In my May newsletter: Funding for our Forging Ahead initiative, recognition as a University of Sanctuary, shaping our Education and Student Experience, Sustainability Strategy launched, and the new EDI leads roles.

‘Forging ahead’ to revolutionise the translation of research into real-world impact 

I was delighted by this month’s announcement from the Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation, Lord Vallance, confirming Research England funding for Forging Ahead, which will be led by Loughborough University and the Midlands Innovation partnership, and involve a coalition of 15 Midlands university partners. The collaborative programme will reshape how knowledge exchange, business creation and investment attraction are delivered across the Midlands, unlocking the region’s research and innovation strengths and turning them into commercial success stories.  

The initiative has been awarded £9.9 million from Research England’s Connecting Capability Fund, with an additional £6.1 million in matched support from the partner universities and regional stakeholders.  

Forging Ahead will be delivered over five years in two phases: the first will focus on initiatives to nurture entrepreneurial talent, grow investment readiness and embed a culture of innovation within and beyond universities; the second phase will deliver targeted interventions to accelerate innovation in strategically important sectors, including Advanced Manufacturing, Creative and Digital, Health and Med Tech, and Net Zero.  

The Midlands has huge potential. It has a strong university knowledge base, growing investment initiatives, such as Midlands Mindforge, a patient capital investment company launched by the Midlands Innovation universities, and is home to 11% of the UK’s high-growth companies.  

But in 2020 the Midlands only received a 5% share of total investment into these high-growth companies. This funding disparity is even more pronounced in university spinouts. Since 2010, Midlands universities have spun out 169 companies, accounting for 14.5% of the UK total. Yet, in their first seven years, these Midlands ventures attract just 15p for every £1 raised by their counterparts in the Golden Triangle of London, Oxford, and Cambridge.  

This persistent disparity undermines the region’s ability to attract and retain the leadership talent critical for scaling innovative businesses. As a result, nearly 40% of Midlands university spinouts are founded outside the region, effectively turning the Midlands into an exporter of high-value jobs and R&D-driven enterprises.  Forging Ahead, which supports both our research and innovation and our partnership strategic aims, will be an important stepping stone in enabling the Midlands’ universities to reshape the region’s innovation ecosystems and, crucially, level up the funding platform.

University recognised as a University of Sanctuary

I am delighted to announce that Loughborough has officially been recognised as a University of Sanctuary, joining a network of UK universities that support refugees and people seeking asylum. Our membership recognises our commitment to creating a culture of safety, inclusion and support for those seeking sanctuary, which is central to our strategic focus on fostering Vibrant and Inclusive Communities. 

University of Sanctuary status is awarded by the charity City of Sanctuary. As a University of Sanctuary, we have committed to a range of initiatives, such as the provision of Sanctuary Scholarships and ongoing engagement with CARA (the Council for At-Risk Academics), through which we provide a safe environment for scholars to continue their research and academic work.  

Our Loughborough University Sanctuary Scholarships are built on our previous offering, introduced in 2022, to support students who were displaced or fleeing from Ukraine. Last year we awarded one undergraduate and two postgraduate taught Sanctuary Scholarships to students from Ukraine and Nigeria. In 2025, in addition to a further three scholarships we will also be offering a stipend to cover living costs, following a successful fundraising campaign by the University’s PASE (Philanthropy, Alumni and Supporter Engagement) team.  

We have been involved in CARA for a number of years, offering a lifeline for those who need urgent help to escape discrimination, persecution, violence or conflict. CARA also supports academics who choose to continue working in their home countries despite serious dangers, and higher education institutions whose work is threatened or compromised. At Loughborough, for example, we have twinned with Beketov National University in Ukraine as part of a Universities UK International initiative to enable campuses to stay open, academics to continue their teaching and research, and students to carry on their studies.   My thanks go to all those at the University, particularly Professor Malcolm Cook and members of the Loughborough University Students and Academics At Risk Group (LUSARG), who have been instrumental in our obtaining University of Sanctuary status. 

Staff help to shape our future Education and Student Experience

Our six strategic core plans are now firmly embedded in the planning and delivery of our University strategy, Creating Better Futures. Together. Each plan will guide the activity we all undertake over the coming years to ensure we remain on track to achieve our strategic aims. 

This month Professor Sam Grogan, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Education and Student Experience, held two interactive events, one on each campus, to enable staff to play a pivotal role in transforming the education and wider experience we offer to students at the University.  

Harnessing our Digilabs hologram technology, a ‘virtual’ Sam opened the event, reflecting in his opening address not only on the challenges we currently face as a sector, but also the exciting opportunities open to us to reshape the way in which we deliver our education and student experience. 

Attendees were asked to consider six broad themes: the shape of our curriculum; our approach to student development; the future of our teaching, learning, assessment and feedback; how Loughborough graduates can be distinctive; maximising tech in our learning and teaching; and how we enhance the international student experience.  Loughborough is already renowned, and highly rated, for its education and student experience, but if we are to retain our position, and indeed work towards our ambition to be the university of choice for students around the world, we must be both adventurous and creative in our thinking, unafraid to challenge the norm and do things differently. I look forward to hearing more about your innovative thoughts, ideas and suggestions from the two sessions.

University’s Sustainability Strategy launched

On 9 May we launched the University’s Sustainability Strategy, which will underpin the delivery of our Climate Change and Net Zero strategic theme.

Our new strategy focuses on the collective effort required to foster a culture of sustainability across every aspect of campus life and make meaningful change. It has five key pillars: our campuses and operations; sport; research and innovation; education; and events and partnerships, with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, which we signed up to in 2019, embedded in the goals and objectives for each pillar. The strategy will guide our delivery of a range of sustainability commitments, notably: the reduction in Scope 1 and 2 Greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2035 and Scope 3 by 2045. 

The event enabled us to reflect on some of the work we’re already undertaking, examples of which are included in this online feature. For instance, we have joined the University of Nottingham in opening the Zero Carbon Innovation Centre (ZCIC) to deliver innovation in transport technology, green hydrogen production, and power solutions for industry. We have partnered with Carbon Jacked to launch the Climate Cup, which will see our sports clubs compete to be the most sustainable. And through our Sustainable Food and Beverage Policy, we’re cutting down on food waste and working with local suppliers to reduce our carbon footprint and support the local economy.   I have said before, the climate crisis is one of the most pressing challenges facing us all today. We must work together to change what we do and how we do it, whether that’s our teaching and research, our sports activity, the way we manage our campuses, and the partnerships we forge with companies and organisations. We must minimise our impact on the environment, and each of us has a crucial part to play.

EDI leads for Schools and Professional Services

Earlier this year we announced our plan to create EDI (Equity, Diversity and Inclusion) leadership structures in Schools and Professional Services, with the appointment of Associate Deans for EDI within Schools and EDI Principals to lead in our Professional Services. The leads will convene committee structures in their areas, and oversee the development and implementation of school or service level action plans that are informed by the objectives in our EDI core plan. 

These new roles are part of the broader governance changes we have made to underline our commitment to developing anti-discriminatory practice, including the formation of an EDI Governance Committee as a sub-committee of Council and Senate and an EDI Board to bring together leads from Schools, Professional Services, networks, unions and student groups. 

The appointments to these roles will be formally approved at Senate next month and will be announced after that.  The world is a challenging and changing place, but here at Loughborough our commitment to EDI and our core plan remains strong. I look forward to working with the new leads as we continue to drive forward our work on EDI.

Sports Industry Award

Loughborough was named Educational Institute of the Year at the FEVO Sports Industry Awards 2025, in recognition of our ongoing outstanding contribution to sporting excellence and academia. Many congratulations to the academics, athletes, coaches, support staff, partners and leadership team who have contributed to this prestigious award.

Mental Health Awareness Week

This year’s events, held earlier this month, celebrated the power and importance of community, with Loughborough Sport running ‘More Than Sport’ to showcase the powerful role sport can play in supporting mental wellbeing and Student Services highlighting the benefits of community connections.

Partnerships with Ghana

Ghana’s Minister of Youth Development and Empowerment visited Loughborough this month to sign a Memorandum of Understanding that will strengthen the partnership between the University and Ghana’s Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment.