91̽»¨

This annual report reflects a year of achievements, successes and significant progress in the delivery of our University vision and strategy. 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank colleagues for their exceptional work and commitment. Whether they are supporting or providing our students with an outstanding education, delivering research and innovation that finds solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges, or helping us build an inclusive and welcoming community, they are making a real difference. I am also very grateful for the contributions and support of our students, partners and alumni, who all play an important role in making our university the special place it is. 

There is much to celebrate from the last twelve months and this report showcases just some of the highlights. 

There are examples of our world-leading and world-changing research, from identifying how pneumonia cells start to become resistant to penicillin antibiotics and discovering a new piece of the puzzle in understanding why some people are more susceptible to Alzheimer’s disease, to supporting industry partners and the government in successfully delivering the world’s first transatlantic flight by a commercial airline using 100 per cent Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). We have also made significant progress in supporting our research community, embedding a definition of research excellence across the organisation that values the traditional measures of excellence as well as how we undertake research. 

Through our innovation, we are continuing to grow our impact globally, nationally and in the South Yorkshire region. Our new Energy Innovation Centre is giving partners access to our world-class research facilities and expertise to test and develop new low-carbon energy technologies and our Composites at Speed and Scale (COMPASS) facility will work with the aviation industry to help it meet demand for lighter commercial aircraft to meet net zero. Over the last twelve months, it has also been wonderful to see six new spinouts launching from the University, with our portfolio raising £31.6 million, including £3.6 million from Northern Gritstone.

We continue to focus on providing our students with an outstanding education that provides them with the skills they need to be successful in their future careers. There has been an increase in the number of students undertaking work placements and all undergraduate students who started courses in 2024 now have the option to undertake a placement year as part of their degrees. We have also started to implement a new school structure across our five faculties to strengthen our teaching, research and innovation and to provide a more consistent and high-quality experience for our students and staff.

We have also made progress in our goal to build a diverse community of staff and students and create an inclusive, supportive and collaborative environment. This year, we became one of only a small number of universities to develop a new technical career routes to support career progression for technicians, launched an initiative to increase representation of women in portraits and photography around campus, and published new LGBT+ student web pages to outline the support, events and activities available for LGBT+ students. We have continued to progress, review and refresh our equality strategies, including on race, disability, LGBT+, gender and religion, belief and no belief.

The progress we have made in delivering our vision and strategy, and the resilience we have built through careful financial management over a number of years, will be critical in helping the University navigate the inevitable challenges ahead.

It is well-documented that the static cap on home student fees and rising inflation mean that higher education income has been under pressure in real terms for many years, and universities across the country, including 91̽»¨, are having to put in place measures to mitigate the financial impact caused by a decline in international student numbers. We will, of course, continue to work with the sector partners to call on the new government for a sustainable funding model for higher education and investment in research and innovation, but we will need to make some difficult decisions to address the challenges ahead.

The resilience we have established will allow us to be considered in our approach, and it is imperative we do what we can to protect the excellent work that takes place across the University. This annual report demonstrates precisely why our research, innovation and education is so important to society and shaping the world in which we live.

I am very proud of the difference our University makes, and we will continue to build on our progress in the year ahead.

Professor Koen Lamberts
President and Vice-Chancellor