De Montfort University (DMU) anticipated that the traditional university model would no longer reflect students’ lives, expectations or the direction of higher education. It had a choice – incremental changes to a system that wasn’t working or redesigning the system. DMU chose radical overhaul. Its 2021 Empowering University strategy underpinned change, focusing on a more flexible, equitable approach. The first UK university to adopt block teaching, DMU redesigned 73 per cent of programmes in 11 months, creating a more flexible learning model for students balancing study, work and caring responsibilities. Recognising the importance of widening access to quality education, it was also the first UK university to open campuses in Cambodia and Kazakhstan. 2024-25 marked the first fully block-taught graduating cohort, with results validating the brave choices. Student pass rates improved by 4 per cent, National Student Survey scores between 2022 and 2025 rose between 10 per cent and 20 per cent in key areas alongside key recognition in equality, sustainability and people metrics.

Manchester Metropolitan University’s success is powered by its people. Over the past decade, colleagues, students and partners have transformed the university into a high-performing, inclusive institution recognised for its impact, ambition and delivery. Staff are highly engaged and united behind a clear strategy, enabling major change programmes, growth in research and innovation, and continuous improvement across the institution. This culture of collaboration and shared purpose has helped to establish Manchester Met as one of the UK’s most improved universities and earned recognition as Modern University of the Year 2026 by the Times and Sunday Times. Students are at the heart of the university’s mission. Through an outstanding student experience, sector-leading work in widening participation and apprenticeships, and a commitment to success for all, Manchester Met is expanding opportunity at scale. Together, its people continue to drive innovation, strengthen communities and deliver meaningful impact across Manchester and beyond.

Queen Mary University of London provides hope and opportunity through excellence in education and research. Uniquely, we combine excellence with an unwavering commitment to social justice and inclusion, and an embeddedness with our communities that enables us to do research impossible elsewhere, with transformative impacts globally. For example, across the medical research world we are known for our unique and profound collaboration with our local community. This is exemplified by a long-term population genetics study that has revolutionised the treatment of a fatal cancer, sped up new drug development, improved prediction of diabetes and understanding of Covid susceptibility. Our “organ on a chip” technology takes us one step closer to ending animal research, and our natural weight loss pill gives hope to stemming obesity, a disease now commonly understood to be associated with poverty. In a world still facing intractable inequalities, universities such as Queen Mary are needed more than ever.

In 2024-25, Robert Gordon University (RGU) delivered exceptional institution-wide transformation by reimagining how universities prepare students for work and life. Its ambition to become the UK’s leading work-integrated university has been realised through a coherent model aligning teaching, research, enterprise and civic engagement around real-world application. A step change in research and innovation saw the launch of nine interdisciplinary centres, embedding cutting-edge research directly into the curriculum and strengthening industry collaboration. Investment in research leadership and doctoral growth has created a sustainable, talent-rich environment that enhances learning and impact. This approach delivers measurable results. The RGU Hub engaged more than 1,000 pupils and drove an 18 per cent increase in applications, while the Startup Accelerator has contributed £17 million to the Scottish economy. Community partnerships ensure that students deliver real social impact as part of their studies.

From a widely reported financial crisis in 2019, SOAS has undergone a decisive transformation, delivering consecutive surpluses and establishing financial resilience, enabling confident investment in its future. Alongside this recovery, SOAS has translated its values into global opportunity, including Hyundai Motor Group-funded scholarships and internships for African postgraduate students, and a commitment to widening access, with one in three international postgraduates receiving scholarships. Academic performance has strengthened significantly, with 13 subjects in the QS 2026 global top 100 and development studies ranked second globally. This is matched by major advances in research and sustainability: £10.7 million research income, c£6 million ERC awards, and £8 million to establish the world-first Centre for Anthropology and Mental Health Research in Action, alongside a rise in sustainability ranking from 142nd to 28th in the UK. Access and student success remain central, with 50 per cent of students from the most deprived backgrounds and strong continuation rates across all groups.

In its 125th year, the University of Birmingham demonstrated a modern model of the civic university – outward-looking, inclusive and globally connected – by delivering measurable impact across students, research and society. We reimagined education through our “Education 125” initiative, introducing a new university-wide curriculum model and the UK’s first whole-institution third term. These innovations drove results, including a 4.2-point rise in student satisfaction and recognition as the UK’s most targeted university by leading employers. Research performance also accelerated, with applications, awards and income breaking records for the third consecutive year. Our 125th Anniversary Chairs and Fellows programme – one of the largest recruitment drives in the UK sector – continues to strengthen academic excellence and global ambition. As England’s first civic university, we renewed our commitment to our city while extending our global reach, engaging communities worldwide and reinforcing our international influence.

Tuberculosis remains one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases, despite being preventable and curable. Each year, more than 2 million people are not diagnosed or treated, sustaining community transmission. Men are disproportionately affected, while adolescents and young adults face distinct barriers often overlooked in TB care. Funded by UK Aid and led by the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, the LIGHT Research Programme worked with partners in Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Uganda and the UK to improve gender-responsive TB prevention and care. LIGHT’s pioneering approach lies in embedding innovative knowledge exchange from the outset, co-producing evidence with affected communities, health workers, national TB programmes and policymakers, making it relevant, trusted and used in decision-making. This creative approach helped to increase TB notifications through community-led interventions, improved youth-friendly services, strengthened sex-disaggregated data systems and reporting, influenced policy and built stakeholder capacity. By bringing partners together throughout the research process, LIGHT helped to translate evidence into sustained equitable TB responses.

Lindsey Gaston is the definition of an innovative teacher. He creates spaces grounded in inclusion, innovation and shared values-driven practice, and learning environments that foster curiosity, resilience and belonging. By integrating research, technology and creativity, he empowers students to thrive, ensuring that education becomes a catalyst for meaningful, lasting change. As a senior lecturer in events management, he exemplifies innovative teaching: designing and leading modules that integrate industry‑aligned, experiential and technology‑enhanced learning. Alongside his teaching and leadership responsibilities, Gaston implements creative pedagogies that harness ingenuity such as LEGO® Serious Play® to create powerful reflection, deep learning and personal growth, evidencing transformational student outcomes. His case studies are institutionally recognised and continue to shape practice at institutional, national and international levels.

In London, only 34 per cent of autistic adults are in employment. Alison Hawkings decided that her LSFMD journalism programme was going to be part of closing that gap. Up to 44 per cent of her cohort have an individual support plan for neurodiversity. She built the curriculum around them: accessible formats, advance access to questions, peer-to-peer practice. In March 2025, students produced a podcast, “Neurodiversity in the Workplace” with Ealing Project/Mahaba Café, covered by Ealing News. Hawkings won University of West London’s Teaching Excellence Award 2025 in the category Embedding Employability within the Curriculum. The careers team used the podcast model to treble engagement among neurodivergent students. Other LSFMD courses have adopted it. Students work with Ealing Archives on social media and broadcast content. The employment gap for neurodivergent people is not a gap in ability. Hawkings’ students are proving that every time they file a story or land a placement.

Dr Adam Hodgson has transformed healthcare genomics teaching by founding a student-focused, NHS-badged healthcare genomics training and research facility, the first of its kind in the UK. The Julia Garnham Centre (JGC) is a knowledge exchange partnership with the Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust. Hodgson has generated high-quality healthcare genomics education resources through a co-creative process that includes students and healthcare scientists from the hospital; these nurture professional levels of analytic competence. These resources train more than 300 students a year in the JGC and NHS genomic staff across the UK. The centre also provides an environment in which competent students work alongside healthcare scientists from the NHS to diagnose rare genetic diseases, which collectively affect more than 3.5 million in the UK, where it has previously not been possible to provide diagnostic certainty.

Too often, doctors are expected to break devastating news to patients with little prior practice. Claire Mulhall decided to change that. As lecturer in simulation and academic lead for the Simulated Participant Programme at RCSI, she designed SPIRE (Simulation for Professional Identity Formation and Empathy in Medical Education), a first-of-its-kind curriculum co-designed with patient partners preparing medical students for the most difficult conversations in medicine. From its 2024-2025 pilot, 95 per cent of students found it an informative way to learn patient-centred communication skills, and 86 per cent said following the same patient sequentially increased their empathy. Highly Commended at the 2025 RCSI Education Innovation Awards, Mulhall was subsequently nominated for an Excellence in Teaching Award – recognition that extends to her role leading 100 simulated participants who deliver 5,000 hours of learning annually across five schools. Students say it best: “Colleagues at other medical schools wish they had this opportunity.”

Through three strategic partnerships, Danielle Booy-Pinker has reduced the University of South Wales’ (USW) waste streams, raised nearly £20,000 for charities, and benefited the local community, all of which has been achieved through effective engagement with the circular economy. She transformed USW’s approach to waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) by partnering with Keep Wales Tidy and a third-party company, A&LH Environmental Services, to ensure that 7.9 tonnes were reused or recycled while raising nearly £2,500 for Keep Wales Tidy. To address clothing waste from students, Booy-Pinker collaborated with the British Heart Foundation to donate 9 tonnes of clothing and raise almost £17,000 for life-saving research. Extending circularity into procurement and operations, she partnered with Warp-It, enabling the reuse of nearly 7 tonnes of furniture, reducing costs and saving almost 16 tonnes of CO₂e, while supporting schools and community organisations. These initiatives demonstrate scalable, cross-sector collaboration that converts waste into social value.

In 2024-25, the University of Worcester demonstrated sector-leading environmental leadership by embedding biodiversity recovery at the heart of institutional strategy, governance and culture. Its Biodiversity Strategy 2024-27 aligns with global frameworks including the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Nature Positive Universities initiative, and it is embedded within the university’s ISO14001 Environmental Management System. A cross-institutional Strategic Biodiversity Steering Group ensures delivery and accountability while linking campus action to regional and national priorities. More than 10 per cent of the estate is now actively managed for conservation, supported by habitat creation including hedgerow planting, species-rich grassland and wildflower areas. Partnerships with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds are delivering impactful interventions to support declining bird populations. Innovative digital monitoring through iNaturalist has created a growing evidence base while engaging staff, students and the wider community. Together, these initiatives demonstrate a scalable, replicable model for how universities can lead nature recovery and address the biodiversity crisis.

Confidence in policing among racially minoritised communities in the UK remains consistently lower than among white communities. In response to this sector-wide challenge, Leeds Trinity University (LTU) introduced the Faith Trail initiative, an immersive programme designed to foster meaningful engagement between student officers and local faith communities across Bradford and West Yorkshire. The initiative, which is embedded within the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) curriculum, moves beyond symbolic diversity training. It ensures that students gain direct insight into the lived experiences, beliefs and concerns of the communities they will serve, through structured visits to places of worship. Since its launch in 2024, more than 500 PCDA students have participated, reporting increased confidence and a deeper appreciation of procedural fairness and legitimacy in policing. Through education, partnership and sustained engagement, LTU is helping to shape a more culturally aware generation of police officers, demonstrating how universities can play a key role in addressing sector-wide challenges.

Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, in collaboration with Liverpool City Council; University of Liverpool; Liverpool John Moores University; Edge Hill University; University of Bristol; Knowsley Borough Council; Sefton Council; Capacity Development International; Writing on the Wall; Collective Encounters Community; delivery partners. Also, Anfield & Everton Primary Care Network; University Hospital of Liverpool Group; Primary Care 24; Walton Centre; Liverpool Lighthouse; Explore Partnership CiC; One Knowsley; The Rotunda; Sefton CVS; Comic Youth CiC; and Tiber.

Liverpool City Region faces entrenched health inequalities. Many people live shorter lives and in poorer health than they should. Conversations about health equity highlight failures – system collapse, individuals slipping through cracks and compromised care. ReCITE’s Community Innovation Teams (CITs) work across underserved, deprived areas of Liverpool, Sefton and Knowsley to tackle equity challenges in immunisation, cancer screening, reproductive health and well-being. Building partnerships between communities, local government, healthcare workers, advocacy groups, creatives and policymakers, CITs collaboratively use local data, quality improvement techniques and creative approaches, including storytelling, drama and puppetry, to reach audiences. Targets include parents, children, teachers, pregnant women, ex-smokers and other community members. CITs have demonstrated a range of impacts. Routine data indicate improved uptake of immunisation and cancer screening. We are seeing stronger cross-sector partnerships, new stakeholder networks, secured funding, shifts in community conversations around trust and misinformation, and direct influence on policy and practice.

Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) uses entrepreneurship to deliver its mission: transforming lives through innovative, inclusive and entrepreneurial education and research. In 2024-25, ARU supported 115 new graduate start-ups, contributing to 260 active businesses supporting 568 jobs and generating £10.6 million in turnover, while ARU Peterborough graduated its first cohort and expanded through The Lab. Skills Bootcamps achieved 97 per cent employment; BOOST helped more than 150 small and medium-sized enterprises adopt digital technologies and artificial intelligence, and more than 7,100 students worked with 147 organisations on live projects. Our Arise Innovation Hubs supported 71 businesses and 283 jobs, while our NHS Clinical Entrepreneurs Programme created 99 new businesses and 1,298 jobs in 2024-25 alone; this means that since its inception, it has created 592 new ventures, generated more than 5,000 jobs, secured £1.23 billion in investment and supported over 278 million patients globally. At ARU, entrepreneurship runs through how we teach, innovate and create opportunity.

Swansea University has transformed into a highly impactful entrepreneurial institution by embedding enterprise, innovation and sustainability across all activities through an agile, resource-efficient model. Over three years, entrepreneurship has been integrated into faculties, research and partnerships, guided by the themes of Unlock Talent, Create an Enabling Environment and Deliver Impact in Place. Enterprise is now a core graduate capability, with “Innovative Thinkers” embedded across curricula, engaging more than 14,000 students in 2024-25, generating 508 ideas and 101 start-ups. Rather than centralisation, Swansea built a network of 133+ enterprise champions, driving scalable culture change with limited resources. A connected ecosystem supports students, researchers and partners through mentoring, funding and inclusive initiatives such as WE Innovate. This approach delivers measurable regional and global impact, reflected in rankings including fourth for spin-outs (HE Business and Community Interaction, 2024-25) and strong performance in the 2025 Times Higher Education Impact Rankings.

Kevin Argent, executive director, estates and facilities

The University of Derby Library is driving institutional transformation through “Develop@Derby”, a sector-leading framework enabling every student to succeed in their future. Informed by industry, it develops knowledge, mindset and technical, cognitive and behavioural skills, with measurable impact evidenced by rising National Student Survey (NSS) skills confidence (+1.6 percentage points; +2.1 percentage points year-on-year). Aligned to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 4 (“Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”), the framework adopts an inclusive, strengths-based approach, empowering students to recognise and articulate their capabilities. Delivery spans a co-created digital platform, embedded curricula, targeted workshops and personalised support, achieving 381,236 views in 2024-25 and 81 per cent awareness. Embedding at scale has transformed access: more than half of modules now map to the framework, engaging 9,000 students in teaching. A pioneering shift to Skills Librarians positions the library at the forefront of equitable, institution-wide skills development.

Dr Matthew Greenhall and the University of Liverpool Library team

Katie Steels, director of communications and engagement; Naomi Stewart, deputy director of dommunications and engagement; Press Office (Pete Wilton, Kirsty Bone); Communications (Paula Fentiman, Ignatius-Roy Hillcoat-Nalletamby); Events team (Amber Matson; Donna Bowers; Grace Ko)

Victor Chang has supervised more than 300 postgraduate researchers across four UK universities, bringing eight PhD students and one Doctor of Business Administration student to successful completion – four of those as director of studies. His active cohort includes four PhD students and one DBA candidate. Several graduates have moved directly into academic positions: Lewis Golightly and Karl Hall are lecturers at Teesside University; Qianwen Xu holds a lectureship in China; Ping Ni holds an associate lecturer post at UCL; Yujie Shi worked at Aston University and then at Manchester as a research fellow. Research completed under Chang’s supervision has been adopted by organisations by financial services, the NHS and SMEs, and published in Q1/Q2 journals spanning finance, healthcare AI, and cybersecurity. Chang connects students with industry partners, runs one-to-ones above institutional requirements, and has supported 200+ early career researchers across his career. His postgraduate satisfaction score (90 per cent to 100 per cent) and Aston Teaching Innovation Award (Highly Commended, 2024) reflect consistent student endorsement.

Judith Dyson is an exceptional doctoral supervisor whose impact extends far beyond thesis completion. A professor of implementation science, registered nurse and chartered psychologist, she combines academic excellence with compassionate and transformative mentorship. Dyson currently supervises 11 doctoral students and has guided 12 to completion in 13 years as an academic. Her students consistently disseminate their work, producing over 25 journal papers, while six former supervisees now hold research or teaching posts. Students describe Dyson as both intellectually demanding and deeply supportive. One noted that she pushes students “to think more critically” while ensuring that they feel supported; another praised her ability to be “approachable yet uncompromising on quality”. Dyson is particularly committed to supporting students from non-traditional and global majority backgrounds, fostering confidence, resilience and professional growth. An internationally recognised researcher, she creates opportunities through conferences, collaborations and peer networks, developing not only excellent theses, but confident future researchers.

Veena Kumari has supervised 27 doctoral researchers to completion (14 as primary supervisor). At Brunel University of London since 2018, three of her four completed primary supervisees have won the Vice-Chancellor’s Prize for Doctoral Research – a record of consistent excellence unmatched in the institution’s history. Her doctoral alumni now hold positions at Imperial College London, UCL, King’s College London, the University of Oxford and Brunel; one leads a research project spanning 13 countries; another is a highly specialist NHS clinical psychologist having completed a DClinPsy at Oxford. These outcomes reflect a supervision philosophy that is rigorous yet deeply personal: Kumari treats doctoral researchers as genuine intellectual collaborators, builds them into international networks from day one, and makes co-authorship in peer-reviewed journals a standard expectation rather than an exceptional achievement. Testimonials and the evidence tell a single tale: her mentorship does not end at graduation; it shapes careers, across institutions, across decades.

Professor John Nicholson, professor of strategy, University of Huddersfield

John Nicholson exemplifies doctoral supervision that goes far beyond expectation. Having supervised 18 PhD and doctor of business administration candidates, with at least 10 progressing to academic careers, including senior roles such as deputy dean (international) at the University of Liverpool, his impact is both measurable and enduring. What sets Nicholson apart is his transformational approach. He does not simply guide research – he rebuilds confidence, particularly for those experiencing doubt or entering doctoral study from professional backgrounds. Students describe him stepping in at critical moments, reshaping stalled journeys into successful completions, and helping them to see their work as a meaningful contribution to knowledge. As founder of the Centre for Business and Society (CeBAS), he has created a research culture in which postgraduate researchers are central, not peripheral. Combined with his mentoring of colleagues and sector-leading scholarship, he creates environments in which students flourish.

Dr Nauman Reayat, postgraduate research training tutor at Leicester Law School

Nauman Reayat routinely goes far beyond traditional academic expectations in the way that he creates a globally connected, intellectually rigorous and highly supportive research environment for his students. Through his organisation and leadership of the Global South Network, Reayat organises weekly online seminars that bring together PhD researchers, academics, judges, practitioners and policymakers from across the world, enabling students to present their research, receive globally informed interdisciplinary feedback, and engage in critical intellectual dialogue. Beyond academic guidance, Reayat’s outstanding commitment to student development has seen him boost direct university involvement by postgraduate research students. Through his efforts, the number of PGR representatives was increased from two in 2023 to eight in 2024. He also organised Leicester’s first-ever open PGR elections, and oversaw the establishment of PGR Representatives and Conference Organising Committees.

In 2024-25, the University of Worcester saw a one-third increase in the amount distributed through its hardship fund as a result of the national cost-of-living crisis. In response, the university launched a major campaign with student welfare and widening participation at its heart, ensuring that financial hardship does not prevent students from completing their studies and achieving strong graduate outcomes. Without a large endowment, Worcester mobilised its own community to support its students. Supporting student scholarships and fighting student hardship was selected as the university’s Charity of the Year, galvanising support internally and externally. More than 500 staff took part in a range of fundraising activities, including a 280km sponsored walk by the vice-chancellor, which attracted more than 1,000 donors. The campaign raised more than £72,000, secured a transformative £250,000 legacy gift, and gained support from nationally prominent figures. This collective effort delivered immediate impact for students, particularly those on intensive professional courses.

Michael Bayliss has redefined the role of technical professionals within the University of Liverpool through innovative leadership in media production, teaching support and research communication. During 2024-25, he led the redevelopment of a specialist media facility, creating sustainable audiovisual infrastructure that supports research, teaching and public engagement across the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and the university of a whole. Michael supported more than 15 research projects and collaborated with over 40 researchers to produce accessible multimedia outputs including podcasts, documentary films and digital research content. He also delivered specialist training to students across 12 modules, embedding authentic industry practice into teaching and assessment. Alongside operational leadership, Bayliss has championed technician visibility through institutional steering groups, national conference presentations and sector advocacy. His work demonstrates how technical expertise can broaden research impact, enhance student experience and strengthen the strategic contribution of technicians within higher education.

Jennifer Cassels has transformed the University of Glasgow’s Garscube Flow Cytometry Facility through innovation, leadership and sector-wide influence, recognised by the 2025 James Watt Technician Prize. As joint manager, she successfully led the centralisation of a shared university–CRUK-SI facility, significantly improving support, training and research quality. She introduced one of Scotland’s first SONY Spectral Analysers, enabling high-dimensional analysis (27+ parameters), and developed a training programme now adopted by other leading institutions. Her support drove uptake, increasing users and groups and expanding research capability. Cassels’ innovation includes co-developing Radio-Flow sorting, integrating radioactive tracers with cytometry to enable cutting-edge research. Nationally recognised, she serves on the Royal Microscopical Society Committee and as deputy chair of the Scottish Society for Cytomics. She is also a strong advocate for technicians, contributing to equality, diversity and inclusion initiatives, authorship recognition and outreach, while driving sustainability and professional development.

Amelia Dingley’s influence at institutional and national level marks her out as one of the most impactful technicians in sport and exercise sciences of her generation. As founder and co-leader of the Technical Special Interest Group within CASES, the first national network dedicated to technicians in this discipline, she transformed representation from zero to 130+ engaged members within 12 months of its launch in November 2024. This rapid growth and engagement directly enabled CASES to become a Technician Commitment supporter in April 2025, embedding structural, organisation-wide change. Securing more than £10,000 in funding, she has established a sustained programme of monthly CPD activity and national events, including a September 2025 launch attended by 60+ delegates, with targeted travel bursaries widening participation. At Brunel University of London, Dingley co-founded TechNet, the largest staff network, she launched the first technician symposium (80+ attendees), technician awards, and created technical internships and placements. Her impact is measurable, scalable and sector-defining.

Saimir Luli manages the Pre-clinical In Vivo Imaging Facility (PIVI) at Newcastle University, providing advanced imaging and surgical expertise to 16 research groups. He oversees five imaging platforms and has transformed PIVI into a leading, non-invasive imaging service central to biomedical research. Through modernisation, training and technical innovation, he has expanded the facility’s capabilities and enabled new research opportunities. Luli is recognised internationally for his multi-modal imaging expertise and his contributions through workshops, collaborations and scientific dissemination. He has secured £1.3 million in external funding, supporting new imaging systems and research in cancer and fibrosis. A committed mentor and collaborator, he supports students and colleagues while fostering interdisciplinary networks. He leads institutional and regional initiatives, including the ImagiNE network and national pre-clinical imaging community development. Combining technical excellence with strategic leadership, Luli has significantly enhanced research infrastructure and collaboration at Newcastle University.

Christopher Spice exemplifies a high-impact technical leader whose vision, expertise and commitment have transformed research, education and knowledge exchange at the University of Essex and beyond. As a senior member of the School of Sport, Rehabilitation and Exercise Sciences leadership team, he aligned technical capability with strategic priorities, securing £330,000 for research infrastructure and delivering a major system on time and within budget. He also redesigned laboratory space, increasing utilisation by nearly 300 hours per term and creating capacity for growth, outreach and recruitment activities reaching about 1,000 young people annually. Beyond his school, Spice has driven sector-leading improvements in recognition and inclusion through the Technician Commitment, influencing policy, REF guidance and staff visibility. Through T-PIKE, where he is co-investigator, he has delivered impactful development, knowledge exchange and sustainability initiatives while mentoring emerging leaders.

Ian Tidmarsh, deputy director of technical services at Manchester Metropolitan University, has revolutionised technical careers and culture locally and nationally. At Manchester Met, he co-led the UK’s first promotion pathway for education and research technical professionals, winning three awards including Research Culture and the Technician Commitment Impact award. Nationally, his strategic guidance has helped more than 70 organisations redevelop career pathways. He led development of the Education Technical Professional Pathway across 20 universities and designed innovative professional registration pathways for overlooked creative technicians. Tidmarsh’s impact is transformative. An exceptional coach, he fosters environments in which staff feel empowered as integral team members rather than mere support staff. By establishing networks such as ETP Net and serving on major boards including the IST and NTDC, Tidmarsh acts as a tireless advocate. He ensures that the technician voice is heard at the highest levels of governance, delivering tangible benefits across the entire higher education sector.

Professor Richard Butler (University of Birmingham); Professor Kirsty Edgar (University of Birmingham); Professor Susannah Maidment (Natural History Museum and University of Birmingham); Professor Driss Ouarhache (Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Morocco), Dr Emma Nicholls (Oxford University Museum of Natural History); Dr Duncan Murdock (Oxford University Museum of Natural History)

Dr Haider Raza, University of Essex School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering; Professor Gordon Wishart, Chief Medical Officer, Check4Cancer 

Professor Matt Loose, School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham; Dr Stuart Smith, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham and Nottingham University Hospitals Trust; Dr Simon Paine, Nottingham University Hospitals Trust; Dr Simon Deacon, PhD student, University of Nottingham

My Imperial Campus has transformed how students experience Imperial, replacing fragmented systems with a single, integrated mobile platform for navigation, attendance, support and campus services. Co-designed with students and alumni and built entirely in-house, the platform now supports 22,000 active users across 3 million annual sessions. Its one-click attendance feature has increased usage by 62 per cent year-on-year, providing valuable real-time data for academic departments, UK Visas and Immigration compliance, and early well-being intervention. The launch of Imperial’s first 3D campus maps has further improved accessibility, helping students to navigate complex campuses, locate study spaces through live occupancy data, and report maintenance issues. Beyond improving the student experience, the platform informs space utilisation planning, identifies wi-fi coverage gaps, and enables university services to engage students through a channel they actively use. My Imperial Campus demonstrates how including users at every stage of design and development can deliver measurable institutional impact at scale.

Dr Alícia Moreno Giménez (senior teaching associate in Hispanic studies); Brian Green (head of innovation and mobile development); Raeesa Parker (IT partnering and innovation developer); Xennon Edmondson (Unity developer); David McBride (Data Immersion Suite manager)

School of Health and Society, University of Salford

The University of Gloucestershire’s 2025 Summer Residentials create a connected widening participation pathway for Year 10 and Year 12 students who might not yet see higher education as a place for them. Fully funded, nationally open, free from academic entry requirements and prioritised for students with widening participation indicators, the four-day, three-night model removes practical barriers while giving students an authentic experience of university life. Students stay in accommodation, explore campuses, join academic tasters, take part in future planning and build relationships with student ambassadors. Demand exceeded places, with 307 Year 10 applications and 339 Year 12 applications. The final cohorts showed strong targeting, with 99 per cent of Year 10 and 93 per cent of Year 12 participants from underrepresented backgrounds. Impact data showed increased confidence, belonging and progression intent, while 15 of 55 Year 12 attendees applied to the University of Gloucestershire. The model offers a scalable route from aspiration to application.