Manchester makes ‘Excellence with impact’ final

25 Apr 2016

The University has been selected as one of 10 finalists

The University has been selected for the prestigious BBSRC’s Excellent with Impact competition. The team, representing staff and students from across all the University, won through at a set of interviews in London in February this year.

The competition encourages institutions to develop and deliver a vision for maximising impact stemming from Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council funded research. It covers both staff and students at all levels and across all areas of relevant impact; from business development and knowledge exchange, through to social responsibility, public engagement, training and policy.

The BBSRC’s assessment panel will pay the University a visit on 28 April before the winners are announced at the BBSRC Fostering Innovation awards ceremony in London in May. At the ceremony, Dr Sheena Cruickshank and Dr Andy Almond, Manchester two nominees for Innovator of the Year, will also find out if they have won. The Excellence with Impact bid is led by Prof Simon Hubbard and Dr Ann Fretwell from the Faculty of Life sciences, along with ProfessorLuke Georghiou, Vice-President for Research and Innovation. Prof Nick Turner from the Manchester Institute of Biology attended the interviews with Simon and Ann, and Dr Sheena Cruickshank the University Academic Lead for Public Engagement with Research.

Dr Crickshank said: We are thrilled to have won through to the final, and look forward to showcasing the BBSRC assessment panel the University’s efforts to embed an impact culture into our staff and students. I am delighted that we are in the finals. This competition is about recognising the impact our BBSRC funded research has on our communities and the work we are doing to support our researchers and communities in developing impacts. We have an amazing diversity of work that has been reflected and showcased in this application. Public engagement and social responsibility are an integral part in the way we, as researchers, can make a difference and it is fantastic to see this being recognised.