Click on the shortlisted names to see brief snapshots of the brilliant work taking place in UK and Irish higher education – we hope these tasters encourage you to dig a little deeper.

We encourage shortlisted institutions to download the official THE Awards 2021 assets to promote their nomination.

Business School of the Year

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Aberystwyth Business School, Aberystwyth University

School of Management, University of Bradford

School of Business, University of Dundee

Imperial College Business School

Leeds University Business School

University of Sussex Business School

International Collaboration of the Year

Birmingham City University

The universities of Kent and Cambridge, on behalf of the GCRF COMPASS project

Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine

N8 Research Partnership

University of Salford

Sheffield Hallam University

Knowledge Exchange/Transfer Initiative of the Year

Aberystwyth University

Edinburgh Napier University

University of Glasgow (Edify)

University of Glasgow (Lighthouse Laboratory)

London School of Economics and Political Science

The Open University

Most Innovative Teacher of the Year

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Paul Driver, Anglia Ruskin University

Liam Jarvis, University of Essex

Chris Jones, Pearson College London

Sara Namvar, University of Salford

Alexia Petsalis-Diomidis, University of St Andrews

Rhianedd Smith, University of Reading

Cath Seeds, SRUC (Scotland's Rural College)

David Wareing, University of Central Lancashire

Outstanding Contribution to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

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Birmingham City University

Edinburgh Napier University

Leeds Trinity University

Royal Holloway, University of London

University of St Andrews

University of Strathclyde

Outstanding Contribution to the Local Community

Birmingham City University

University of Central Lancashire

Edge Hill University

London Metropolitan University

National College of Ireland

University of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent University

Outstanding Entrepreneurial University

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Anglia Ruskin University

University of Edinburgh

Oxford Brookes University

Sheffield Hallam University

Swansea University

Teesside University

Outstanding Estates Team

Canterbury Christ Church University

Harper Adams University

Newcastle University

University of St Andrews

University of Salford

York St John University

Outstanding Library Team

Sponsored by Kortext

University of Essex

Lancaster University

University of London

Newcastle University

UCL

University of the Arts London

Outstanding Marketing/Communications Team

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University of Derby

University of Oxford

University of Reading

Swansea University

University of the West of England

University of the West of Scotland

Outstanding Research Supervisor of the Year

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Ravinder Anand-Ivell, University of Nottingham

Richard Godwin, Harper Adams University

Will Harvey, University of Exeter

Lorraine Hope, University of Portsmouth

Luca Longo, Technological University Dublin

Clive Palmer, University of Central Lancashire

Corina Sas, Lancaster University

Rachel Tolhurst, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine

Outstanding Support for Students

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De Montfort University

Edge Hill University

Glasgow Caledonian University

University of Portsmouth

RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences

University of the West of England

Outstanding Technician of the Year

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Trevor Carey, University College Cork

Andrew Filby, Newcastle University

Steve Florence, Sheffield Hallam University

Abbe Martyn, University of Surrey

Manisha Patel, University of Salford

Paul Rowley, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine

Kerry Truman, Nottingham Trent University

Andrew Whittam, University of Reading

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

Bournemouth University and the University of Strathclyde

University of Manchester

University of Nottingham

University of Strathclyde

University of Sussex

University of Westminster

Research Project of the Year: STEM

Sponsored by Elsevier

De Montfort University, in collaboration with Anglia Ruskin University

University of Glasgow

University of Manchester

University of Oxford, Nuffield Department of Population Health

University of Reading

Royal Holloway, University of London, in collaboration with the University of York, Leeds Museums and Galleries, and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Technological or Digital Innovation of the Year

Durham University

Heriot-Watt University

King's College London

University of Plymouth and Plymouth College of Art

University of Reading

University of West London

Widening Participation or Outreach Initiative of the Year

Brighton and Sussex Medical School

Cardiff University

University of Dundee

Manchester Metropolitan University

University of Nottingham and partners

Waterford Institute of Technology

THE DataPoints Merit Award

Sponsored by THE DataPoints

University of Aberdeen

Bournemouth University

University College Cork

University of Dundee

University of Exeter

University of Manchester

Newcastle University

University of Surrey

THE 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

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Aston University

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

University of Sunderland

Cardiff Metropolitan University

The Open University

University of York