The partnership will strengthen a joint commitment to co-produce research of the highest quality, boost industry and business collaboration, and publish high-level policy reports designed to inform and shape key government initiatives across the globe. 

The high-level collaboration will bring together the University of Exeter’s global-leading expertise in health, disease and dementia research from both its Medical School and flagship Living Systems Institute, as well as its pioneering environmental research carried out at the Environment and Sustainability Institute, with UQ’s world-leading reputation in health and genetic, environmental, and mental health research. The collaboration will also address global sustainability challenges in the discovery, supply and use of mineral resources.

Operating as a ‘virtual’ institute, the QUEX Institute will also promote opportunities for academics to conduct collaborative research at both universities, facilitated through specified and targeted investment.

Key themes

Working under the overarching banner of ‘Global Sustainability and Wellbeing’, the QUEX Institute will focus on the following crucial interdisciplinary themes:

Joint PhD program

The prestigious QUEX joint PhD program has been the flagship initiative of the Institute to date, attracting the best students from around the world to study jointly at both institutions on projects linked with the QUEX Institute.

The program was officially launched in August 2017 for the first cohort commencing in January 2018. While students are associated with a lead institution, they have a supervisor at each institution and must spend at least 12 months at Exeter and UQ.

Calls for research projects are released with submissions invited from co-supervisors at UQ and Exeter in areas related to the QUEX Institute themes. Projects are jointly assessed to agree on a shortlist to advertise to potential candidates.

Candidates apply directly for their preferred project. Shortlisting is undertaken by the lead supervisor, who nominates their preferred and reserved candidate for each project. Arrangements for final selection and ratification are agreed upon per UK Quality Assurance Agency requirements and managed through a joint Partnership Board.