovation. We will develop flexible, collaborative environments, both physical and virtual, aligned with our research strengths. This includes maintaining and enhancing facilities, equipment, data archives, and specialist resources. We will grow our academic and research enabling teams with the expertise to maximise our infrastructure’s potential.
Priority Activities
1. Exe-Tech Strategy 2030
Delivering adaptable technical capability through three themes:
- Innovate: Develop technical environments adaptive to digital growth.
- Sustain: Provide future-proofed facilities and equipment.
- Nurture: Grow expert communities through skills development.
2. Library Strategy
Develop open research infrastructure and support new methods for using our unique archives and collections, ensuring researchers have access to the content they need for world-leading research.
3. Research Software and Analytics
Growing specialist support for complex, bespoke software and data-driven research, meeting the ever-increasing need for specialist skills to enable data-driven research.
4. Digital Research Infrastructure
Co-creating a roadmap for a secure, scalable computing environment that fosters interdisciplinary collaboration and positions Exeter as a leader in digital innovation, embedding principles of cost-effective access, user-centred service, sustainability, and alignment with key priorities like AI and the cybersecurity requirements of industry partners. Integrate AI as a core component of our digital research infrastructure, including high-performance computing, research (secure) data storage, edge computing, virtual reality, and data analytics and develop a next-generation digital research environment, and will prioritise tools that enhance trust and transparency – such as auto-citation, up-to-date training data, and validation layers – and support these with exemplar use cases, sandbox environments, and researcher-led Communities of Practice. We will contribute to shared, open AI research infrastructure and platforms, reducing duplication and making researcher-developed tools more widely available.
5. Internal Processes, Systems and Support
Ensuring coordinated, efficient access to expertise, facilities, and information throughout the research lifecycle.
6. Collaborative and Open Infrastructure
Growing the internal and external sharing of our equipment and labs, including commercial access.
5. Digital Research Infrastructure
Co-create a roadmap for a secure, scalable computing environment that fosters interdisciplinary collaboration and positions Exeter as a leader in digital innovation, embedding principles of cost-effective access, user-centred service, sustainability, and alignment with key priorities like AI and the cybersecurity requirements of industry partners.
1. Exe-Tech Strategy 2030
Delivering adaptable technical capability through three themes:
- Innovate: Develop technical environments adaptive to digital growth.
- Sustain: Provide future-proofed facilities and equipment.
- Nurture: Grow expert communities through skills development.
2. Library Strategy
Develop open research infrastructure and support new methods for using our unique archives and collections, ensuring researchers have access to the content they need for world-leading research.
3. Research Software and Analytics
Growing specialist support for complex, bespoke software and data-driven research, meeting the ever-increasing need for specialist skills to enable data-driven research.
4. Digital Research Infrastructure
Co-creating a roadmap for a secure, scalable computing environment that fosters interdisciplinary collaboration and positions Exeter as a leader in digital innovation, embedding principles of cost-effective access, user-centred service, sustainability, and alignment with key priorities like AI and the cybersecurity requirements of industry partners. Integrate AI as a core component of our digital research infrastructure, including high-performance computing, research (secure) data storage, edge computing, virtual reality, and data analytics and develop a next-generation digital research environment, and will prioritise tools that enhance trust and transparency – such as auto-citation, up-to-date training data, and validation layers – and support these with exemplar use cases, sandbox environments, and researcher-led Communities of Practice. We will contribute to shared, open AI research infrastructure and platforms, reducing duplication and making researcher-developed tools more widely available.
5. Internal Processes, Systems and Support
Ensuring coordinated, efficient access to expertise, facilities, and information throughout the research lifecycle.
6. Collaborative and Open Infrastructure
Growing the internal and external sharing of our equipment and labs, including commercial access.
Exe-Tech Strategy 2030
Delivery of this strategy will provide expertise, equipment, facilities and spaces that optimise the power and quality of our research, through adaptable and sustainable technical capability and capacity. The Exe-Tech Strategy 2030 has three themes:
- Innovate – focuses on leading on managing and developing innovative technical environments adaptive to digital and technological growth.
- Sustain – focuses on future proofed solutions for growth and maintenance of sustainable facilities and equipment that delivers for research and education.
- Nurture – focuses on nurturing communities of experts to thrive through teaching and skills development.
Library Strategy
The Library strategy’s vision brings learning and research together, building a community to create a sustainable, healthier and socially just future. We will:
- Develop infrastructure for open research which will enhance our research culture.
- Support new ways of undertaking research on our unique archives, books and museum.
- Ensure that researchers have access to the content they need for world-leading research.
Research Software and Analytics
We will build on the strengths and grow our Research Software and Analytics group to equip our research community with complex and bespoke research software and meet the ever-increasing need for specialist skills to enable data-driven research.
Internal Processes, Systems & Support Infrastructures
We will coordinate access to effective, efficient and robust internal infrastructure to access the right expertise, facilities and information at all stages of the research and innovation lifecycle. We will continue to make improvements to ensure internal processes, systems and support infrastructures are robust and effective to support the research environment.
Digital Research Infrastructure
We will position Exeter as a leader in digital research innovation: delivering a secure, scalable, and supportive environment that empowers researchers with world-class Digital Research Infrastructure. By fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, cost-effective access, and sustainability, we will drive cutting-edge discovery and global research excellence, shaping a sustainable and equitable future.