The Times Higher Education Awards have been recognising outstanding achievements in UK higher education for the best part of two decades, but never before have they shone a light on the level of effort and creativity that was demanded of universities throughout the 2019-20 academic year.

The response required, and delivered, in the face of a global pandemic was unique, and many of the awards submissions reflected those unprecedented circumstances.

Universities’ great strength is not just that they respond to circumstances, but that they also provide a level of constancy at times of uncertainty and change. The award winners profiled in the pages that follow demonstrate that 2019-20 was not just a year of pandemic disruption, it was also a year in which incredible achievements were made in all the areas you would hope and expect: world-changing research, brilliant learning and teaching, international and industrial engagement, and the full gamut of activities that run through universities like words through a stick of rock.

We hope that you will find inspiration reading these stories of excellence, as we did. Many congratulations again to all of our winners, and to all of those shortlisted.

– John Gill, editor, THE

The winners were announced on 25 November 2021, view the photos of the ceremony in our Flickr album .

Below are the shortlists and winning entries, and here you will find an e-book profiling all the winners .

Watch the highlights video

Business School of the Year

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Aberystwyth Business School, Aberystwyth University

School of Management, University of Bradford (winner)

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 (winner)

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) (winner)

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 (winner)

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 (winner)

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 (winner)

Outstanding Entrepreneurial University

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Anglia Ruskin University

University of Edinburgh

Oxford Brookes University

Sheffield Hallam University (winner)

Swansea University

Teesside University

Outstanding Estates Team

Canterbury Christ Church University

Harper Adams University

Newcastle University (winner)

University of St Andrews

University of Salford

York St John University

Outstanding Library Team

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University of Essex

Lancaster University

University of London

Newcastle University

UCL

University of the Arts London (winner)

Outstanding Marketing/Communications Team

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University of Derby

University of Oxford (winner)

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 (winner)

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

Sponsored by Studiosity

De Montfort University (winner)

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 (winner)

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 (winner)

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 (winner)

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 (winner)

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 (winner)

University of Nottingham and partners

Waterford Institute of Technology

THE DataPoints Merit Award

Sponsored by THE DataPoints

Entries were not required for this category.

University of Aberdeen

Bournemouth University (winner)

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

Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert (winner)

(There is no shortlist for this category.)

University of the Year

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Aston University

Cardiff Metropolitan University (winner)

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

The Open University

University of Sunderland

University of York