Plymouth University to be awarded Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education

Plymouth University is to be awarded the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education in recognition of its world class marine and maritime research, teaching and training.

The University, which celebrates its 150th anniversary next year, was named as a prize-winner in the 2010-12 Diamond Jubilee Round, by the Royal Anniversary Trust at St James’s Palace in London, last night (Thursday).

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will personally present the awards to representatives from the University at Buckingham Palace on 24th February, next year.

The Prizes are a biennial award scheme within the UK’s national honours system. As such they are the UK’s most prestigious form of national recognition open to a UK academic or vocational institution. The honour is distinctive in recognising the institution rather than an individual or team. The scheme was established in 1993 with the approval of The Queen and all-party support in Parliament.

Plymouth’s award recognises the impact of its research, teaching and training across the marine and maritime sector, and the legacy of its founding as a School of Navigation in 1862.
The institution has forged a number of pioneering partnerships with organisations such as the Britannia Royal Naval College; FOST-HM; and overseas bodies such as the King Fahd Naval Academy.

Its innovative use of technology and commitment to fieldwork is generating world-leading research in areas such as coastal dynamics and processes, and is helping to shape international policy in the management of coastal zones, ports and estuaries. And its interdisciplinary approach is evidenced through the work of its artists in residence who engage audiences through channels such as music, literature and exhibitions.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Wendy Purcell said: “The University is honoured to be awarded the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education for our global research and education in the marine sector. This distinguished award will be presented in 2012, the University's 150th anniversary year since we began as a School of Navigation.

“The honour, part of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations, is very special indeed and reflects the reputation and international standing of our University. It is an award that has been 150 years in the making and marks Plymouth University as a leading world class academic institution.”

ENDS