More than 70 universities from across the UK and Ireland are in the running for this year’s Times Higher Education Awards – the first to be held outside London in the contest’s 19-year history.

From a record-breaking haul of entries, 120 – featuring 74 different institutions – have made the shortlist for the “Oscars of higher education”, with the 20 categories spanning the full range of university activity, covering academic and professional services, from front-line staff through all levels of leadership and management. A new award this year celebrates providers’ leadership on environmental issues.

Cardiff Metropolitan University and the University of Essex share the honour of making the most appearances in this year’s shortlist, with four each, followed by another 12 institutions boasting three apiece.

Hoping to win the coveted University of the Year title are the universities of East London, Exeter, South Wales and York, plus Anglia Ruskin University and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.

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After an 18-year run in the capital, this year’s ceremony will be held at the ACC in Liverpool on 7 December.

John Gill, ɫ��ֱ��’s editor, described the shortlist as “a clear indicator of the great strength in depth of UK and Irish higher education”, noting that it includes “not only some long-established big names, but also younger, aspirational institutions, those with a community-centred civic vision, and others with a much more specialist focus – all of whom deserve wider recognition for their brilliant work”.

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“Our awards are inclusive by design, and while ɫ��ֱ�� has learned countless things over the past 52 years covering the sector, right up there is the fact that innovative and inspirational ideas can originate at any institution, whatever its shape, size or reputation,” Mr Gill said.

The awards ceremony will be the finale to this year’s . Learn more about the finalists’ work , and for more information on the awards, visit .

Shortlists for Times Higher Education Awards 2023

Business School of the Year

• Aston Business School, Aston University
• Huddersfield Business School, University of Huddersfield
• King’s Business School, King’s College London
• Lancaster University Management School
• Manchester Metropolitan University Business School
• Oxford Brookes Business School, Oxford Brookes University

International Collaboration of the Year

• University of Birmingham
• University of Essex
• Heriot-Watt University
• University of Liverpool, in collaboration with Arup and the United Nations Development Programme
• Sheffield Hallam University, in collaboration with the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration (IOM)
• University of Strathclyde

Knowledge Exchange/Transfer Initiative of the Year

• Cardiff Metropolitan University
• Coventry University
• Dublin City University
• University of Dundee
• Lancaster University
• Northern Accelerator (the universities of Durham, Newcastle, Northumbria, Sunderland, Teesside and York)

Most Innovative Teacher of the Year

Sponsored by Advance HE

• Cheryl Allsop, University of South Wales
• Bill Buchanan, Edinburgh Napier University
• Esyin Chew, Cardiff Metropolitan University
• Emilie Edwards, Middlesex University
• Paul Giladi, Manchester Metropolitan University/ SOAS University of London
• Louise Taylor, The Open University
• Rebecca Warren, University of Essex

Outstanding Contribution to Environmental Leadership

• Edinburgh Napier University
• University of Exeter
• Loughborough University
• University of Portsmouth
• University of Reading
• Royal Northern College of Music

Outstanding Contribution to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Sponsored by Advance HE

• Anglia Ruskin University (ARU)
• University of Bradford
• Buckinghamshire New University
• Cardiff Metropolitan University
• University of Central Lancashire
• University of West London

Outstanding Contribution to the Local Community

• Anglia Ruskin University (ARU)
• Durham University
• University of Exeter
• King’s College London
• University of London
• University of Plymouth

Outstanding Entrepreneurial University

Sponsored by NCEE

• Brunel University London
• University of Edinburgh
• Kingston University
• London South Bank University
• Royal Northern College of Music
• Swansea University

Outstanding Estates Team

• Cranfield University
• Lancaster University
• Loughborough University
• Manchester Metropolitan University
• University of Salford
• York St John University

Outstanding Library Team

Sponsored by Kortext

• Arden University
• Edge Hill University
• London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
• London South Bank University
• Newcastle University
• Birmingham Newman University

Outstanding Marketing/Communications Team

• London Metropolitan University
• Norland College
• University of Nottingham
• University of Portsmouth
• Queen’s University Belfast
• Sheffield Hallam University and the University of Sheffield

Outstanding Research Supervisor of the Year

• Alison Brettle, University of Salford
• Mark Brown, Royal Holloway, University of London
• Hannah Cloke, University of Reading
• Garry Duffy, University of Galway
• Julia Hörnle, Queen Mary University of London
• Alison Kington, University of Worcester
• Jenny Mercer, Cardiff Metropolitan University
• Ruth Northway, University of South Wales

Outstanding Support for Students

Sponsored by Studiosity

• University of East Anglia
• University of Essex
• London South Bank University
• Northumbria University
• University of Southampton
• University of Stirling

Outstanding Technician of the Year

Sponsored by The Technician Commitment

• Michael Bayliss, University of Liverpool
• Heather Burgess, Ulster University
• Paul Clews, Keele University
• Alex Counsell, University of Portsmouth
• Jason Daff, University of York
• Kirsty Massetti, King’s College London
• Ketan Ruparelia, De Montfort University
• Kate Thornton, Queen Mary University of London

Research Project of the Year: Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

• University of Aberdeen
• University of Central Lancashire
• Liverpool John Moores University
• Royal Holloway, University of London
• University of Strathclyde
• University of Winchester

Research Project of the Year: STEM

• Birmingham City University
• Cranfield University
• University of Essex
• University of Huddersfield
• University of Nottingham
• University of Strathclyde

Technological or Digital Innovation of the Year

Sponsored by Anthology

• University of East London
• Edinburgh Napier University
• University of Galway
• University of Liverpool
• SRUC (Scotland’s Rural College)
• University of Surrey

Widening Participation or Outreach Initiative of the Year

Sponsored by Veredus

• University of Central Lancashire
• Dublin City University
• University of Galway
• King’s College London, in collaboration with the University of Leicester, Newcastle University and The Open University
• Loughborough University
• Queen’s University Belfast and the Institute for Research in Schools

ɫ��ֱ�� Outstanding Achievement Award

Sponsored by Anderson Quigley

There is no shortlist for this category. The winner, chosen by Times Higher Education, will be announced at the awards ceremony.

University of the Year

Sponsored by Adobe

• Anglia Ruskin University (ARU)
• University of East London
• University of Exeter
• Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
• University of South Wales
• University of York