PRESENT
University News
Transformational gift to establish new building
The University of Exeter has received its largest ever philanthropic gift, from His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, the Ruler of Sharjah. The donation has been given to co-fund the construction of a new building on Exeter’s Streatham Campus, which will extend from the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies (IAIS) which His Highness has funded previously.
The University’s relationship with Sharjah has extended over four decades and includes teaching and research collaborations in the Humanities, Education and Science. His Highness Sheikh Sultan is the 18th Ruler of the Emirate of Sharjah in a chain of Al Qasimi Rulers since 1600 AD. He has been at the forefront of the emirate’s cultural, economic and social development and played a significant role in promoting cultural interaction and dialogue among nations at local, regional and international levels. His Highness is an alumnus of the University of Exeter, graduating with a PhD in History (Distinction) in 1985.
The building will incorporate academics and students from across Exeter’s three faculties, with a particular research focus on the Middle East region and the Global South. The building will foster interdisciplinary studies related to climate and environmental management; peace, mediation and stabilisation; and health and wellbeing in the Arabian Gulf and beyond. It will also benefit from a design that will facilitate collaborative research and education and underpin Exeter’s engagement with institutions across Sharjah.
Once all necessary permissions are granted – likely to be in 2024 – construction will start immediately with the building anticipated to open in 2027.
Professor Lisa Roberts, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Exeter, said: “I wish to extend my utmost gratitude to His Highness Sheikh Sultan. This extraordinary act of philanthropy is transformational for our students and our staff, and its scale and ambition form the centrepiece of our Strategy 2030. It will help extend and deepen Exeter’s close relationship with Sharjah. Once constructed, the Al Qasimi Building will be one of the finest buildings to be found on any university campus, and I look forward to welcoming His Highness back to Exeter to open the facility.”
Green Futures Solutions
The University is proud to have launched Green Futures Solutions – a new sustainable business support initiative that helps companies reach net zero, make smarter use of natural resources, and seize opportunities in the growing green economy.
After launching in June 2023, Green Futures Solutions has started to help organisations of all sizes access the world-leading expertise in climate science and sustainability at the University. We are renowned for our world-leading expertise in environmental research and education, with more than 1,500 people working to deliver game-changing solutions.
Key services include Climate Positive solutions, such as: carbon footprinting, climate finance and renewable energy; Business Positive solutions, such as: circular economy and life-cycle analysis, and building performance and monitoring; and Nature Positive solutions, such as: natural capital assessment and modelling, and nature recovery planning.
Find out more about Green Futures Solutions here:
University of Exeter at COP28
The University had a huge profile at COP28, the UN Climate Change Conference where our work was referenced in the final agreement, in the speeches of world leaders and discussed in critical meetings and events throughout the two-week programme. A report was also produced by an international team of more than 200 researchers, coordinated by the University of Exeter, in partnership with Bezos Earth Fund and presented at COP28. Our scientists in Dubai were involved in high level briefings with the UN Secretary General and a range of government delegations including the UK, US and Brazil. Exeter delivered more than 30 events with global partners and hundreds of pieces of media coverage in the world’s top outlets.
UN Sustainability Goals
The United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a set of 17 goals which provide a shared blueprint for sustainable development and a sustainable future. They set out targets to end poverty, protect the planet, and achieve prosperity for all by 2030. At the University of Exeter, an integral part of our work is our commitment to the UN’s SDGs.
In 2023 we were ranked as a leader in the following SDGs:
- 1st globally for Clean Water and Sanitation
- 1st in Europe for Climate Action
- 1st in the UK and 2nd in Europe for Zero Hunger
- 3rd in the UK for No Poverty
- 4th in the UK for Affordable and Clean Energy
These results show our progress towards our goals which are: to lead meaningful action against the climate emergency and ecological crisis; make key breakthroughs to transform human health and wellbeing; and lead progress towards creating a fair, socially just and inclusive society. On top of this, in December, the University entered into the global top 30 in the QS Sustainability Rankings 2024, which recognises the steps universities worldwide are taking to tackle the greatest Environmental, Social and Governance challenges.
Connie White’s legacy
“This bursary will give me the opportunity to explore this part of my life without any financial stress which I am so grateful for. I am so thankful to be given this opportunity by such a kind person.”
Connie Fozzard Scholar.
A generous donation of more than £2 million was recognised through the naming of a medical teaching facility last year. The Constance Fozzard Clinical Skills Suite on the University of Exeter’s Truro Campus was formally renamed at an event in July hosted by our President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Lisa Roberts.
The naming of the Clinical Skills Suite honours the generosity of Connie White, who pledged a legacy to the University of Exeter and the University of Plymouth in 2012 to fund bursaries for students from disadvantaged backgrounds from the region wanting to study medicine and dentistry. When Connie worked at the Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust she practiced as Miss Connie Fozzard and her legacy states the formation of the Fozzard Bursary Fund.
Her generosity will provide a meaningful and long-term source of support to students aspiring to careers in medicine and will ensure talented students can realise their full potential. The University was delighted to welcome the first recipient of the ‘Constance Fozzard Bursaries’ in September 2023.
2023 Honorary Graduates
In the summer of 2023, we were delighted to award degrees to the following:
- Acclaimed novelist – Bernardine Evaristo
- Britain’s Ambassador to Ukraine – Dame Melinda Simmons
- Former Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England and now Dartmoor vicar – Reverend Prebendary Professor Georgina Radford
- Director at Google leading Diversity and Inclusion across EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) – Melanie Eusebe
- UK Government International Education Champion – Professor Sir Steve Smith
- Cornish conservation innovator – Dr Nicholas Tregenza
- Translator – Leslie McLoughlin
At our winter graduation ceremonies we also honoured:
- Chair of Atticus Education alongside working as a British film producer, educator, environmentalist and former member of the House of Lords for 24 years – Lord David Puttnam CBE
- Chief Executive Officer of NHS England – Amanda Pritchard
It was a pleasure to welcome all the Honorary Graduates to our global alumni community.
Rising up the QS World University Rankings
We were delighted when the University placed 153rd in the world in the 2024 prestigious QS World University Rankings, which were released in June 2023. Exeter saw a 10-place rise globally in the rankings, placing it among the very best institutions worldwide. The latest rankings also placed Exeter at 23rd nationally. The highest ranked subject was Mining Engineering which is placed 15th in the world and 1st in the UK. Elsewhere, the University’s Sports-Related Subjects (21st), Geography (27th), Classics and Ancient History (34th), and Environmental Sciences (49th) all feature in the elite Top 50 grouping.
Exeter shortlisted for prestigious THE University of the Year award
The University secured its place amongst the front-runners for the most coveted award in the Times Higher Education Awards 2023 for its commitment to providing world-leading research, teaching and innovation, to create a greener, healthier, fairer future for all. We were also shortlisted in two further categories in the Awards: Outstanding Contribution to Environmental Leadership and Outstanding Contribution to the Local Community.
In December, the ceremony was held at ACC Liverpool and although sadly we did not win, we enjoyed the opportunity to celebrate and recognise the achievements of our University and other higher education providers.
TEF Gold Award
We were thrilled to secure a ‘solid gold’ standard for our commitment to providing world-class teaching, in the 2023 Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) assessment. The TEF 2023 is a UK government initiative aimed at ensuring high-quality teaching in higher education institutions. The University is amongst an elite group of Higher Education institutions to be recognised as consistently providing outstanding teaching, learning and student outcomes to secure the ‘Gold Overall’ standard.
We also received Gold ratings in two aspects of the assessment: Student Experience and Student Outcomes. Exeter is only one of four Russell Group institutions to achieve this ‘solid gold’ assessment and the TEF Panel highlighted several of the University’s groundbreaking initiatives, including its ‘Transformative Education Framework’ to support departments to embed inclusive education, racial and social justice, and sustainability into the curriculum, when awarding.
BRC Launch
Two years ago, the National Institute of Health and Social Care Research announced £15 million in funding for our new Exeter Biomedical Research Centre (BRC). In October 2023, researchers, clinicians, and members of the public came together at our launch event, where we celebrated the benefits this major investment has brought so far. Already it is helping us translate medical discoveries swiftly into benefits for patients, driving improvements in health for our local populations, as well as nationally and internationally. The new facility is the first of its kind in the South West Peninsula.
We use cutting edge translational research to improve health outcomes for patients and the public. By translating scientific breakthroughs into potential new treatments, diagnostics, and medical technologies, we are helping to address the biggest health issues affecting people in our communities today. Our partnership brings together world-class medical research leaders from across the region, and their technical knowledge is partnered with expertise from patients, carers, and families to identify and drive forward important new research.
Exeter awarded £14 million to fight “next global pandemic”
The University of Exeter and collaborators have recently been awarded £14 million for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) research – widely acknowledged as the “next global pandemic”.
AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites evolve to become resistant to commonly used antimicrobial drugs making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death. As well as the threat of a lack of treatments for conditions from sepsis to malaria, AMR infections are also a threat to crops and livestock impacting food security.
Five million deaths worldwide are already associated with AMR infections caused by bacteria, and it has been predicted that AMR infections will be the leading cause of death by 2050 with a cumulative cost to society of $100 trillion.
With nearly 400 experts working together, Exeter is at the forefront of developing solutions that could benefit the global population and stop deaths. Recently funded projects included a £9 million Horizon Europe project on AMR and climate change, focusing on AMR evolution, ecology and epidemiology in coastal environments and a £5 million UKRI funded project focusing on molecular and evolutionary mechanisms that can be used to control AMR in microbial communities.
Volvo Environment Prize 2022 awarded for world-leading microplastics research
Professor Tamara Galloway from the University of Exeter has been awarded the Volvo Environment Prize 2022, for her pioneering work to alert the world to the devastating impacts of plastic pollution in the environment.
Professor Galloway was one of three world-leading scientists from the South West region – along with Professor Richard Thompson and Professor Penelope Lindeque – to win the 2022 accolade, marking their role at the global forefront of marine litter research and education for the past two decades. They have also helped to bring about changes in global policy, with their work central to international government legislation and influencing the United Nations Treaty on Plastic Pollution, signed by 175 nations earlier this year.
In selecting the three laureates for this year’s award, the jury for the Volvo Environment Prize acknowledged that their work “has been instrumental in providing societal awareness of plastic pollution as an emerging global challenge and triggering policy actions”. The Volvo Environment Prize has been awarded annually since 1990 and has become one of the scientific world’s most respected environmental prizes. This is just the fourth time in its history that it has been awarded to scientists from the UK.
