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Coventry University Professor named as new Chair of UUKi’s Global Research and Innovation Network
Professor Elena Gaura will be in the role for two years
University news / Research news
Friday 30 January 2026
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Professor Elena Gaura, Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) at Coventry University Group, has been appointed Chair of Universities UK International’s Global Research and Innovation Network (GRIN).
GRIN brings together the leaders who shape the UK’s global research and innovation partnerships, across funding, policy, mobility and institutional strategy, and plays a central role in supporting higher education institutions to position the UK within the world’s research and innovation ecosystems.
As Chair, Professor Gaura will lead the network’s strategic agenda, convene senior research and international leaders across the UK, and advise UUKi on how the UK should build, sustain and scale high-impact international research and innovation partnerships in an increasingly competitive and geopolitically complex global landscape.
Professor Gaura is an internationally recognised leader in artificial intelligence and digital systems and a senior architect of global research ecosystems. She leads Coventry University Group’s AI and research strategy, and has built long-standing partnerships across Europe, Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia and Australia, delivering large-scale programmes spanning doctoral training, industrial collaboration and research-to-impact translation in areas including clean energy, digital infrastructure, health and humanitarian systems.
Global research and innovation only work when people, institutions and countries come together with purpose and trust. No single nation can solve today’s complex challenges alone — from climate and health to security and sustainable growth.
GRIN has a vital role in building the relationships, capabilities and shared ambition that allow the UK to be a trusted, long-term partner in those global ecosystems.
Professor Elena Gaura, Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) at Coventry University Group
The GRIN plays a vital role in steering UUKi’s engagement activity with the senior management and research community involved in international research, and I'm delighted to have Professor Gaura on board with her wealth of experience in global and European engagement.
We look forward to working closely with Elena as we enter a busy period for international research and innovation and wish her the best of luck in this role.
Jamie Arrowsmith, Director of Universities UK International
Find out more about GRIN.
