Inside King's trilateral security & defence collaborations

These trilateral research projects, developed with academics at Arizona State University and the University of New South Wales (UNSW), were supported through the 2025 Security & Defence PLuS Seed Grant Scheme.

Security & Defence PLuS is the flagship programme of PLuS Alliance, a global partnership which combines the strengths of these three leading research universities on three continents to solve global challenges. The Seed Grant Scheme is designed to enable early-stage collaboration, policy engagement and pathways to longer-term research impact.

A new video series showcases the funded projects and highlights contributions from King’s researchers based in the Department of Engineering, the School of Politics & Economics and the Department of War Studies. The series offers insight into each collaboration, with the lead researchers explaining what their projects aimed to achieve, why the research matters, and how international partnerships strengthen collective security.

Navigating great power rivalry under conditions of global uncertainty

This project examines how small and middle powers respond to strategic pressure from larger states in an increasingly contested international system.

• Professor Samuel Greene, Professor of Russian Politics and Director of the Russia Institute, King’s College London
• Professor Keith Brown, School of Politics and Global Studies, Arizona State University
• Dr Alexander Korolev, School of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts Design and Architecture, UNSW

Fortifying defence: a strategic blueprint for trusted semiconductor supply chains in AUKUS

This project explores vulnerabilities in global semiconductor supply chains and identifies opportunities to strengthen trusted access to critical technologies across AUKUS partners.

• Professor Harris Makatsoris, Professor of Sustainable Manufacturing Systems, King’s College London
• Professor John Fowler, Motorola Professor of International Management, W.P. Carey School of Business, Department of Supply Chain Management, Arizona State University
• Dr Ripon Chakrabortty, School of Systems & Computing, UNSW Canberra

Establishing guidelines for successful collaboration between the space industry and Indigenous communities

Focusing on the rapid growth of the space sector, this research develops guidelines for ethical consultation, resource-sharing, and engagement with Indigenous communities affected by space activity.

• Dr Jeni Mitchell, Department of War Studies, King’s College London
• Dr Adam Fish, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, UNSW
• Amos Taylor, Law and Justice, UNSW
• Dr Timiebi Aganaba, School for the Future of Innovation in Society, Arizona State University

Strength and energy storage: integrating mechanical defence requirements into next-generation solid-state batteries

Bringing together expertise in materials science and engineering, this project advances solid-state battery technologies designed to meet defence operational demands in extreme environments.

• Dr Laura Lander, Department of Engineering, Faculty of Natural, Mathematical & Engineering Sciences, King’s College London
• Professor Neeraj Sharma, School of Chemistry, Science, UNSW
• Professor Candace Chan, School for Engineering Matter, Transport and Energy, Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, Arizona State University

Information on the 2026 Seed Grant Scheme will be shared soon. If you are interested in finding out more about partnering or funding these projects, please contact Security & Defence PLuS: securitydefence@plusalliance.org