Northumbria University’s transformation over more than a decade into a research-intensive modern institution has seen it scoop the coveted University of the Year title at the 2022 Times Higher Education Awards.

���ǰ��ٳ�ܳ���������’s vision of becoming a “challenger” university offering a “credible alternative to more established institutions” was first set out in 2008 and was completed in 2021 with a Research Excellence Framework submission that recorded the biggest rise in research power of any UK university for the second REF in a row, a measure that reflects academic strength across the campus.

But the judges noted that Northumbria had not lost sight of its role within its city and region, drawing 40 per cent of undergraduates under the age of 21 from widening participation backgrounds and placing as many graduates into highly skilled employment across the north-east as all the Russell Group institutions combined.

“The scale of [���ǰ��ٳ�ܳ���������’s] ambition, the rigour and effectiveness with which it has been pursued, and its role in transforming lives and supporting its region all make it a deserving winner,” the panel said.

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The awards – dubbed the “Oscars of higher education” and now in their 18th year – span 20 categories covering the full range of university activities. This year’s winners, focusing on achievements at UK and Irish institutions during 2020-21, were announced at a ceremony at the Hilton London Metropole hotel.

Visit ɫ��ֱ�� Campus for more on award winners’ and shortlisted candidates’ work

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The ɫ��ֱ�� Outstanding Achievement Award went to Dame Mary Beard, who stepped down as professor of Classics at the University of Cambridge this year after four decades at the institution. The citation hailed how she had “broken through the ivory tower’s walls and brought her unique enthusiasm for her subject – and crucially, what it can teach us about contemporary life and politics – to the world”, through television programmes and public commentary.

Other big winners included Dublin City University, which took the honours for Outstanding Estates Team and for Widening Participation or Outreach Initiative of the Year; and the University of Reading, which was victorious in the Research Project of the Year: STEM and in the Outstanding Technician of the Year categories.

John Gill, ɫ��ֱ��’s editor, said that even though the Covid-19 pandemic had significantly disrupted the 2020-21 academic year, the entries demonstrated how institutions had “focused on the core missions of universities to deliver world-changing research, life-changing teaching, and all the other ways in which they engage and support communities, regions and countries”.

“There is little sense…that these were universities struggling through such exceptional times. Instead, the picture that is painted is of a sector that has risen to the occasion with skill and confidence, and refused to be pushed off course,” Mr Gill said.

This year’s awards attracted more than 550 entries, with over 70 institutions and teams making the shortlists.

Times Higher Education Awards 2022: the winners

University of the Year
Northumbria University

ɫ��ֱ�� Outstanding Achievement Award
Dame Mary Beard

International Collaboration of the Year
University of York

Outstanding Research Supervisor of the Year
Andrew Radford, University of Bristol
Highly commended: Becky Milne, University of Portsmouth

Outstanding Library Team
Lancaster University

Outstanding Estates Team
Dublin City University
Highly commended: University of Salford

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Widening Participation or Outreach Initiative of the Year
Dublin City University

Knowledge Exchange/Transfer Initiative of the Year
Middlesex University

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Technological or Digital Innovation of the Year
Royal Northern College of Music

Outstanding Entrepreneurial University
London School of Economics and Political Science
Highly commended: London South Bank University

ɫ��ֱ�� DataPoints Merit Award
University College Cork

Research Project of the Year: STEM
University of Reading

Outstanding Support for Students
St Mary’s University, Twickenham

Most Innovative Teacher of the Year
Michael Daly, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences
Highly commended: Francesco Fornetti, University of Bristol

Outstanding Contribution to the Local Community
Sheffield Hallam University
Highly commended: Edge Hill University

Research Project of the Year: Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
University of Leicester, in collaboration with the University of Foggia

Outstanding Contribution to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
University of Huddersfield

Outstanding Technician of the Year
Hong Lin, University of Reading
Highly commended: James Fox-Robinson, Durham University

Business School of the Year
University of Exeter Business School

Outstanding Marketing/Communications Team
King’s College London and ZOE

Relive some of the evening’s best moments in our highlights reel:

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