News
Thursday, 01 April 2010
The Queen’s Anniversary Prize
The Queen’s Anniversary Prizes for Higher & Further Education recognise and promote world-class achievement and excellence. As part of the national honours system, the Prizes are the UK’s most prestigious educational awards. To date, the University of Oxford has won the Award seven times out of eight rounds - a record unsurpassed by any other university.
The 2009 Prize, which was announced on 18th November at St James’ Palace, was for the seven University collections – the Ashmolean Museum, the Beazley Archive, the Bodleian Library and University Library Services, the Botanic Garden and Harcourt Arboretum, the Museum of the History of Science, the Pitt Rivers Museum, and the University Museum of Natural History – in recognition of their being an invaluable asset to the local community and to the nation, and their safeguarding items of national and international heritage.
The Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, Professor Andrew Hamilton said: "We are delighted with this national recognition of the value and quality of our collections. However, while we celebrate this well-deserved success, we are also aware of worrying storm clouds on the horizon concerning government funding for university museums and collections."
Following is a list of citations for all seven of Oxford University’s Queen’s Anniversary Prizes:
2009: Humanities, Social Sciences & Law
University of Oxford - Museums, libraries and archives in support of research, learning and public education
The University’s museums, libraries and archives are an exceptional resource, accessed by more than two million people each year. Now resources from seven institutions – including the Ashmolean Museum, the Beazley Archive and the Bodleian Library – are being taken out to local schools, shopping centres and other public places. The programme provides imaginative educational programmes for researchers, learners, children and the general public, thereby breathing new life into education for people of all ages and enriching their lives.
2007: Humanities, Social Sciences & Law
University of Oxford - Fresh light on British history: the new Dictionary of National Biography
The new edition of the Dictionary of National Biography, published by the University, is the culmination of a monumental effort of research. It is a constantly evolving online and printed resource, providing an unrivalled first point of reference on over 56,000 noteworthy contributors to British life. The new DNB has taken an important step towards a rebalancing of the history of the UK through a concerted focus on the contribution of women and of individuals from minority communities.
2005: Medicine, Health & Welfare
University of Oxford - Uniquely large-scale medical studies: preventing disability and prolonging life
The university has conducted uniquely large-scale studies into the prevention and treatment of cancer, vascular disease and other life-threatening chronic conditions. These projects typically involve extensive collaboration between many investigators not only in the UK but also throughout Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas. By studying the causes and treatment of disease in a range of settings, the findings can be widely generalised to different populations throughout the world. The clear results that have emerged from these studies have led to substantial changes in public health policies and treatment strategies worldwide — saving hundreds of thousands of lives and preventing serious disability.
2002: International Dimensions
University of Oxford - Refugee Studies Centre: education, training and research
The university has created a world-class centre for the study of forced migration and refugees. It was established in 1982 to undertake multidisciplinary research and teaching on forced migration and to disseminate the results not just to academics, but to policy-makers, practitioners and the wider public. Its ground-breaking research has focused on: asylum; conflict, with a special focus on children; trans-national communities and diasporas; and displacement and resettlement resulting from development. The centre works closely with UN agencies such as the UNHCR and UNICEF and with many international aid organisations.
2000: Medicine, Health & Welfare
University of Oxford - Centre for Tropical Medicine: Treatment, research and education
Through its tropical units in developing countries, supported by the university’s own laboratories in Oxford, the Centre for Tropical Medicine has made an outstanding and internationally recognised contribution to advances in medical knowledge and to the prevention and treatment of tropical diseases. It has played an important role in revitalising training in tropical medicine and in raising awareness of this medical field both nationally and internationally; and many of the important and practical results of its research have been implemented by the World Health Organization and other bodies.
1996: Medicine, Health & Welfare
University of Oxford - Molecular medicine: collaborative research and transfer of results
With the rise of the new sciences of molecular and cell biology, the rapid growth in biotechnology industry created difficulties for under-funded clinical departments. The Institute of Molecular Medicine looked at ways of integrating molecular and cell biology into clinical research. It has created an environment in which scientists interact with clinicians to apply the new methods of biology directly to medical research. It has rapidly established recognition as a world-class centre of excellence and has a profound influence in the development of molecular medicine internationally.
1994: Humanities, Social Sciences & Law
University of Oxford - Exploitation of intellectual property for wealth creation
Isis Innovation Limited has been set up by the university to exploit intellectual property, creating income and ensuring that research achievements are developed for the benefit of the community. Whilst the company has achieved rapid growth in gross licensing income, the university has also established a unique association, the Oxford Innovation Society. This cost-effective and imaginative initiative is a two-way connection enabling industry and commerce to inform the university of its needs and the university to make its capabilities widely known.
