Spotlight

What universities can learn from defining a research identity

Professor Lucy Johnston, University of Canterbury Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research and Innovation

18 June 2026

Around the world, universities are being asked to identify their distinct research strengths and to demonstrate how their work responds to local and global challenges. It is no longer sufficient for universities to simply do research. To remain relevant, connected, and trusted by industry, governments, funders, and communities, universities must enable the translation of academic research into real-world benefit.

At Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury (UC), a research-led university in Ōtautahi Christchurch New Zealand, these drivers have shaped the recent refinement of our Research Identity as part of our new Research Plan – Impact in a Changing World. Christchurch - New Zealand’s second largest city, home to more than half a million people – provides a distinctive context, a place shaped by natural hazards, technological innovation, and strong community partnerships. Building on recognised areas of research strength, we set out to clearly articulate what distinguishes UC nationally and internationally, and how research contributes to our commitments to our region and the world.

Why Research Identity Matters

Defining a clear Research Identity is far more than a branding exercise. It is a strategic discipline that requires universities to make deliberate choices. It asks us to look honestly at where we have genuine capability, where we can make a distinctive contribution, and where we have obligations to the communities, industries, environments and knowledge systems around us.

As universities confront increasingly complex global challenges, from climate change and technological disruption to resource security and social resilience, clarity of purpose matters. No institution, sector, or country can address these issues alone. A research identity is both a statement of who we are and an invitation to collaborate on problems that demand shared knowledge, shared responsibility, and shared ambition. These challenges also require multi-disciplinary approaches, making coherence and focus even more important.

UC researchers are pushing the boundaries of innovation to solve real-world challenges —developing advanced unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, that can use precision tools in complex and dynamic environments and creating solutions with impact far beyond the lab.

Grounded in Evidence, Shaped by Place, Connected to Communities

UC adopted a strongly collaborative process in defining our Research Identity and this reinforced an essential truth: a research identity cannot simply be invented, it must be grounded in evidence, shaped by place, and connected to the people and partners who both undertake the research and who give that research its purpose.

A credible research identity is not only about areas of excellence; it is also about responsibility - to our communities, our place, and our planet. In Aotearoa New Zealand, research identity is shaped by Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the country’s founding agreement. For UC, this means working with mana whenua – Ngāi Tūāhuriri, the indigenous kaitaki (guardians) of the Christchurch area – and all Māori communities so that research is guided by shared aspirations, and, where appropriate, co-designed with Māori and responsive to mātauranga Māori (traditional knowledge) and te ao Māori (the Māori worldview). This is both a commitment our university researchers undertake, and a rich area of research itself.

A Research Identity Shaped by Place

While we share global challenges, UC’s research identity is deeply embedded in our place in the Pacific region and Southern Ocean. Christchurch is a Gateway Antarctica city, with a long history of southern polar exploration. Carrying on that tradition of adventure, curiosity and discovery, UC researchers work at the forefront of Antarctic climate science, animal adaptation, and Antarctic law and policy. Our relationship to Antarctica is more than geographic proximity; it shapes the questions our researchers ask and the partnerships they build.

Closer to campus, our Mt John Observatory sits within an International Dark Sky Reserve, offering exceptional conditions for astronomical research and teaching. Our Cass Field Station in the Southern Alps has hosted scientists, artists, and students for more than a century, providing a unique environment for ecological, geological, and creative inquiry.

Our location has also helped connect UC to Aotearoa New Zealand’s emerging aerospace sector. Clear skies, local technological innovation, and proximity to launch and testing environments have positioned Christchurch as a growing space-technology region. UC researchers collaborate with local aerospace companies to advance research and development that supports national capability in this rapidly expanding field.

Place has shaped us in other ways too. Christchurch’s experience of disaster and recovery has contributed to internationally recognised strengths in earthquake engineering, with UC research informing building design, construction practice, policy, social resilience, and law-making. We are also strengthening our flood-modelling capability for short- and long-term prediction and preparedness, with benefits for our region, the rest of Aotearoa New Zealand, and other countries facing similar risks.

UC ranked in the world’s top 300 universities in the QS World University Rankings and in the top 100 globally in the QS Sustainability Rankings.

From Multidisciplinary Strength to Institutional Focus

The process of defining our Research Identity helped us clarify how UC’s longstanding multidisciplinary strengths connect to a more focused institutional identity. It gave us a way to move beyond broad statements about interdisciplinary collaboration and instead organise that capability around areas where UC has the depth, partnerships, and responsibility to contribute at scale.

The result is a Research Identity built around three research commitments:

To strengthen societal and planetary resilience
To advance sustainable futures through environmental and social stewardship
To create and harness technology for real-world benefit

Defining our identity in terms of research commitments – rather than specific themes or challenges – signals UC’s focus on research that delivers impact. These commitments are grounded in areas where UC’s research already has depth, momentum, and responsibility, and where outcomes are moving beyond the University into real-world applications.

Underpinning our Research Commitments are UC’s ten Signature Capabilities – interdisciplinary domains of expertise that reflect the depth and distinctiveness of UC’s research. These capabilities span areas such as language, literacy and development; biodiversity and ecosystems; materials; and biotechnology. Together, they describe the expertise that enables us to deliver on our commitments.

From Multidisciplinary Strength to Institutional Focus

The result is a Research Identity built around three research commitments:

To strengthen societal and planetary resilience
To advance sustainable futures through environmental and social stewardship
To create and harness technology for real-world benefit

From mountains to coastlines, UC’s extensive network of South Island field stations gives students and researchers access to extraordinary living laboratories, including the Mt John Observatory.

Research with Real-world Impact

From improving literacy skills of children through the Better Start Literacy Program, to AI powered systems to transform water use on farms, UC research is making a difference. Examples below showcase research exemplifying our research commitments.

Many examples of commitment to strengthening resilience can be seen in UC’s leadership in seismic engineering. Research into earthquake dampers, structural monitoring, and advanced seismic instrumentation has been incorporated into key buildings across the region. New damper technology developed at UC has been integrated into Tūranga, Christchurch’s state‑of‑the‑art central library, enhancing its ability to withstand major seismic events. Earthquake‑sensing technology designed by UC researchers enabling fast, accurate post‑event safety assessments has also been installed inside Christchurch’s new stadium, Te Kaha. These innovations strengthen public safety, inform national building standards, and contribute to global understanding of how communities can better prepare for and recover from major seismic events.

Our commitment to sustainable futures is exemplified by cleantech company Zethos. Based on research conducted at UC, Zethos has patented methods to extract zinc and other critical minerals from industrial waste streams at lower cost and with lower carbon emissions than existing processes. Its new Christchurch demonstration facility is a proving ground for international rollout into the global critical-minerals refining market – an area central to the global energy transition. Meanwhile, UC researchers are developing new tools to provide valuable data and recommendations to city planners, aiding decision making to support more sustainable urban development, creating healthier, safer and cooler neighbourhoods. For example, a new AI tool developed as part of a Forestry PhD project at UC provides valuable data about urban tree canopy cover, which is critical to city infrastructure, helping to reduce urban heat, manage stormwater and support biodiversity, as well as contributing to the local population’s mental health and overall quality of life.

UC researchers have demonstrated commitment to creating technology for real world benefit through developing medical technologies that improve the daily lives of individuals recovering from stroke and other conditions, and for people living with diabetes. At UC’s Rose Centre for Stroke Recovery and Research, researchers have developed software tools that support more accessible and responsive clinical assessment and treatment for people with dysphagia (difficulty swallowing). These tools are now available globally through a spin-out company - Swaltech. Researchers in UC’s department of mechanical engineering have developed wearable insulin pump technology designed to make diabetes management simpler and more accessible for patients in New Zealand and around the world, available through spin-out company Zuuka.

For universities seeking to strengthen their relevance in an increasingly complex world, defining a clear Research Identity must draw on existing strengths to lead into future challenges. By understanding what makes us distinctive, grounding our priorities in evidence and place, honouring our responsibilities and aligning with the challenges that matter most, universities can build the partnerships, trust and capability needed to translate research into meaningful outcomes. At UC, our Research Identity provides that foundation, and ensures our research continues to make a difference locally, nationally and globally.

Read more news from UC: https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/news-and-events/news