DE MONTFORT University’s policy-focused research has been enhanced during 2025 with a series of new projects working in collaboration with government departments.
The developments were highlight by DMU’s deputy vice-chancellor for research, planning and innovation Professor Mike Kagioglou in his 2025 annual report.
The DMU Policy Unit is bringing results after being established last year with the aim of delivering policy-focused research to government - locally, nationally and internationally.
Researchers are now working with Government officials, civil servants, and practitioners to help shape research questions, methodologies, and outputs to ensure real-world relevance.
The unit has current collaborations with the Government ministries at the UK Science and Technology Network; Department of Science, Innovation and Technology; UK Government Office for Science; and the Ministry of Defence.
In his report, Professor Kagioglou said: “Our record is one we are proud of and the work during 2025 shows our research does not just enhance public knowledge but helps form policy which shapes lives.
“The work of the Policy Unit is important but there is policy-focused research going on in collaboration with the government across the university estate.
“This policy-focused research is not confined to working with the UK government either, we also have important projects going on both locally and internationally.”
Policy-focused research is national, local and international
DMU along with other local universities has secured £5.25m of funding from the Government’s National Institute for Health and Care Research fund to identify the health needs of people in Leicestershire and the policies needed to make those improvements.
DMU academic Dr Ismini Vasileiou, Associate Professor in Cyber Security and Director of the East Midlands Cyber Security Cluster, has been appointed as one of the founding members of a new Government taskforce set up to get more women into the technology industries. The Women in Tech Taskforce will advise Technology Secretary Liz Kendall MP on the policies needed for the change.
Researchers at DMU are working on a pioneering study to investigate how climate change is affecting healthcare system resilience around the world in a project funded by the UK Government's International Development department. The £3m project brings together academics and communities from around the globe to explore the different ways in which people are responding to environmental challenges that affect hospitals and healthcare providers.
The Local Governance Research Centre at DMU is working with the UK Government on policy-focused areas as diverse as scrutiny reviews, municipal entrepreneurship, patient involvement in health, and the accommodation needs of the gypsy and traveller communities.
Researchers are also looking at a policy-focused work around partnership working for the Welsh Government.
In Scotland, ground-breaking research co-led by experts from DMU and University College London set out to understand children’s experiences of living in the temporary accommodation and the impact this has on wellbeing, education, and opportunities late in life. The research for housing charity Shelter Scotland and the Scottish government will help shape future policy on accommodation provision.
Locally, the CAPs (Community, Academics, and Public Sector) project was established to provide policy-focused research into four areas of need identified after exploratory investigation by a team from the university, community and public sector. The four teams looked at equitable health care provision, improving inclusivity for refugees, better access to the arts and heritage and using the value of forests to improve the environment and pay down national debt. The research will be used to help shape policy in Leicester and beyond.
Internationally, A DMU law professor is part of an international research team advising multiple governments across the world on policies and how to transform how police and investigators conduct interviews as part of a €10.4 million project. The six-year project, titled JUSTICE – Joining Unique Strategies Together for Interrogative Coercion Elimination, aims to replace coercive and abusive interrogation methods with those grounded in human rights and evidence
DMU researchers are also collaborating on a £3.5 million project funded by the UK Government to turn a growing global stock of old electric vehicle parts into affordable renewable energy for sub-Saharan Africa. They are working with universities, governments, and industries from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa and Namibia to address these pressing energy challenges and the policies needed to make that happen.