- The University of Sheffield held its first ever KE and Impact Awards on 2 July to celebrate innovative collaborations with external partners that have delivered tangible, far-reaching, and lasting benefits to the wider world.
- The achievements of colleagues from academia and professional services from across the institution were celebrated in eight award categories.
- Winners ranged from a history-making sustainably fuelled transatlantic flight to a collaboration helping to save lives through a reduction in NHS cancer diagnosis backlogs.
The outstanding achievements of colleagues and partners from across the University of Sheffield and beyond were celebrated in the inaugural UoS Knowledge Exchange (KE) and Impact Awards.
Held across the Engineering Heartspace and Mappin Hall on 2 July, the awards honoured academics and colleagues from professional services whose innovative collaborations with external partners have delivered tangible, far-reaching, and lasting benefits to the wider world.
The ceremony, hosted by Professor Tony Ryan OBE, saw five project teams scooping awards, along with individual accolades for a ‘Rising Star’ and an individual and team award for ‘Excellent Support in KE and Impact’.
With winners ranging from a history-making sustainable transatlantic flight to a collaboration helping to save lives through a reduction in NHS cancer diagnosis backlogs, the winning and shortlisted projects highlight how our colleagues and partners are innovating to shape a greener, healthier, fairer and more ethical future for everyone.
None of these achievements would be possible without the exceptional support of individuals and teams from across the institution. This is why an award category has been specially designed to honour Professional Services colleagues who go above and beyond their every day role.
You can see the full shortlists in each category as well as a list of highly commended projects here:
Winners
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Outstanding partnership or impact in commerce, industry, and the economy
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Flight100, Professor Mohamed Pourkashanian, Translational Energy Research Centre (TERC)
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Outstanding partnership or impact in creativity, culture, and society
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The Great Latin American Women Project , Professor Lauren Rea MBE, School of Languages and Cultures
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Outstanding partnership or impact in health, welfare, and wellbeing
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Julia Garnham Centre (JGC), Dr Adam Hodgson, School of Biosciences
Special award: The judges would like to highlight this project as an excellent example of KE and impact through education:
Social Accountability in Medicine: Community Placements for Medical Students, Dr Joanne Thompson, School of Medicine and Population Health
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Outstanding partnership or impact in policy, public services, and law
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Understanding Unpaid Care Across the UK, Dr Maria Petrillo, Centre for Care
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Outstanding partnership or impact in sustainability and the environment
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Applying AI to Reduce Sewer Spills, Dr Will Shepherd, Department of Civil and Structural Engineering
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Rising star in KE and impact (designed specially for Early Career Researchers)
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The Menstrual Movement in the Media: Reducing Stigma and Tackling Social Inequalities, Dr Maria Tomlinson, School of Journalism, Media, and Communication
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Excellent support for KE and impact (designed specially for Professional Services colleagues)
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Individual award:
Dr Rachael Black, KE Lead, Faculty of Social Sciences (formerly Impact Specialist, Centre for Care)
Team award:
Stephanie Bryson, Jennifer Griffin, Hannah Murton, Sonia Rizzo, Anthea Sutton, and Vanessa Wright, KE Team and Professional Learning Team, SCHARR
Warmest congratulations to all our deserving winners across the institution. Your outstanding work perfectly encapsulates not only the breadth and depth of KE and impact work taking place, but also the positive change it delivers that transcends disciplines and borders.
Professor Ashutosh Tiwari
Deputy Vice-President for Innovation at the University of Sheffield
"Congratulations too to our professional services winners. Your creativity, support and guidance is instrumental in the success and impact of each and every project.
“The awards were designed to demonstrate that this work is very much a collective endeavour, while reaffirming our commitment to continuing to grow and strengthen our impact, KE and innovation activity. We offer our sincere gratitude to our many partners whose hard work and passion contributes to its success in the wider world.
“Finally, I’d like to thank everyone who took the time to submit a nomination or application. The quality of the submissions was incredibly high and, collectively, offers a wonderful overview of innovation activity across our University. It was a privilege to celebrate colleagues’ achievements, and you should all be incredibly proud of what you’ve accomplished."