Newcastle University is at the centre of Newcastle’s life. NU began as an outpost of Durham University in the 19th century, finally becoming independent in 1963. NU, then, has the curious mix of being simultaneously an old and new institution, with a rich tradition of excellence in technological disciplines (engineering, physical sciences, etc.) and one of the country’s top English departments.

Today, Newcastle University is one of the country’s leading research institutions, a founding member of the Russell Group (which represents the top 24 research-intensive universities in the UK), and Newcastle University has campuses in Newcastle, London, Malaysia and Singapore. Newcastle University is one of the UK’s centres of excellence for digital innovation and data science, and a member of the Turing Institute.

The University is investing heavily in developing its specialisation in data science and technological innovation. The new Newcastle Helix complex — an urban development bringing together industry, business and research —  hosts the National Innovation Centre for Data. It has also created Centres of Research Excellence (known as NUCoREs): interdisciplinary groups centred around a theme or a global challenge. The Data NUCoRE, crucially, incorporates Text as one of its research strands.

The University is not only at the centre of Newcastle’s intellectual life, but also at its physical centre. The main university campus is compact and situated on the city centre, near public transportation, offering the perfect balance between scheduled conference activities and social gatherings in the city.