Queen's research grants reach £60 million high

In his annual report for 2006-2007, Professor Gregson described the period under review as “historic”. He said: “The year saw Queen’s academics win a record number of research grants, forge new international connections and the appointment of the 1,000th employee to one of the University’s spin-out companies.

“Among the highlights were the opening of a new £7 million facility at the Physical Education Centre and a new-look £9 million Students’ Union, which underpin our commitment to the ‘Queen’s Experience’ for our students."

During the year, a range of new courses was introduced to reflect the move to a more responsive curriculum. The number of grants secured by Queen’s researchers rose from 540 to 878. The value of grants awarded also increased significantly in this period, from £42.5 million to around £60 million. The University invested in a number of multi-disciplinary initiatives including centres in Irish Studies and the Promotion of Effective Interventions for Children.

Queen’s also significantly enhanced its international networks, signing an historic research and education partnership with Georgetown University in Washington DC and agreeing two major link-ups with prestigious institutions in Malaysia. It also signed collaborative research partnerships with Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin to place Ireland, north and south, at the forefront of the global knowledge economy.

The Report covers one of the most significant periods in the history of Queen’s. The year under review was Queen’s first as a member of the Russell Group of the UK’s 20 leading research-intensive universities. It was also the first year of implementation of Queen’s 2006-11 Corporate Plan.

Professor Gregson said the invitation to join the Russell Group in 2006 was one of the most motivational developments in the University’s history.

He said: “The Russell Group contains some of the best universities in the world. Queen’s membership of this body acknowledges the University’s position as a centre of academic excellence at the heart of the community it serves. But it also gives added incentive to its aspirations to compete on equal terms with the best in the world.”

He added: “Queen’s is an institution with a unique place in the hearts of those who live in Northern Ireland. I am convinced that we will build on that further in the years ahead.”

Source: By Queen's University Belfast