University of Leicester to launch five new research institutes

The university said the work was aimed at tackling pressing global challenges

A university has said it is to launch five new research institutes to tackle what it says are today's most pressing challenges.

The University of Leicester said it hoped the research would help tackle global issues, including the climate crisis, current health threats, and harnessing the potential of space.

Prof Philip Baker, from the university, said the work was exciting.

He said it would represent some of the university's very best research.

'Research strengths'

Prof Baker, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for research and enterprise said: "We've got five interdisciplinary flagships that represent some of the very best research that's been done at the university.

"It's really exciting.

"The institutes bring together researchers across lots of different disciplines, be it business or social science, arts, humanities, chemistry, physics [and] medicine, all to address particular themes that are real research strengths."

The five new institutes include an Institute for Structural and Chemical Biology, an Institute for Precision Health, an Institute for Digital Culture, an Institute for Environmental Futures and an Institute for Space.

Prof Baker said the work would represent "really key areas of research that have a massive impact regionally, nationally and indeed internationally".

The work will bring together different disciplines from across the university

The research on space is a collaboration with Space Park Leicester.

Prof Baker said the research would also be of benefit to students at the university.

"In universities we link our education and our research missions," he said.

"So the education that we give our students is informed by research and we've got the opportunity for our students to benefit from the very latest cutting-edge research."

Prof Ross Parry, director of the Institute for Digital Culture, said: "These five research institutes speak to what we see as five challenges for for the planet in the 21st Century, challenges where we know the University of Leicester's research excellence can make a difference."