Global Solutions, Local Impact: Keele’s Research Vision
Keele is a catalyst for global change, harnessing the power of research to create a healthier, more sustainable, and more inclusive world. Our researchers not only address pressing challenges but actively shape solutions that refine industries, improve lives, and inspire new ways of thinking.
By aligning our Research Strategy with the UK’s Industrial Strategy and the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, we drive innovation that makes a lasting difference – locally, nationally, and globally.
Our Research Beacons
Revolutionising healthcare
Through advances in primary care, global health and wellbeing
Advancing sustainable futures
Innovating in life and material sciences, clean energy, and environmental resilience
Shaping the digital world
Leading research in digital society, data ethics, and technological innovation
Building Inclusivity and Communities
Through research in social inclusion, heritage, and creative cultures
Keele is a founding member of ResearchPlus, a collective voice for research-focused universities that play a critical role in the UK’s research and innovation system, Strengthening the UK’s research, innovation, and skills ecosystem through policy influence, civic engagement, and regional impact.
ResearchPlus champions the contribution of diverse universities to economic growth, societal wellbeing, research-informed education and advanced skills - strengthening the national research landscape through collaboration with government, industry and civic partners.
Research institutes
Our interdisciplinary institutes and centres are undertaking cutting edge research that aims to tackle some of society’s most pressing challenges. They bring students, academics and researchers together from across the University, and serve as hubs that stimulate collaboration and debate.
Our research is built on strong subject areas that support and shape our work across different disciplines, including...
Creative research through film, sound, and writing
Cultural industries
English literature
with a focus on displacement and forced migration
History and environmental history
Insect-borne disease
Musculoskeletal health and care
Materials science
Policing
Regenerative medicine
Stars and planets
Some of this research takes place within focused clusters, while other projects are led by established or emerging research centres. We are committed to growing these areas of strength. This helps us give students an outstanding learning experience, grounded in the latest thinking and discoveries. By linking research with teaching, students gain deeper subject knowledge and explore big ideas that connect different fields. Our goal is to make sure our world-class research continues to create exciting opportunities for learning and discovery.
Find out more about our research
Our research partners
Scientists are launching a major new research project to help protect UK food security from bacterial plant diseases that are spreading across parts of continental Europe.
The joint Government and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)-funded project, led by Keele University, will help farmers and growers prepare for potential future outbreaks before the diseases become established in the UK.
