Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 46 of the Defence Industrial Strategy: Making Defence an Engine for Growth, published on 8 September 2025, CP 1388, what progress has he made on establishing a Defence Universities Alliance.

The Defence Universities Alliance (DUA) will form a more strategic relationship between defence and the Higher Education sector to support national security and UK growth, building on existing collaborative relationships between the sectors.

The Ministry of Defence is currently engaging with Universities UK and the UK’s Higher Education Sector to develop the DUA. There have been a number of workshops with Vice Chancellors of various Universities in the week commencing 21 October which have developed our understanding of the DUA. Further details will be published in due course.