The post-pandemic era is one where the social role of universities in their local communities, the humanities and social sciences, and fundamental research should all be seen as vital, according to the University of Manchester vice-chancellor.

Dame Nancy Rothwell was speaking at the Times Higher Education University Impact Forum 2021, focused on health and held in partnership with RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences.

Dame Nancy, who is also chair of the Russell Group, said universities “have been acutely aware of the impact of Covid on their surrounding societies” during the pandemic.

She highlighted that the five vice-chancellors from Greater Manchester’s universities have been meeting weekly since March last year to discuss not just pandemic issues such as testing and vaccinations but also wider issues.

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The five universities have been “developing a [joint] civic university agreement, and we’ve been working with the nine further education college principals across Greater Manchester to see how we can contribute to building back better and building skills across the region – particularly skills in disadvantaged areas”, said Dame Nancy.

“I can’t imagine that would have happened without Covid.”

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Her university, she said, was “thinking not just about where are we in terms of student recruitment, or research outputs or whatever else, but where are we in terms of wider society? What role can we now play in building back better and helping our local communities? And in tackling things like inequality – which have been highlighted by the pandemic.”

Asked about the future of the humanities – which some see as marginalised by the Westminster government’s focus on STEM – Dame Nancy said: “Science is the golden boy at the moment, but we should not forget that humanities is about understanding what makes us human and how we behave in society.”

She cited the In Place of War project at Manchester, founded by professor of applied and social theatre James Thompson, which has used “drama to bring together people who have been in conflict”, including people from overseas war zones as well as refugees in Manchester.

This project has highlighted that “when people come out of something terrible like a war, like a pandemic”, they “turn to creative activities”, Dame Nancy said.

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She continued: “Without the social sciences, science is going to get nowhere. Because science needs to understand how society will accept, or not, what’s it doing.”

Noting the importance of issues like focusing on the social impact of AI, she added: “Every time I speak to government about it, I say: don’t forget humanities.”

Dame Nancy went on: “I had a fascinating conversation with someone who runs a big gaming company…He asked about our graduates. I said: ‘Presumably, you want our computer science graduates.’ He said: ‘No, I want your experts in drama, creative writing, history, global cultures – creative people…We can do all the rest.’”

Asked about the role of fundamental research when government policy sometimes emphasises applied research, Dame Nancy said: “Every time I talk to government, politicians and policymakers, I say we would never have got that [Covid] vaccine had it not been for all the fundamental research over many years in understanding the chemistry of vaccines, how to produce them, how to bottle them – let alone understanding our immune systems and how they work and how viruses work.”

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Dame Nancy added: “Applied research is really important, but you’ve got to have something to apply.”

john.morgan@timeshighereducation.com