University of Manchester vice-chancellor says Defence University Alliance is needed in tumultuous timesHigher education institutions that have joined a government network to advance defence research must continue to live up to their own values, the vice-chancellor of the University of Manchester has said. Last month, 35 universities signed up to the Defence University Alliance, significantly more than the 20 members the government had been seeking. The Ministry of Defence said the group will promote “a more strategic relationship between defence and academia”. Aligning with valuesBut he acknowledged conducting defence research is often at odds with the ethos of many who work in higher education, and that defence-related collaboration must be handled carefully. For Ivison, however, the DUA represents an opportunity to do potentially controversial research work “in the right way”.