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Research

Queen Mary Research and Innovation Awards

Our annual Awards recognise the excellent people and teams that make Research and Innovation possible here at Queen Mary.

The Awards are open to everyone in Queen Mary who works in research. From technicians to professors, from research managers to postdocs, we celebrate and value our world-leading community.

Our eight categories recognise outstanding contributions at every stage of the research process. They provide a snapshot of the scale of our achievements and the way we put our values into practice, whether nurturing future talent, driving industry innovation or challenging injustice across the globe.

Our values make our Awards special

Our founding mission is to use academic excellence to transform our world for the better, and Queen Mary aims to be the most inclusive research-intensive university anywhere. For our Awards, this means we embed those values in what we look for in a winner, and in the way we choose who to celebrate each year.

What makes a Queen Mary Research and Innovation Award winner?

Applications are assessed on two equally weighted elements: the quality, rigour and significance of the work, and the way our staff worked to ensure a collegiate, sustainable and open research culture as they pursued their ambitions.

Every application was endorsed by another member of Queen Mary staff, and these statements are testament to the warm and inclusive environment we are building.

The impact of Queen Mary’s research lies not just in its excellence but in the way we work with one another and our collaborators.

Chosen by our community

The eight Winners, sixteen Highly Commended finalists and all our shortlisted applicants are chosen by a self-nominated group of peer reviewers to be put forward to our judging panels.

This year, we have been honoured to welcome guest chairs from our partners, funders and community, including some of the UK’s most exciting and impactful research organisations. Their fresh perspective led these panels in choosing our overall Winners and Highly Commended applications.

About our Award Categories

Early Career Researcher

Awarded to an ECR from any discipline or department in Queen Mary whose early achievements have already had a significant influence on their academic field. We will consider all aspects of academic activity candidates wish to submit, including the influence of publications and dissemination, non-academic impact and public benefit, and innovation in academic and applied work.

Research Impact: Culture, Civic, Community and Policy

This award recognises teams who have developed or achieved outstanding impact from Queen Mary research in cultural, civic, community or policy contexts. We celebrate teams including academic and professional services staff at all career stages, along with their collaborators, whose work is leading to changes in practice, thinking or capacity on local, national and/or international scales. We encourage applications that can demonstrate the impact of engaged, collaborative and/or co-designed research for social, cultural, economic, civic, health and/or environmental benefit. 

Research Impact: Enterprise and Commercial Innovation

This award recognises the importance of commercial partnerships and commercial innovation from research. Outcomes may include commercial licensing and spinouts, business engagement that leads to increasing organisational capacity or the development of skills and expertise underpinned by strong collaboration. We encourage applications demonstrating innovative engagement with businesses, investors, and social enterprises.

Interdisciplinary Team

This prize is awarded to a team of researchers representing two or more disciplines, who have come together to address a complex and significant problem. We will consider all aspects of academic activity candidates wish to submit, including the influence of publications and dissemination, non-academic impact and public benefit, and innovation in academic and applied work.

Research Supervisor

This award recognises outstanding work in the academic and pastoral supervision of postgraduate research by an individual member of Queen Mary staff across the PGR experience. Examples include but are not limited to: career development and guidance, pedagogic innovation, student wellbeing, academic outcomes and any other relevant areas of activity.

Research Support

This award celebrates consistently excellent research management and support provided by a team or an individual at Queen Mary. Applicants will be judged on the quality of their research support work and the demonstrable impact it has had on Queen Mary research culture, research excellence and our profile as a research institution.

Technician

This award will be given to a member of technical staff whose exceptional practical skills, commitment and vision has enabled the highest quality research, innovation or knowledge exchange.  

Vice Principal's Award for Research Excellence

This prize is awarded to an established individual or group of researchers who can demonstrate sustained, internationally significant achievements in any field of research. 

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