University of Strathclyde: Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education presented to Strathclyde at Palace ceremony
The University of Strathclyde has been presented with a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education at a ceremony in St James’s Palace, London.
The award medal was received by Professor Sir Jim McDonald, Principal & Vice-Chancellor, from His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales and Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal.
The award, which is the highest national honour in the sector, was conferred on Strathclyde for its excellence in Advanced Manufacturing and is the University’s third Queen’s Anniversary Prize. In 2020, the University received the accolade for its excellence in Energy Innovation.
Transformative innovation
Sir Jim said: “It is a great honour and source of pride to accept this Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Further and Higher Education on behalf of the entire Strathclyde community.
“This award reflects the outstanding quality, contributions and leadership of our dedicated and inspiring staff and the forward-thinking organisations we collaborate with.
Professor Sir Jim McDonald
“Transformative innovation and impact is one of our key strategic goals at Strathclyde and we are acknowledged across the UK for working with business, industry and government to deliver economic and societal benefits for the local and global communities we serve.
“Together with our partners, we are helping manufacturers in the UK and beyond to increase productivity, accelerate innovation, become more sustainable and grow their international competitiveness.
We do this while educating the next generation of talent who will drive future economic growth and develop the solutions to some of the biggest challenges our world faces.
Joining the Principal at the ceremony were Chancellor Lord Smith, Vice-Principal Professor Scott MacGregor, Professor Alastair Florence and three research students. A reception at the Guildhall the night before was also attended by senior representatives from Strathclyde’s industry partners Rolls-Royce, UK-CPI, AstraZeneca, Boeing, Pfizer as well as from Scottish Enterprise.
Widely recognised
Strathclyde is widely recognised for its expertise in and contribution to advanced manufacturing in the UK, across a wide range of manufacturing sectors including aerospace, automotive, maritime, energy, photonics and pharmaceuticals – work which is delivering long-term benefits in transport, the environment, resilient infrastructure and healthcare.
Over the last 15 years, the University has enhanced manufacturing innovation, notably through the creation of two vibrant Innovation Districts with advanced manufacturing at their core.
Strathclyde’s advanced manufacturing capability was the driver in establishing Scotland’s first Innovation District – Glasgow City Innovation District (GCID) – as well as the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland (AMIDS). Both districts are attracting significant numbers of major companies, supply chain partners and organisations looking to nurture and accelerate growth, improve productivity, and access world-class research, technology, graduates and postgraduates from the University.
Recent developments have included the rapid expansion of the University’s Advanced Forming Research Centre – a national asset and part of the UK’s High Value Manufacturing Catapult – as well as the operation of the world-class National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS), developed in partnership with the Scottish Government and industry partners.
In GCID, the University also established the Continuous Manufacturing and Advanced Crystallisation (CMAC) facility, which has attracted eight of the world’s top pharmaceutical companies to deliver a shared vision for research, translation to industry and skills development; and is home to the Cancer Research UK Formulation Unit, which develops anti-cancer drugs to a level suitable for Phase I and II clinical trials