The agreement focuses on research, teaching and learning that advances security, intelligence and resilience in the face of 21st-century risks.
Dr Simon Harwood, director of Cranfield Defence and Security said: “The challenges facing governments, security services and armed forces in their efforts to protect citizens, businesses, infrastructure and public services have never been so complex or immediate.
“The resilience of individuals, communities and nations is being tested as never before.
“This agreement draws on the specialist skills at Cranfield and Northeastern that now form an essential component of our security against the many current and future threats we face.”
Joint research activities planned under the agreement include the exchange of academic and research staff, the preparation of joint research submissions, the assembling of collaborative research teams, and the collection and sharing of research data.
Opportunities for postgraduate and postdoctoral positions specifically to facilitate research across the two universities will also be explored, and there are plans to organise joint seminars, conferences and academic meetings, along with student exchanges.
The agreement also envisages enterprise level engagement between Cranfield, Northeastern and industry partners for the establishment and delivery of graduate degree programmes focusing on security and resilience.
Dr Craig Gruber, director of intelligence and security programs at Northeastern, said: “The need for an integrated approach to Security, Intelligence and Resilience education and research has never been greater. The partnership with one of the UK’s leading institutions in this domain places both institutions as a global locus for excellence in SIR education and research which will be a force multiplier as we face the threats of the future.”
