A consortium involving 20 partners from Midlands Innovation and Yorkshire Universities has won £3.4m in funding to set up an Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools research network
- The project is being led jointly by Aston University and the University of Leeds
- The four-year funding has come from the Research England Development Fund
- The network will assess AI tools available for PhD research and promote responsible AI uptake and innovation by researchers
A joint project led by Aston University and University of Leeds to set up a network to assess publicly available artificial intelligence (AI) tools for PhD research has been awarded £3.4m by the Research England Development Fund.
The Artificial Intelligence Researcher Development Network Plus (AI.RDN+) is being led by Professor Phil Mizen, professor of sociology and policy at Aston University, and Dr Hosam Al-Samarraie, associate professor in digital innovation design and Professor Arunangsu Chatterjee, dean of digital transformation, from the University of Leeds. The network includes the eight Midlands Innovation partner universities and the 12 universities that comprise the Yorkshire Universities consortium.
Publicly available AI tools, like ChatGPT and Microsoft CoPilot, are being rapidly adopted in academia, but as well as the potential to reduce workloads, streamline processes and offer innovative ways to carry out research, the tools present challenges. This is especially true for PhD-level research, which occupies an important position when it comes to new findings and the translation of that knowledge.
Very little work has been undertaken to understand the uses of publicly available AI tools used by doctoral researchers, their supervisors and examiners, in contrast to the attention directed towards usage by undergraduate students. Doctoral researchers and their enablers feel ill-equipped in relation to the responsible and appropriate use of publicly available AI tools during the course of their doctoral research and there is very little guidance from research and higher education institutions.
AI.RDN+ will respond to these challenges. It will carry out an extensive consultation process with PhD researchers, supervisors, examiners and research-enabling staff, such as professional services staff and technicians, to understand how publicly available AI tools are used to innovate and how its challenges are identified and negotiated. Using this information, AI.RDN+ will create a resource base with guidance on what AI tools are available, how they can be used, and identify case studies of best practice. This information will be made available on a newly created AI.RDN+ portal.
The network will also create training resources for all stakeholders, build skills and knowledge of publicly available AI tools and equip doctoral researchers and those that enable them with the knowledge they need for future research. As part of this it will co-create and test guidance, training and professional and career development resources working with the 20 universities in the Midlands Innovation and Yorkshire Universities consortium. AI.RDN+ also has the potential to shape understanding and practice in the UK higher education sector and beyond.
As well as the universities, AI.RDN+ has the active support of a range of expert organisations including Jisc, the UK digital, data and technology agency for tertiary education, research and innovation, the UK Council for Graduate Education (UKCGE), Vitae, a trusted voice on research culture and researcher development, and the National Centre for Universities and Business (NCUB). It is also supported by two other Research England-funded projects – the Next Generation Research SuperVision Project (RSVP), on the future of doctoral supervision, and Prosper, researching the professional and career development of post-doctoral researchers.
Professor Mizen said:
“The Artificial Intelligence Researcher Development Network Plus will provide detailed knowledge of the uptake and impact of publicly available AI tools across the doctoral ecosystem and use this to co-create much needed information, resources and professional and skills training opportunities. Our project is a unique opportunity to build knowledge and capture innovation, and to use this to build the resources needed for the ethical and responsible use of AI in doctoral research.”
Professor Chatterjee said:
“This award reflects the importance of collaboration across universities to understand and shape the role of AI in research. By working alongside Aston and partners across the Midlands and Yorkshire, we can bring together complementary expertise and perspectives.
“At Leeds, through One Leeds we have committed to embrace AI in a way that is responsible, inclusive and guided by our values. I am particularly pleased to see Dr Hosam Al-Samarraie leading this work for Leeds, bringing both expertise and vision to the partnership. Together, through this network, we can build shared resources and approaches that ensure AI adoption in doctoral research is innovative, ethical and delivers real benefit for researchers and society.”
Dr Helen Turner, Director of Midlands Innovation, said:
“This award reflects the kind of forward-looking collaboration that Midlands Innovation is proud to champion. AI.RDN+ exemplifies how our partner universities, working together and with like-minded institutions from across the UK, are building future-ready talent and driving digital transformation. By equipping researchers and doctoral students with the tools, guidance and confidence to use emerging AI technologies responsibly, this network will strengthen our shared research culture and contribute meaningfully to national priorities.”
