USW joins new Wales Arts & Humanities Alliance for research and innovation

The University of South Wales has joined a new alliance to advance arts and humanities research and innovation in Wales.

The Wales Arts & Humanities Alliance (WAHA) is a partnership between Wales’ nine universities, set up after research leaders recognised the potential for further collaboration across the higher education institutions.

Facilitated by the Wales Innovation Network (WIN), WAHA will provide a platform for collaboration between universities in Wales to enable more effective sharing of expertise, resource and skills which will further the research and innovation ambitions of arts and humanities in Wales.

WAHA will build relationships, with key external stakeholders and with national arts and humanities groups across the UK.

The founding members of the Wales Arts & Humanities Alliance said:

“Following a rich and productive cross-Wales meeting, research leaders from nine universities in Wales are coming together to launch a Wales Arts and Humanities Alliance.

“The Alliance represents a pan-Wales opportunity to build deeper and stronger partnership, centred on the research and innovation excellence of higher education arts and humanities. The Alliance is also a platform for advocacy and activism rooted in our shared creativity, expertise and skills.

“The founding members are delighted to be taking this significant step to amplify the voice of Welsh arts and humanities and to contribute to national and international debates on the value of pan-Wales Arts and Humanities in a rapidly changing world.”

Professor Paul Boyle, Chair of the Wales Innovation Network and Vice-Chancellor of Swansea University, said: “WIN’s founding purpose was to strengthen research and innovation in Wales through collaboration across all nine of our universities. I am therefore delighted that WIN is facilitating the development of the Wales Arts & Humanities Alliance (WAHA), which is an excellent example of the power of our collaborative approach.

“As a sector, we believe that the arts and humanities represent a significant public good and play a key role in meeting the challenges of contemporary society. WAHA offers a timely opportunity to shine a spotlight on the rich value of these important disciplines here in Wales, and to further advance our research and innovation impact in this area."