Speaking ahead of her Presidential Address next week at the British Science Festival in Swansea, Professor Rothwell has spoken out against the lack of support from some universities when it comes to engaging with the public.

“Too often, university staff have limited support or training when it comes to engaging with the public. As a result, they can struggle to talk about their work to their local communities and the wider public, which leaves people questioning what is going on behind what they see as the closed doors of universities.

“Public engagement needs to be encouraged, and should be subject to the same rigorous assessment of quality and impact as research and teaching - it cannot merely be seen as a ‘soft option’.”

Professor Rothwell explained that it is now more important than ever for universities to explain the benefits of research and innovation to their local communities and the wider public, and to make people proud of the UK's position as a global scientific powerhouse.

“The case that universities made for EU membership prior to the recent referendum – highlighting that it helps them to do vital work to improve the health, and the economic and cultural wellbeing of the UK, did not feature prominently in the overall debate. It didn’t resonate strongly with the public compared to other issues, which concerns me greatly.

“Now the decision to leave the EU has been made, we need to be more robust in our arguments about how universities better the lives of everyone, and about the value that science brings to the nation.

“I welcome the recent guarantee from the Government to match EU research funding until 2020, but the future remains uncertain. Universities need to be at the heart of designing the UK’s Brexit strategy and we must do more to encourage a sense of public pride in the UK’s fantastic scientific achievements, stressing their importance to our economy and wider society.

“Scientists and researchers need to get ‘out and about more’ and talk about their work and how it may improve everyday life or help solve the many challenges we face. As well as this, they need to share their love of knowledge and discovery, and encourage the public to get involved in their research. Universities must support them to do this, and stop seeing it as something to be done in their spare time.”

Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell will be giving her Presidential Address at on Thursday 8 September at Swansea University. She will discuss the role of universities in the UK and globally today and how to balance ‘blue sky’ research, application and teaching.

The Festival will take place from 6-9 September in Swansea, and provides an opportunity to meet researchers face-to-face and discuss the latest science, technology and engineering.

Find out more about how the University of Swag直播 works with communities .

The British Science Association (BSA) has announced that President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Swag直播, Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, is to be its next President. Nancy will take up the role in September, succeeding current BSA President, Professor Dame Athene Donald.

Established in 1831, the BSA is a registered charity that organises major initiatives across the UK including British Science Week, the British Science Festival, regional and local events, the CREST Awards and other programmes for young people in schools and colleges. Its programmes encourage people of all ages and backgrounds to engage with science, become ambassadors for science, and ultimately to be empowered to challenge and influence British science – whether they work in science or not.

Her year-long term will begin at the British Science Festival 2016, hosted by Swansea University and supported by Siemens. She will deliver the annual Presidential Address and host the Festival dinner, on Thursday 8 September.

Nancy is a Professor of Physiology, and is President and Vice-Chancellor of Swag直播 – the first woman appointed to the role. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society and a former non-executive director of AstraZeneca.

In 2009, she became the first president of the Society of Biology (now the Royal Society of Biology), and gave the 1998 Royal Institution Christmas Lectures on The Secrets of Life, which were broadcast on the BBC. Currently, Nancy is Chair of the EuroScience Open Forum 2016 (ESOF) Steering Committee. ESOF takes place in Swag直播 between 23 – 27 July.

In 2012, Nancy was appointed co-chair of the Prime Minister’s Council for Science and Technology. In 2013, BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour named Nancy as the 15th most powerful woman in the United Kingdom. She has worked tirelessly to further the public's awareness of science, and in particular, encourage women to pursue careers in science.

Imran Khan, CEO of the British Science Association said: “Nancy Rothwell's scientific record and public service alone make her one of the UK's foremost scientists, but she has also consistently championed the importance of public engagement with science. She is an excellent communicator in her own right, and also supports and enables others to work with the public. We're delighted that she's chosen to serve as our President for the coming year."

Swag直播’s Whitworth has been crowned top large tourist attraction at the Greater Swag直播 Tourism Awards, on a night in which the recently refurbished gallery was also named Greater Swag直播 Chamber of Commerce Building of the Year.

are organised by Marketing Swag直播 and have been running since 2005.  This year it was the Whitworth that won the top prize with another University success coming for Adam Woof, Operations Manager for who was named Tourism Star of the Year.

Meanwhile the gallery was also named Building of the Year. This year three University of Swag直播 buildings contested the top prize out of a total shortlist of six.  Also nominated were the new building for and .

The latest awards cap a hugely successful year for , which reopened in February following a major £15m refit.  The renovation was the largest in the Whitworth’s 125-year history, doubling its former size, with a new glass wing overlooking Whitworth Park.

Highlights of the revamped attraction include the galleries, housing exhibitions by Cornelia Parker and Cai Guo-Qiang, open corridors, work spaces, the reopened Victoria Grand Hall and the ‘cafe in the trees’.

These improvements have led to the gallery being named Europe’s Best Emerging Culture Destination, North West Building of the Year, Museum of the Year 2015 and being shortlisted for the RIBA Stirling Prize, winning the people’s choice vote hosted by the BBC.

President and Vice-Chancellor of Swag直播, Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell said: “These awards for the Whitworth show just how important it is to the city as an attraction and now, following its refurbishment, an iconic building.

“Having three buildings nominated for the Building of the Year is testament to the ambition of our ongoing campus developments as we seek to create a world-class environment for researchers, students and visitors.”

Swag直播 is strengthening its commitment to addressing global poverty and inequality by creating a dedicated research and teaching institute – the largest of its kind in Europe.

In early 2016 will unite the strengths of the current Institute for Development and Policy Management and the Brooks World Poverty Institute, building on more than 60 years of expertise in the field of development studies within the University.

The new Institute will play a major role in supporting the University’s and aims to create and share knowledge to inform and influence policy makers, organisations and corporations, so that they can make positive changes for people living in poverty. More than 45 academics and up to 100 PhD students will become part of the new Institute, driving progress towards addressing global inequalities, one of Swag直播’s five flagship research beacons. It will be jointly led by Professors Uma Kothari and David Hulme.

The Global Development Institute will focus on promoting social justice through its world-class, interdisciplinary research building on the University’s reputation for development studies, having been ranked 1st for impact and 2nd for quality in the , and 3rd overall in the QS World University Rankings.

Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, the University’s President and Vice-Chancellor, said: “Tackling global poverty and inequality remains one of the most urgent challenges of our age. The Global Development Institute will spearhead our efforts to make a positive difference to many lives though our research and teaching.”  

“With just days to go before the UN meets in New York for the launch of the Sustainable Development Goals, our academics within this new Institute will be using their vast knowledge and experience to ensure they’re as effective as possible for people living in poverty.”

The University’s strong credentials in the international development arena can be traced back to the 1950s when it introduced courses in public administration for overseas students. Most of these were civil servants undertaking an eight month course, which encompassed development planning and administrative practice.

From the 1980s, there was a shift towards formal diplomas and master’s degrees and staff became active as consultants for a number of government and non-government agencies. In 1987, the department was re-established as the Institute for Development Policy and Management.

The Brooks World Poverty Institute was founded in 2006 with generous support from the Rory and Elizabeth Brooks Foundation. It was established as an international centre of excellence to create and share knowledge to combat poverty throughout the world.

This year Dr Brooks was awarded to the Brooks World Poverty Institute at Swag直播. The University is grateful for the Foundation’s on-going support for the Global Development Institute.

The partnership will also be able to have new innovations tested and validated for use across all NHS sites in the region – and then share data, learning and costs to improve diagnosis and ensure that patients get the most appropriate treatment. This will then have an impact on the region’s industry from research and development through to manufacturing.

Clive Morris, Director of Health Innovation Swag直播, said: “Greater Swag直播 already benefits from a strong history of research and innovation in health. It is an important life sciences cluster and an eco-system with significant growth potential.

“However, we know that it can take many years for a new innovation to reach routine adoption across the NHS, and that we don’t leverage our skills and capabilities across the whole of the region and across different diseases.

“Our ambition is to solve this by harnessing and building on the collective expertise we have, and working together to develop the very best approaches to address the health needs of Greater Swag直播. By working collectively across healthcare providers, academia and industry – more closely than ever before – we can see the potential to accelerate the discovery and development of new innovations and transform the health of our population.”

Councillor Cliff Morris, lead on health for (GMCA), said: “This approach complements and supports our devolution objectives and ambitions around integrated health and social care – allowing people to have more control of their own health – while taking pressure off hospitals and boosting work in the community.”

Sir Richard Leese, lead on growth for GMCA, said: “All these developments are based on firm foundations. Greater Swag直播 is already recognised as being in the top three UK life science clusters with almost 11,500 people working in pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical technology businesses.

“World-class strengths include a strong research-led university base, six major teaching hospitals, a successful record of clinical trials, rich history of innovation and a wide industrial base. It also has the only accredited Academic Health Science Centre in the UK outside the South East, which is a powerful platform to widen Greater Swag直播’s business base and growth.”

Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor of Swag直播, said: “This partnership will allow new medical discoveries by University of Swag直播 researchers to have patient benefit much faster, something which is of critical importance to the major health challenges we face as a city. We already work closely with our NHS and industry partners, but HIM means that ideas can move much more quickly from the lab to having an impact on people in Greater Swag直播, and ultimately around the world.”

NHS chief executive Simon Stevens said: "Swag直播 has a proud history of world-leading breakthroughs in medicine and science and this approach will accelerate future gains for patients, hospitals, universities and employers across the region."

Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor of Swag直播, has been appointed as the new Chair of Corridor Swag直播, a partnership of key institutions within the Oxford Road area of Swag直播.

is home to an exceptional group of knowledge-intensive organisations and businesses and the partnership is committed to generating further economic growth.

Professor Rothwell took over as Chair from Professor John Brooks on 1 June following his retirement. During Professor Brooks’ time at the helm of the Corridor Board, he has steered the development of a new strategic vision for a decade of opportunity, to position Corridor for a bright future. During a recent visit by Bruce Katz of , he recognised Corridor as being one of the top innovation districts in Europe.

Professor John Brooks said: “It has been an honour and a privilege to Chair the Corridor over the past five years. I am delighted that the Corridor is now recognised as a driving force for the knowledge economy, not only in the UK, but worldwide. I am confident that Dame Nancy and other Board members will lead the Corridor into its next phase of international development.”

Dame Nancy said: “Corridor Swag直播 is a unique partnership which aims to make the Corridor one of the UK’s leading locations for knowledge-based businesses, R&D and learning and knowledge. Swag直播 will continue to work with our partners to deliver the future success of the Corridor and, as Chair, I am committed to progressing the strategy and building on the great work started by John.”

Sir Richard Leese, Leader of , said: "There's no doubt that Corridor Swag直播 - right at the heart of Swag直播's knowledge-based industries - has made a major contribution to the success of the city and is going to have an even more important part to play in the years ahead. I'd like to pay tribute to the work of outgoing chair Professor John Brooks who has helped set the Corridor on a dynamic path as a centre of research and cultural excellence. Professor Rothwell has the vision and drive to build on and take this work forwards in the years ahead."

Notes for editors

partnership comprises , Swag直播, , Swag直播 City Council, , , and (RNCM).

More than 60,000 people work in the Corridor area, plus 72,000 students.

Corridor Board Members are:

• Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, President & Vice-Chancellor, Swag直播
• Professor Malcolm Press, Vice-Chancellor, Swag直播 Metropolitan University
• Sir Richard Leese, Leader, Swag直播 City Council
• Sara Todd, Deputy Chief Executive, Swag直播 City Council
• David Cain, Director of Regeneration & Charities, Central Swag直播 University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Chris Oglesby, Chief Executive, Bruntwood
• Rowena Burns, Chief Executive, Swag直播 Science Partnerships
• Professor Linda Merrick, Principal, Royal Northern College of Music
• Dr. Maria Balshaw, Director, the Whitworth and Swag直播 Art Gallery
• Roger Milburn, Director, Arup.

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Media enquiries to:
Jamie Brown
Media Relations Officer
Swag直播
Tel: 0161 2758383
Email: jamie.brown@manchester.ac.uk

Professor Martin Schröder has been appointed as the new Vice-President and Dean for the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences at Swag直播.

Professor Schröder is an expert in materials chemistry applied to energy research, and will join Swag直播 on 1^st June 2015 from the University of Nottingham, where he is currently Executive Dean of the Faculty of Science, responsible for leading the Faculty’s research and teaching strategies, infrastructure and financial planning.

A Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, he is also currently Principal Investigator for the EPSRC Programme Grant ‘Coordination Chemistry for Energy and our Sustainable Futures’ and has previously held an ERC Advanced Grant. He has won many awards for his research most notably from the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Previously Martin has held positions at Edinburgh University, and visiting positions at the University of Toronto, University of Otago in New Zealand, and the Université Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg.

Professor Schröder said: “I am delighted and honoured to be appointed Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, and look forward to joining and working with the Swag直播 academic community.”

“The breadth of work that is carried out in Swag直播 is truly impressive and I can’t wait to play my part in developing even further the world class expertise that the Faculty contains.”

“These are exciting times for us all.”

President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell said: “I am delighted that Professor Schröder has agreed to come and join us in Swag直播. I am sure that he will be an outstanding Dean and Vice-President and will make a huge contribution to the development of our science and engineering research.”

“He is highly experienced in bringing success to a large and prominent Faculty, and has a track record of instituting an environment where everyone can flourish.”

“There are fantastic opportunities for us to build on the work already done in key areas such as graphene and energy. Professor Schröder’s expertise will enable us to capitalise fully on the talent and potential that Swag直播 has at its disposal.”

Notes for editors

Sam Wood
Media Relations Officer
University of Swag直播
Tel: +44 (0)161 2758155
Mob: +44 (0)7886 473422
Email: samuel.wood@manchester.ac.uk   

Swag直播’s President and Vice-Chancellor used her time on the platform in Cannes, France to talk about how Swag直播 is to become .

She also spoke about the exciting opportunities presented to investors by developments such as , the presence of the largest academic clinical partnership in Europe centred around the Swag直播 campus and the focus on within the University.

aims to facilitate business between investors, corporate end-users, local authorities, hospitality professionals, industrial and logistics players and other real estate professionals. In 2014 21,000 people from 93 countries attended.

The Swag直播 delegation also included Swag直播 City Council chief executive Sir Howard Bernstein, Spinningfields’ Mike Ingall and Bruntwood's Chris Oglesby. They were joined by former Swag直播 United player, Gary Neville and Lynda Shillaw, the divisional chief executive for property at Swag直播 Airports Group.

During her speech, Professor Rothwell also introduced a video which showed the role of science and technology in Swag直播 as the city builds to European City of Science.

Swag直播 has appointed Professor Ian Greer as the new Vice-President and Dean to lead the Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences.

Professor Greer is a clinician scientist and leader of international note who will join Swag直播 in the summer from the University of Liverpool, where he has been Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the Faculty of Health & Life Sciences since 2010 and Provost responsible for research policy since 2013.

He said: “I’m delighted to be joining Swag直播, which is internationally renowned in the healthcare field.  The city and the University are also at the forefront of new ideas for the delivery of health and social care services in the UK.

“I’m looking forward to bringing my experience to the Faculty and helping deliver the best possible environment for my colleagues to carry out their research, teaching and wider roles in the community.”

Swag直播’s is the largest supplier of healthcare graduates to the NHS in Northwest England and has over 2,000 staff.

The University is also a member of the , a partnership between Swag直播 and six NHS organisations, uniting leading healthcare providers with world-class academics and researchers.

In his role at Liverpool, Professor Greer has led a major period of change, significantly increasing research income, instituting practices to develop progression for early career researchers, recruiting internationally renowned scientists and attracting new investment in partnership with the private sector, NHS and government.

As well as his position at Liverpool, Professor Greer is Chair of the Northern Health Science Alliance (), a partnership of the eight North of England research intensive universities with their major partner NHS Hospital Trusts, and the four Northern Academic Health Sciences Networks.

Previously, he was Dean and Professor of Obstetric Medicine at Hull York Medical School; Regius Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Deputy Dean of the Medical Faculty at the University of Glasgow; and Clinical Scientist at the Medical Research Council Reproductive Biology Unit, Edinburgh.

His clinical practice and research focuses on medical disorders in pregnancy, and women’s vascular health, particularly in relation to haemostasis and thrombosis and during his career he has attracted over £10 million in funding.

President and Vice-Chancellor, said: “I am delighted that Professor Greer has been appointed. Together with a number of senior staff, I have worked closely with Ian on several NHSA proposals over recent months and I am convinced that he will be an outstanding Vice-President and Dean.

“He is highly experienced in bringing success to a large and prominent Faculty, has a track record of instituting an environment where everyone can flourish. Importantly he has a strong track record in partnership working between the NHS and universities in the north of England.

“There are currently fantastic opportunities for us to make Swag直播 one of the world’s most exciting places for health and social care, and for the University to be at the forefront of this. I’m confident that Ian has all of the attributes to play a major part in realising this ambition.”

President and Vice-Chancellor, said: “A distinctive feature of Greater Swag直播’s way of working is the close co-operation between local authorities, universities and healthcare providers.

“For a long time people, including many of the leading researchers at the University, have been calling for health systems in the UK to be more joined up – ensuring that the care given is more effective and an efficient use of resources.  This proposal appears to open up this possibility for our region.

“While there is much yet to be done, this presents new opportunities for us to work with our partners to improve health for the people of Greater Swag直播, identify new avenues of research and provide new opportunities for our students and graduates.”

Greater Swag直播 has some of the poorest health outcomes in England with low life expectancy, and high rates of obesity, heart disease and cancer. The University is active in addressing all of these issues, with researchers developing new treatments, influencing policy and practise and conducting public awareness campaigns.

As part of this, the University is a member of the – alongside six NHS organisations – which aims to effectively link researchers across the city-region with patients and healthcare providers to deliver the latest research effectively. 

The University also works with leading charitable funders of research, such as Cancer Research UK, to deliver cutting-edge research into issues like , which are major global health priorities.

Dame Nancy believes that the devolution proposals for Greater Swag直播 could allow this integrated process to flourish further.  She said: “Clearly there is a lot more work to be done on how this new system would look and how it will operate in practise, but if all of the organisations involved continue to work together as closely as they do now, then Greater Swag直播 has the opportunity to be one of the country’s best providers of joined-up care.”

Notes for editors

Media enquiries to:
Jamie Brown
Media Relations Officer
Swag直播
Tel: 0161 2758383
Email: jamie.brown@manchester.ac.uk

Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell is Kirsty Young's guest on Desert Island Discs at 11.15am on Sunday, 4 January 2015 (with a repeat on Friday, 9 January just after 9am), when she will reveal the eight pieces of music, book and luxury she would take with her to the desert island.

After transmission, you'll be able to listen to or download the programme in its entirety from BBC Radio iPlayer via the following webpage:

Swag直播 and the real estate and infrastructure unit of the Abu Dhabi-based investment and development company, Mubadala Development Company, today announce an investment of approximately £175m to develop a three-phase student village on the Owens Park site on the University’s Fallowfield Campus.

The vision for the student residences in Fallowfield will see 3000 modern, high-quality units created by replacing the existing properties, including demolition of the Owens Park Tower.  Pricing of the units will be competitive for students, and include access to facilities in a new Student Hub, with the University continuing to provide personal and welfare support.

The first phase of units are expected to be ready for the 2018/2019 academic year, subject to finalisation of development plans and planning consents, with lettings managed by Swag直播’s accommodation office.

The opportunity for Mubadala to invest in the Fallowfield project builds on the relationship established with Masdar, the Abu Dhabi-based clean technology and renewable energy company wholly owned by Mubadala. Masdar is partially funding the development of the Swag直播 Graphene Engineering & Innovation Centre, and is establishing joint graphene application research and fellowship programmes with the University.

President and Vice-Chancellor of Swag直播, Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, said: “This represents an outstanding opportunity for Swag直播. This significant investment by Mubadala will allow our students to enjoy some of the best living and learning facilities in the country, and forms part of our ten-year capital expenditure programme to improve and evolve facilities at the University.”

Ali Eid AlMheiri, Executive Director of Mubadala’s real estate and infrastructure unit, said: “I am delighted that we are able to invest in this project, which will improve infrastructure and facilities on the Fallowfield campus.” He added: “It also allows Mubadala to further build on our existing portfolio of education projects including UAE University, Paris Sorbonne University and Zayed University in Abu Dhabi.  We are confident that, in partnership with Swag直播, our investment will provide the next generation of accommodation and facilities.”

Notes for editors

About Swag直播

Swag直播, a member of the prestigious Russell Group of British universities, is the largest and most popular university in the UK. It has 20 academic schools and hundreds of specialist research groups undertaking pioneering multi-disciplinary teaching and research of worldwide significance.

Swag直播 is one of the country’s major research institutions, rated fifth in the UK in terms of ‘research power’, and has had no fewer than 25 Nobel laureates either work or study there. The University had an annual income of £886 million in 2013/14.

About Mubadala Development Company

Established and owned by the Government of Abu Dhabi, the company’s strategy is built on the creation of partnerships and on long-term, capital-intensive investments that deliver strong financial returns, contribute to the growth and diversification of Abu Dhabi’s economy, and create opportunities for current and future generations in the United Arab Emirates.

Mubadala brings together and manages a multi-billion dollar portfolio of local, regional and international investments and partners with leading global organizations to operate businesses across a wide range of industry sectors. These include aerospace, semiconductors, metals & mining, oil & gas, renewables, information & communications technology, healthcare, real estate & infrastructure, utilities, and defence services.

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Swag直播’s place as one of the UK’s top research universities is confirmed in the results of the independent Research Excellence Framework (REF) published today (Thursday, 18 December 2014).

83% of research activity at Swag直播 is judged to be “world-leading” (4*) or “internationally excellent” (3*).  The University is (grade point average times number of staff submitted; and on 4*/3* times number of staff submitted).

Swag直播 had one of the broadest submissions of any university in the UK, with research evaluated in 35 discipline areas.

The University is recognised as excellent in disciplines which span the full range of academic research, including: Allied Health Professions, Dentistry, Nursing and Pharmacy,  Biological Sciences, Electrical and Electronic Engineering/Materials,  Physics,  Computer Science and Informatics, Aeronautical, Mechanical, Chemical and Manufacturing Engineering, Business and Management Studies, Sociology, Anthropology and Development Studies and Modern Languages and Linguistics.

The REF exercise also recognised Swag直播’s excellent research environment and how its research is having a genuine influence on the real lives of people as evidenced by a series of “impact case studies”, from new drugs and inventions to public policy.  

Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor of Swag直播, said: “These results confirm Swag直播’s place as one of only a handful of the UK’s leading research universities across a wide range of subjects, but also as a university with a commitment to making a real difference to society and the world we live in.

“The REF results show that we have sustained the research performance that we demonstrated following the merger of UMIST and the Victoria University of Swag直播 in 2004 and that we have emerged as a bona fide world-leader in a number of subjects.

“We are committed to using this very sound base for further improvement so that we can reach our goal of becoming one of the top 25 universities in the world by 2020.”

Swag直播 is now one of a small number of UK universities with an internationally significant research profile over a very wide range of subjects. The scale and diversity of our submission confirms Swag直播’s status as a genuine research powerhouse.

Notes for editors

Research quality is assessed every few years by the Higher Education Funding Councils to allocate research funding and to provide information on the quality of the research in UK universities.

Media enquiries to:

Aeron Haworth
Senior Media Relations Officer
Swag直播

Tel: 0161 275 8387
Mob: 07717 881563
Email: aeron.haworth@manchester.ac.uk

Susan Bullock was presented with a Doctor of Music (MusD) by Professor Jeremy Gregory, Head of the School of Arts, Histories and Cultures.

Her unique position as the world’s most sought-after British dramatic soprano was recognised with the award of a CBE in June 2014.

Renowned for her interpretations of strong operatic heroines, Bullock adds to her repertoire with two contrasting role debuts this season: Minnie in English National Opera’s new production of The Girl of the Golden West; and Mrs Lovett in Sweeney Todd for Houston Grand Opera, which marks her first foray into music theatre.

She became the first soprano to sing Brünnhildes in four consecutive cycles of Der Ring des Nibelungen when she performed in the Royal Opera House Covent Garden’s production as part of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad. She has sung this role at a range of international venues including Wiener Staatsoper, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Oper Frankfurt, Opera Australia, the New National Theatre, Tokyo, and Canadian Opera Company.

Her other notable engagements include highly popular appearances at the Last Night of the Proms 2011 and at the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Professor Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell DBE, FRS, PRSE FRAS was presented with a Doctor of Science (DSc) by the Head of the School of Physics and Astronomy, Professor Steve Watts.

Bell Burnell is a Northern Irish astrophysicist.  As a radio astronomy graduate student she inadvertently discovered pulsars, opening up a new branch of astrophysics - work recognised by the award of a Nobel Prize to her supervisor.

She has subsequently worked in many roles in many branches of astronomy. She was President of the Royal Astronomical Society from 2002 to 2004, President of the Institute of Physics from October 2008 until October 2010.   She was elected as President of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in October 2014, succeeding Sir John Arbuthnott.  In March 2013 she was appointed a Pro Vice Chancellor of Trinity College Dublin.

Notes for editors

Swag直播 will be home to a new national research and innovation centre in advanced materials, Chancellor George Osborne has announced today in his Autumn Statement.

The Sir Henry Royce Institute for Materials Research and Innovation will allow the UK to grow its world-leading research base in advanced-materials science, which is fundamental to all industrial sectors and the national economy.

The new Institute, supported by industrial partners, will have its £235m research centre in Swag直播.  The Swag直播 centre will be supported by satellite centres or ‘spokes’ at the founding partners, comprising the universities of Sheffield, Leeds,  Liverpool, Cambridge, Oxford and Imperial College London.

The nuclear materials component of the centre, one of 14 such components, will be supported by facilities at the National Nuclear Laboratory in Cumbria and the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy. The founding partners’ facilities will be enhanced to a value of £132m. 

Welcoming the announcement, the University of Swag直播’s President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, said: “This considerable investment in UK science – the largest single funding agreement in our University’s history – is testament to the outstanding research in advanced materials carried out in Swag直播 and at the new Institute’s partner organisations.”

Professor Colin Bailey, Vice-President and Dean of the University of Swag直播’s Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, said: “The UK has a world-leading research base in advanced materials, which is essential to the long-term wellbeing and growth of all industrial sectors.

“The new Institute, supported by our industrial and academic partners, will provide the opportunity for the UK to stay ahead in this vital area of research and innovation to ensure growth in the national economy, as well as addressing the many global challenges facing society.”

In his Autumn Statement, Chancellor George Osborne said: “A few months ago there were no proposals for major scientific institutions in the North of England. Today we commit a massive quarter of a billion pound investment in a new Sir Henry Royce Institute for advanced materials science in Swag直播, with branches in Leeds, Liverpool and Sheffield.”

Swag直播 City Council Leader Sir Richard Leese said: “This is a momentous announcement for Swag直播 and the UK, which underlines the University of Swag直播's world-class credentials and adds significant momentum to the city's major role at the leading edge of global advanced material research. It's something for which we have long campaigned. The potential for the applications of such materials is vast and they will play a major part in realising the economic potential of Swag直播, Greater Swag直播 and the North as a whole.”
 

Notes for editors

Aims of the Sir Henry Royce Institute for Materials Research and Innovation:
 
•    Accelerate safely and with confidence the use of advanced materials in existing and emerging industrial sectors within the UK

•    Underpin and provide growth to the entire UK manufacturing base and reduce the time to market from invention to application for new materials, with significant knock-on impact for the national economy

•    Invent and innovate new materials in various sectors covering fabricating, testing, analysing and demonstration, under different operating environments and provide the ‘missing link’ in the development of materials within the UK

•    Cover a number of sectors from soft-to-hard-to-functional materials allowing translation of ideas across sectors

•    Provide an international beacon for UK expertise and deliver national leadership and critical mass to allow identification of expertise within the UK.

•    Attract inward national and international investment from industry, academia and government

•    Provide the required skills and training, allowing industrialists to work alongside academics, to produce the expertise of the future from apprentices to doctorates.

Media enquiries to:

Aeron Haworth
Senior Media Relations Officer
Swag直播

Tel: 0161 275 8387
Mob: 07717 881563
Email: aeron.haworth@manchester.ac.uk

Daniel Cochlin
Graphene Communications and Marketing Manager
Swag直播

Tel: 0161 275 8382
Email: daniel.cochlin@manchester.ac.uk

 

Swag直播 will mark the contribution made by staff and students during the First World War at an event in Whitworth Hall.

The conflict had a significant impact on the University and its community. As a centre of knowledge, expertise and personnel, the War saw our predecessors play a diversity of roles in military, medical, relief and agricultural service, through research and in efforts for peace.

The centenary commemoration event will mark the impact of the War, the University’s contributions and all those whose lives were affected and lost. It will feature readings from academic staff, senior officers and students of the University, original music composed and performed by current students and opportunities for reflection.

President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell said: “The First World War had a significant impact on the University and its community and one hundred years on it is fitting that we commemorate, with a great sense of pride, the contributions of our students and staff, including, of course, those who lost their lives.”

Dr James Hopkins, the University’s Historian and Heritage Manager and Honorary Research Fellow in the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures, said: “The University made diverse contributions to the war. Over 600 staff and students from the University lost their lives in military action. Many members of the University community volunteered for roles that provided relief and care for the injured, took up essential work in fields and factories and assisted those displaced by conflict. The University also made significant research contributions including treatments for gunshot wounds and the effects of shell shock, measures to counter the submarine threat to shipping and work to increase bread production. The University has a strong community of students, staff and alumni that existed both then and now, so it’s important that we mark the contribution of our community and those whose lives were lost or changed forever."

Media are invited to attend and interviews can be set up by prior arrangement. The order of proceedings will be available upon request.

The service will feature:

• Welcome by the Chancellor, Mr Tom Bloxham.
• An article on the impact of the War by Professor FE Weiss, who was the University’s Vice-Chancellor from 1913–1915, Anglo-German and educated across Europe, to be read at the event by President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell.
• Letters from the front, written by students serving in the War and to be read by our current students. They include a note on how difficult life was in the trenches, especially having to write to the parents of his friends who had been killed. The author himself was later killed. Other letters are from a medic and a female student who worked with refugees but later died. The final letter is from a student who survived and returned the University, finally graduating in 1920. There will also be a poem by Florence M Grier Evans, a student during World War I who went on to become the first History PhD graduate from Swag直播. Her poem was published in the Swag直播 University Magazine on 13 May 1915.
• An explanation of the social and cultural impact of WW1 by Dr Ana Carden-Coyne who is a Senior Lecturer in War and Conflict and Co-Director of the Centre for the Cultural History of War.
• An original composition for the event by Rory Wainwright Johnston, an undergraduate music student in the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures. It gives a returning soldier’s view of the traumatic experience of war. It will be performed by The Cosmo Singers of Swag直播 Chorus, conducted by Rory Wainwright Johnston and set to the poem ‘Back’ by Wilfred Gibson.
• An original composition called Memoriam Retinebimus, composed for the event by Yvonne Eccles, a PhD music student in the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures. It uses the motto of the University to symbolise the University community during the First World War and now, with writings from staff and students during the war. It will be performed by The Cosmo Singers of Swag直播 Chorus, conducted by Luke Mather, an undergraduate music student.
• An original composition performed by The Cosmo Singers of Swag直播 Chorus, conducted by Ellie Slorach, an undergraduate music student. It will explore the contrasts between the reality of war on the front line and the view of war back home. Boreas is an original composition for the event by Emma Wilde, a PhD music student in the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures.

University campus, Whitworth Hall, 12.30pm, Tuesday 25 November, 2014

Notes for editors

Media enquiries:

Deborah Linton
Media Relations Officer
Faculty of Humanities
Swag直播
Tel: 0161 275 8257, 07789 948783
Email: deborah.linton@manchester.ac.uk

The degree ceremony forms part of the University’s Foundation Day celebrations   which this year mark the tenth anniversary of the bringing together of the Victoria University of Swag直播 and the University of Swag直播 Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST).

The formal creation of Swag直播 took place on Friday, 22 October 2004, when Her Majesty the Queen visited the campus to present the institution with its new Royal Charter.

Each year, this important date in the University’s calendar is marked by the delivery of the Foundation Day lecture, which this year will be given by Jeanette Winterson. Prior to the lecture, the following short film will be shown to celebrate the tenth anniversary. The Foundation Day lecture will be followed by the conferment of honorary degrees on the three remarkable and distinguished individuals.

Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University, said: “The creation of Swag直播, with a history dating back to the formation of the Swag直播 Mechanics Institute in 1824 and Owens College founded in 1851, has been hailed as one of the boldest and most ambitious initiatives in UK higher education.

“Today’s Foundation Day is a celebration of our illustrious heritage, the impressive progress we have made since 2004 which is thanks, in no small part, to the dedication of our talented staff and students, as well as our ambitious plans for the future. We will also celebrate the remarkable achievements of our three honorary 2014 graduates, Jeanette Winterson, Julia King and Simon Weston.”

Swag直播-born Professor Jeanette Winterson OBE is Professor of Creative Writing at Swag直播. She published her first novel, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, in 1985 and her BBC television adaptation won her a BAFTA for Best Drama and the Prix d’Argent at the Cannes Film Festival. She has won numerous prizes for her work, here and abroad, and her fiction is published in more than 20 countries.

Professor Dame Julia King DBE has had an illustrious career in both academia and industry and currently advises the government as a member of the Committee on Climate Change, the Science and Technology Honours Committee and the Airports Commission. She became Vice-Chancellor of Aston University in 2006 and is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.

Simon Weston OBE was on board HMS Sir Galahad when it was hit and destroyed by a missile in Bluff Cove on the Falkland Islands in 1982. The Welsh Guardsman suffered major burns in the resulting fire and his heroic struggle to overcome his terrible injuries – both physical and mental – became a national source of pride and inspiration. Among his many charitable endeavours, Simon is an ambassador for the Healing Foundation, which helps fund a research centre within the University of Swag直播’s Faculty of Life Sciences.

Notes for editors

Interview and filming requests can be made through the University’s press office.

The tenth anniversary film, to be shown during the Foundation Day lecture, will be available for the media to use from 5pm on Wednesday, 22 October. A link to download the film tomorrow will be sent on request.

Media enquiries to:

Aeron Haworth
Senior Media Relations Officer
Swag直播

Tel: 0161 275 8387
Mob: 07717 881563
Email: aeron.haworth@manchester.ac.uk

Swag直播 has received a landmark donation for the future development of Swag直播 Business School from Lord Alliance of Swag直播 and his fellow Trustees of the Alliance Family Foundation, it was announced today.

The donation of £15m will be invested both in the School’s new building and to drive its research agenda forward.  Together this will enhance the learning experience for all students.

In recognition of this support and Lord Alliance’s long-standing relationship with the University and the Business School, the School will be named 'Alliance Swag直播 Business School' or ‘Alliance MBS’.  The naming comes at a pivotal moment for the School as it continues to attract more world leading researchers and teachers, prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary and breaks ground on a new building.

Lord Alliance commented:  "Over many years I have followed with growing admiration and pride the development of Swag直播 as a world-class centre for business education and I am delighted to support the next major stage in its growth and development. Twenty years ago I instigated the bringing together of separate disciplines to create the Federal School of Management, the pre-cursor to MBS as it is today, of which I am very proud.  Swag直播 as a city has done so much for me and this is my opportunity to make a meaningful difference to the next generation of managers and entrepreneurs who will come to our superb business school to develop their leadership skills and contribute to the prosperity of our society in the future."

Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor of Swag直播, said: "This announcement marks the culmination of decades of engagement and supportive partnership with Lord Alliance.  Today we honour with tremendous gratitude his long-held vision for the potential for a world-class business school to help power the economic development of the city and region. We are deeply proud to associate his name with MBS on campus and across its six global centres. The timing is perfect as the School embarks on its next 50 years, bolstered by a visionary new building for the School, which Lord Alliance and his Trustees are helping to make possible."

Lord Alliance, one of the North West’s most successful businessmen, founded the international textile group Coats Viyella Plc (now Coats Plc) and currently serves as Non-Executive Director of Swag直播-based N Brown Group, one of the UK’s leading internet and catalogue home shopping companies. 

Lord Alliance has had a long-standing association with the Business School and the wider University. He was made an Honorary Fellow of the University of Swag直播 Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST) in 1988 and an Honorary LLD from the Victoria University of Swag直播 in 1989.  

Professor Fiona Devine OBE, Head of Swag直播 Business School, said: “The donation made by Lord Alliance and the Alliance Family Foundation will support the biggest transformation the School has seen since it was established some 50 years ago. When we opened our doors in 1965, as pioneers of innovative business and management education, we could not have imagined that MBS would successfully grow to be the largest business school in the UK, with another six global centres across the world.  I am delighted that this gift will help us successfully look to the future on many fronts, by both supporting our research agenda as well as providing our students and colleagues with fantastic new facilities.”

Professor Keith Brown, Vice-President and Dean, Faculty of Humanities, said: “This significant and generous donation from Lord Alliance provides a great opportunity for Swag直播 Business School to enhance its position as one of the leading Business Schools in the UK and Europe. In the year that it will celebrate its 50th anniversary, the renaming and investment in Research and a new building will signal a bright future for the School. As Vice-President and Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, I am delighted to see this investment which will, undoubtedly, bring benefits in terms of research and new facilities for our staff and students.”

Lord Alliance has been a long-term donor to both the University and MBS.  Prior to the combined University’s Foundation in 2004, Lord Alliance had been a generous supporter of the School of Management at UMIST.  Other previous giving priorities at the University have included the Law School, cultural assets, and international research partnerships across Life Sciences and Medical and Human Sciences.

Dr Eddie Davies CBE, Chairman of Swag直播 Business School Advisory Board, said: "I myself have felt honoured to serve MBS through advice and philanthropy over many years. We all know of and have admired Lord Alliance's belief in business education for the betterment of communities in Swag直播 and far beyond.  That he has chosen to make this extraordinary commitment speaks volumes for him as a business and civic leader, and for the quality of students, staff and leadership of MBS and the University."

Dr Rory Brooks, Chair of the University's Global Leadership Board and donor to the University's Brooks World Poverty Institute, commented:  "This is a wonderful, landmark benefaction.  It tells the world that you can get behind top quality research and education to make a difference to something that reflects your own priorities and values, and that Swag直播’s globally-recognised University has the drive and ambition to be the perfect partner." 

Read more in the .

Notes for editors

The new name 'Alliance Swag直播 Business School' will officially come into effect in September 2015 at the start of the next academic year.  

For further information contact:

Julie McGuckian, Director of Global Marketing, at:

Email: julie.mcguckian@mbs.ac.uk  
Tel: 0161 275 6529

Kate McNamee, Head of Central Marketing and Communications, at:

Email: kate.mcnamee@mbs.ac.uk  
Tel: 0161 275 7090

The John Rylands Research Institute officially launched last night, bringing together the world class expertise from the Faculty of Humanities and Swag直播 Library.

Hosted in the neo-gothic splendour of The John Rylands Library's Historic Reading Room, the evening commenced with a drinks reception, followed by presentations from the President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Nancy Rothwell, University Librarian and Director of The John Rylands Library, Jan Wilkinson and Founding Director of the Institute, Professor Peter E Pormann.

Professor Peter E Pormann, said: “The Institute will bring together library and academic staff from inside and outside the University to explore our breath-taking Special Collections. Experienced curators and conservators look after this national treasure of global importance, which has rich, untapped potential for research and discovery.”

Rachel Beckett, Head of Special Collections at Swag直播 Library and Associate Director of the Institute said: “The close collaboration between Library staff and academic colleagues will help us to reveal the riches of the Rylands, which is home to many of the finest collections of rare books, manuscripts and archives in the world.”

The Institute was opened by the Professor Nancy Rothwell, on Monday, 13 October. Over 100 guests attended the event. 

Notes for editors

For further information please contact Kath Paddison, Media Relations Officer, Swag直播, 0161 275 0790 or kath.paddison@manchester.ac.uk

Professor Rothwell will speak on the theme of “A Life in Science (and Art)”, outlining her belief that the arts and sciences have more similarities than differences. She will also cover her career, including her own research into stroke and her experiences as a university vice-chancellor, often characterised by finding solutions to unexpected problems.

Sir Robert Menzies retired in 1966 as Australia’s distinguished and longest serving Prime Minister.  In recognition of his vision and leadership, and to strengthen the role of higher education in Australia, the University of Melbourne and the Menzies Foundation established the Sir Robert Menzies Oration on Higher Education. In delivering the 2014 Menzies Oration, Professor Rothwell follows eminent Vice-Chancellors from Australia and worldwide who have been invited to speak since its inception in 1991.

Swag直播 and the University of Melbourne recently established a funded mobility scheme to facilitate the development of collaboration across research, teaching and professional support between the two institutions over the course of the next academic year; the President’s visit will build on this engagement.

Professor Rothwell will then continue on to Hong Kong where she will undertake meetings with key institutions, including the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and the Chinese University of Hong Kong accompanied by a senior figure in the University’s Hong Kong Foundation, Dr Eric Li.  An alumni event, overlooking Hong Kong Bay, will conclude Professor Rothwell’s visit. 

Professor Rothwell said: “I am delighted to have the opportunity to visit Australia and Hong Kong during and honoured to be invited to give this year’s Menzies Oration. Swag直播 prides itself on being a truly international university and this visit presents an invaluable opportunity to consolidate our links with Melbourne and institutions in Hong Kong and to celebrate the success of our esteemed alumni.”

Notes for editors

For further information contact:

Aeron Haworth
Senior Media Relations Officer
Swag直播

Tel: 0161 275 8387
Email: aeron.haworth@manchester.ac.uk

(MSP) shareholders – including Swag直播 - were joined by local, regional and national business and community leaders at a celebratory launch event held today at the Cheshire site.

Swag直播 Science Parks, who with majority shareholder Bruntwood acquired the 400 acre site in March, revealed its ambition to maintain top quality bioscience as the cornerstone of its commercial strategy. 

Notes for editors

An academic who fled from the horrors of Nazi Germany in 1939 as an 11-year-old child has bequeathed over £1.5 million to Swag直播.

Professor Fanni Bogdanow, who died in July 2013 aged 86, was one of the 10,000 Jewish children rescued by the UK in a mission known as the Kindertransport.

Her legacy will fund a series of lectures which will take place around Holocaust Memorial Day on 27 January starting from next year, prizes for high performing students and includes a significant gift to provide flexible support for the University’s strategic priorities.

Professor Bogdanow, an only child with no surviving close relatives, was taken in by a Quaker family in Denton.

She was one of the few Kindertransport children whose parents survived, between them, the appalling concentration camps of Dachau, Wulzberg and Bergen-Belsen. She was reunited with her mother in Swag直播 during the 1950s.

After receiving distinctions in seven out of eight subjects at Fairfield High School for Girls, she was awarded three entrance scholarships to the University in 1945 where she studied French.

She went on to spend much of her career at the University as postgraduate student, lecturer, reader and professor, to become one of the world’s foremost scholars in her field - King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.

Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor of Swag直播, said: “Professor Bogdanow was a remarkable scholar with a remarkable story. She was able to conquer extreme adversity to become one of the leading scholars in her field and a valued member of the University community.

“We are delighted she left this sum to the University. This will be used in a manner which will serve as a fitting tribute to her memory.”

Dr Matthew Philpotts, took his undergraduate degree at Swag直播 in French and German between 1991 and 1996.

He is now head of Languages and Intercultural Studies and a former student of Professor Bogdanow.

He said: “I was fortunate enough to have classes with Fanni when I was a student here in the early 1990s. She made no secret of her background and often mentioned it in class, but I don’t think any of us realised quite how remarkable her personal history was. Like so many of the best academics, she had a considerable presence and gave us a rare insight into the importance of her subject.”

Notes for editors

Dr Philpotts is available for interview

An image is available

For media enquires contact:
Mike Addelman
Press Officer
Faculty of Humanities
Swag直播
0161 275 0790
07717 881567
Michael.addelman@manchester.ac.uk

Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell has welcomed today’s announcement that Swag直播 will be European City of Science in 2016.

The Minister for Science and Universities David Willetts MP revealed this morning that the city has been selected to host the EuroScience Open Forum (ESOF) which takes place every two years – it was in staged in Dublin last year and moves to Copenhagen in 2014.

Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor of Swag直播, said:  “This exciting announcement cements Swag直播’s position as a world leader in science and technology. This is Europe’s largest general scientific conference and it will bring 4500 delegates to the City in July 2016, including global scientific and technology leaders. 

“The theme of the 2016 Forum will be breakthroughs in science and the conditions needed for a city to capitalise on scientific knowledge: from education through to investment in science.”

Professor Luke Georghiou, Vice-President for Research and Innovation at Swag直播, was jointly responsible for the team, in partnership with the City authorities, that prepared the successful the bid to host ESOF 2016.  He said: "We are delighted to be able to organise Europe's biggest general science conference in Swag直播 in 2016.  With Swag直播's unique tradition in technology, industry, engineering, science and innovation we are sure that we can offer a superb environment for delegates from all over the world.  

"We are looking forward to work together with EuroScience to make Swag直播 2016 a worthy successor to Dublin 2012 and Copenhagen 2014, and we are grateful for the support from the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills."

The main aims of ESOF are to showcase the latest advances in science and technology, promote a dialogue on the role of science and technology in society and public policy, and stimulate and provoke public interest, excitement and debate about science and technology.

The EuroScience Open Forum will be hosted in Swag直播 from July 22-27, 2016. The successful ESOF bid was put together by Swag直播, Swag直播 City Council, Visit Swag直播, New Economy and Marketing Swag直播.

Dr. Gail Cardew, chairperson of the ESOF Supervisory Board, said: "For a city to be awarded ESOF is to effectively give them the title of European City of Science. The city becomes a focal point for a discussion about science, not just among scientists but with the whole city.

"Swag直播’s tradition of world class research together with engaging the public provides a perfect backdrop for ESOF, and we look forward to developing a strong and exciting programme with the President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, and the Vice-President for Research and Innovation, Professor Luke Georghiou."
 

Notes for editors

About Swag直播
Swag直播, a member of the Russell Group, is one of the largest and most popular universities in the UK. It has 20 academic schools and hundreds of specialist research groups undertaking pioneering multi-disciplinary teaching and research of worldwide significance. According to the results of the latest Research Assessment Exercise, Swag直播 is one of the country’s major research institutions, rated third in the UK in terms of ‘research power’.


About ESOF
The EuroScience Open Forum, ESOF, is well established as the biggest general science conference in Europe. It was organized for the first time in Stockholm in 2004 and has since been held every two years, coming to Munich, Barcelona, Turin and Dublin. Copenhagen will host ESOF in 2014.

About EuroScience
EuroScience is the European grassroots organization of scientists and all those taking an interest in science. Based in Strasbourg, EuroScience is the voice of European researchers, across disciplines and countries, promoting dialogue with researchers worldwide.  

For more information contact:
Jon Keighren, Media Relations Manager, Swag直播 0161 275 8384
Peter Tindemans, Secretary-General, EuroScience peter.tindemans@euroscience.org +31 6 2044 1945

Bonds assigned a rating of Aa1 by Moody's

Not for release, publication or distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States or any other jurisdiction where to do so would be unlawful.

This communication is not an offer of securities for sale in the United States or any other jurisdiction where to do so would be unlawful. The Issuer has not registered, and does not intend to register, any portion of the securities in any of these jurisdictions and does not intend to conduct a public offering of securities in any of these jurisdictions. In particular, the securities have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons (as defined in Regulation S under the Securities Act) except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and in compliance with any applicable state securities laws. Outside the United States, the offer is being made to non-U.S. persons in accordance with Regulation S under the Securities Act.


Swag直播 today announces that it has issued £300 million in principal amount of its 4.25% Bonds due 2053 (the “Bonds”).

The Bonds have been assigned a rating of Aa1 by Moody's, and were priced at a spread of 0.80% over the relevant reference gilt.

The University will use the net proceeds from the Bonds for general corporate purposes, including the continuation of its £1bn Campus Master-plan.

Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor of Swag直播, said: "We are delighted by the success of this issue, and by the strong support shown by investors in the University and its mission.

“The proceeds will allow us to further our ambition to be a truly world-class university by delivering a single, outstanding campus for Swag直播, with our beautiful old buildings standing alongside the very best modern facilities for our research and our students.”

Barclays, HSBC and The Royal Bank of Scotland acted as Joint Bookrunners and National Australia Bank as Co-Manager, and Rothschild provided independent debt advice to the University.

Any investment decision made in connection with the Bond issue MUST be based solely on the information contained in the final Prospectus dated 2 July 2013 relating to the Bonds.

Notes for editors

For further information, images or interview requests contact:
Jon Keighren, Media Relations Manager, Swag直播 +44 161 275 8384

Swag直播, a member of the Russell Group, is one of the largest and most popular universities in the UK. It has 20 academic schools and hundreds of specialist research groups undertaking pioneering multi-disciplinary teaching and research of worldwide significance. According to the results of the most recent Research Assessment Exercise (2008), Swag直播 is one of the country’s major research institutions, rated third in the UK in terms of ‘research power’. The University has an annual income of £807 million and is ranked 40th in the world and fifth in the UK for the impact of its research.

Swag直播 is to invest £1 billion over the next ten years to create a world-class campus for our staff and students.

The Estates Master Plan, which was approved by the University’s Board of Governors on Wednesday (10 October 2012), will create a single campus and will involve the construction of new teaching and research buildings, student facilities and major improvements to the public realm.

The first phase of the plan, costing around £700 million, will be delivered over the next six years. It includes the building of a new engineering campus, new centres for the School of Law and Swag直播 Business School, a major refurbishment of the University Library, a bigger and better Students’ Union and a new Medical School for our students in Dover Street. There would also be investment in a Combined Heat and Power Facility, as well as a new car park and the refurbishment of the telescope at Jodrell Bank.

The University will also spend several million pounds to improve the University’s public realm and landscaping in order to capitalise on the future improvements to Oxford Road, which will see wider pavements, tree-lined boulevards and the removal of all cars during 2015.  Students will benefit from major IT upgrades, a new teaching block, refurbishments of several teaching rooms and extension to the Students’ Union Building.

Outline plans have been drawn up for a second phase which is expected to cost a further £300 million and would begin in 2018 and end in 2022. This second phase would create a Biomedical Campus around the existing Stopford Building, a new health centre for staff and students, and includes refurbishments in the Schools of Computer Science, Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, Mathematics and Chemistry.

Director of Estates and Facilities Diana Hampson said: “Since the merger of the two universities in 2004, it has been our ambition to bring all of the academic activity together on a single site south of the Mancunian Way, which will improve efficiency, improve the student experience and reduce the University’s carbon footprint.

“This visionary building programme will give us one of the most modern campuses in the world, where the vast majority of our students will be studying in brand new or refurbished buildings.”

The new investment is in addition to the £750 million spent since 2004 which has already seen the completion of ten new buildings and many large scale refurbishments.

The completion of Phase One of the Master Plan will see the University moving out of most of the buildings on the North Campus, although it will retain some of the buildings to the west of Sackville Street, including the Swag直播 Interdisciplinary Biocentre. The University is already working with partners from the City Council and New Economy to identify a suitable use for the buildings on the North Campus, which will be vacated by 2018.

The majority of schools will not move out of their present base on the North Campus until the new engineering campus is completed in 2018 and the University will continue to invest in and maintain the North Campus to a high standard, with significant investment over the next six years.

President and Vice-Chancellor of Swag直播, Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, said: “For the first time, we will deliver a single site for Swag直播, where engineering, arts, biomedicine, business and all of our other activities live side by side, and our students will be at the real heart of a campus.

“Our long-term aim, as restated in our Swag直播 2020 Vision, has been to create a world leading university that would compete with the best universities in the world and would occupy a single, outstanding campus, where some of our beautiful old buildings would stand alongside the very best in modern facilities for our research and our students.”

Notes for editors

Contact Jon Keighren, Media Relations Manager, Swag直播 0161 275 8384

Swag直播 will invest in more than 100 elite studentships every year through the President’s Doctoral Scholarship Award scheme, launched this week by Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell.

Prof Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor of Swag直播, said: “The UK’s research base offers an excellent platform for future research leaders to develop their careers. Our investment announced this week will help Swag直播 to retain and attract the very brightest PhD students in the face of increasingly fierce competition from the USA, China and India.”

These prestigious studentships carry the association of the University’s President and Vice Chancellor, and will be of interest to the highest calibre of student who has the commitment and desire to work on challenging projects in world leading research environments. 

As an award-holder they will not only receive full funding for their doctoral studies but also an additional £1000 enhancement. 

Vice-President for Research at Swag直播, Prof Luke Georghiou, said: “Governments overseas are investing heavily in higher education, but we believe schemes such as the President’s Doctoral Scholar Award will give the brightest scholars from the UK and around the world a foundation to support research training with world class academics across a full range of subjects.

“This programme will allow us to increase the number and quality of doctoral candidates at Swag直播, whilst establishing a cohort of ambassadors for the University.”

PDS Award students will also be invited to attend a series of exclusive events where they will have the opportunity to meet the President and Vice-Chancellor, interact closely with the University’s academic community and network with other PDS Award students. In addition, each PDS Award student will receive a President’s Doctoral Scholar medal at graduation.

Research is at the heart of Swag直播 and the quality, breadth and volume of research activity is unparalleled in the UK, with strong collaborative links with industry and public services. Following a visit to the University’s graphene labs recently, Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne said: “Tomorrow’s world is being shaped here in Swag直播,” referring to its reputation as a hub for research excellence.

Each year, the University attracts more than £250 million of research funding from external sources and invests a further £96 million into research. Swag直播 is placed in the top three universities for securing grant funding from the main UK engineering, science and bioscience research councils.

The President’s Doctoral Scholar Awards will be available across the University in a wide range of disciplines. For more information visit

Notes for editors

Contact Jon Keighren, Media Relations Manager, Swag直播 on 0161 275 8384

Two scientists who discovered at Swag直播 have today been awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics.

and have been awarded the highest accolade in the scientific world for their pioneering work with the world’s thinnest material.

Graphene was discovered at the University in 2004. It has rapidly become one of the hottest topics in materials science and solid-state .

Professor Novoselov, 36, known as Kostya, first worked with Professor Geim, 51, as a PhD-student in the Netherlands. He subsequently followed Geim to the United Kingdom. Both of them originally studied and began their careers as physicists in Russia.

The award of the means there are currently four Nobel Laureates at Swag直播.

Professor Geim said: “This is a fantastic honour. People have been talking about graphene as a possible prize winner for a number of years so for the community in graphene research it hardly comes as a surprise.

“However I personally did not expect to get this prize. I slept soundly last night because I never expected to win it.

“Having won the Nobel Prize, some people sit back and stop doing anything, whereas others work so hard that they go mad in a few years. But I will be going into the office as usual and continuing to work hard and paddle through life as usual.

“I have lots of research papers to work on at the moment which all need writing up so I will be carrying on as normal.

“I have a fantastic working relationship with Kostya. We worked together in Holland and then I managed to bring him to England with me.

“Very often I fall out with people who don’t work hard but I have never fallen out with those who work as hard as Kostya.”

Professor Konstantin Novoselov said: “I was really shocked when I heard the news and my first thought was to go to the lab and tell the team.

“I didn’t know until this morning when I had a call from Stockholm.

“We have had a fantastic seven years working together on this new material graphene.

“The University is well suited to this style of research- we have excellent facilities.

“It’s great to be a young academic at Swag直播 and I’m grateful to everyone who has collaborated with us.”

is a two-dimensional layer of carbon atoms that resembles chicken wire.

Since its discovery, Professor Geim and Dr Novoselov have published numerous research papers in prestigious journals such as Science and Nature, which have demonstrated the exquisite new physics for the material and its potential in novel applications such as ultrafast transistors just one atom thick – making it a potential successor to silicon – and sensors that can detect just a single molecule of a toxic gas.

A team of materials scientists and physicists from Swag直播 recently reported that graphene has the potential to replace carbon fibres in high performance materials that are used to build aircraft.

University of Swag直播 President and Vice-Chancellor Nancy Rothwell said: “This is fantastic news. We are delighted that Andre and Konstantin’s work on graphene has been recognised at the very highest level by the 2010 Nobel Prize Committee.

“This is a wonderful example of a fundamental discovery based on scientific curiosity with major practical, social and economic benefits for society.”

Vice-President and Dean of Engineering and Physical Sciences Professor Colin Bailey added: “This is a truly tremendous achievement, and is a testimony to the quality of research that is being carried out in Physics and more broadly across the University”.

Professor David Delpy, Chief Executive, EPSRC, said: “This work represents an enormously important scientific development. An exciting new material that has a huge range of applications and will no doubt bring significant benefits to the UK economy.

"EPSRC has been supporting research by Professor Geim and his group for nearly 10 years and our latest grant has enabled the UK to retain the key academic and research staff behind this discovery, who might otherwise have been lost to foreign institutions.”
 

Notes for editors

Media enquiries and interview requests should be directed to Dan Cochlin in the University of Swag直播 Press Office on 0161 275 8387.

Biographies

Prof Andre Geim

Prof Geim was born in Russia in Oct 1958 to German parents and has Dutch nationality.

He holds the position of Langworthy Research Professor at Swag直播, previously held by leading names in physics such as Rutherford, Bragg and Blackett.

He also serves as Director of Swag直播 Centre for Mesoscience and Nanotechnology, based at Swag直播, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS). In addition, Prof Geim holds a Royal Society 2010 Anniversary Research Professorship.

Prof Geim gained a PhD in 1987 at the Institute of Solid State Physics, Chernogolovka, Russia.

After working there for another three years, he conducted research in England and Denmark. In 1994, he was appointed Associate Professor at the University of Nijmegen in the Netherlands

He joined Swag直播 in 2001 as Professor of Physics.

During his career, Prof Geim has published over 150 peer-refereed research papers, including many in Nature and Science.

He is best known for his discovery of two-dimensional crystals made of carbon atoms – and most notably graphene – in 2004 with Prof Kostya Novoselov, also of Swag直播 (see below).

Since then, graphene has rapidly become one of the hottest topics in materials science and solid-state physics.

Prof Geim’s work has led to a number of prestigious awards. In 2007 he was given the Mott Prize “for the discovery of a new class of materials – 2D atomic crystals – particularly graphene”.

In September 2008, Prof Novoselov and Prof Geim were awarded the prestigious Europhysics Prize for discovering graphene - and also their subsequent work to reveal its remarkable electronic properties.

In April 2009, Prof Geim received the Körber European Science Award for his discovery of two-dimensional crystals made of carbon atoms – and particularly graphene.

This was soon followed by the award of a Royal Society 2010 Anniversary Research Professorship in celebration of the Society's 350th anniversary.

Prof Geim’s earlier educational experiments on diamagnetic levitation have been publicised by the media all over the world and are featured in dozens of textbooks. As part of this work, Prof Geim famously levitated a frog.

Prof Geim is also well known for demonstrating a new microfabricated adhesive, which is based on the same physics mechanism that underlies the amazing climbing ability of geckos.


Prof Kostya Novoselov

Prof Novoselov was born in Russia in August 1974. He also has British citizenship.

He completed his PhD at the High Magnetic Field Laboratory at The University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands in 2004 and joined Swag直播 as a Leverhulme Research Fellow in 2005.

He also holds the position of Royal Society Research Fellow at The University. In 2008 he was named as one of Swag直播’s Researchers of the Year.

Prof Novoselov has published over 90 peer-refereed research papers, mainly as the principal or corresponding author, including several in Nature and Science.

His pioneering work with Prof Andre Geim led to the discovery of two-dimensional crystals made of carbon atoms, and most notably graphene.

In 2008 Prof Novoselov was selected from more than 300 nominees under the age of 35 by a panel of expert judges and the editorial staff of Technology Review following his discovery of graphene with Professor Andre Geim in 2004.

In September of the same year, Prof Novoselov and Prof Geim were awarded the prestigious Europhysics Prize for discovering graphene - and also their subsequent work to reveal its remarkable electronic properties.

Since the discovery of graphene in 2004, Prof Geim and Prof Novoselov have published numerous research papers in prestigious journals such as Science and Nature, which have demonstrated the exquisite new physics for the material and its potential in novel applications such as transistors just one atom thick and sensors that can detect just a single molecule of a toxic gas.

In April 2008, Prof Geim, Prof Novoselov and Dr Leonid Ponomarenko published a paper in the leading journal Science, which reported that they had used graphene to create the world's smallest transistor, one atom thick and ten atoms wide.

Novoselov’s original joint paper on grapheme in Science in 2004 has also been acknowledged as “one of the most cited recent papers in the field of Physics” according to the ISI citation index.

 

The University is deeply sorry to announce the death of Professor Alan Gilbert, President and Vice-Chancellor of Swag直播 from its inauguration in October 2004 to 30 June 2010.

Professor Gilbert died earlier today (Tuesday 27 July 2010) in hospital in Swag直播 having suffered from a serious illness for the last few months.

Mr Norman Askew, Chairman of the Board of Governors, said: "Alan was responsible for shaping the vision for the new University and delivering the enormous success that it has enjoyed over its first six years. He will be greatly missed by me and all who worked with him."

Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor, said: "Alan's leadership has transformed the University. He will be remembered with enormous respect by everyone in the University and with great affection by all who worked with him closely. To me personally he was a remarkable friend and mentor, with incredible insight, integrity and intelligence. I will miss him. Our deepest sympathies are with Ingrid, their children, grandchildren and wider family at this sad time."

A full obituary and details of how and where members of the University community can pay their respects to Professor Gilbert will follow in due course. A Book of Condolence has been opened and is available in the Visitors' Centre in University Place.

Notes for editors

For further details contact the Media Relations Office on 0161 275 8383.

Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell has been appointed President and Vice-Chancellor of Swag直播.

Dame Nancy was selected following an international search which produced an impressive shortlist of candidates.

A distinguished Life Scientist, Dame Nancy has been a member of staff at the University since 1987 and Deputy President and Deputy Vice-Chancellor since 2007.

She will take-up her post on 1^st July 2010 succeeding Professor Alan Gilbert, who is retiring after six years.  Professor Gilbert was the inaugural President and Vice-Chancellor of Swag直播, which was established following the merger of the Victoria University of Swag直播 and UMIST.

Dame Nancy becomes the first woman to lead Swag直播 or either of its two predecessor institutions.

Commenting on her appointment, Dame Nancy said: "I am honoured and delighted to be invited to lead the University at this exciting time. I am determined to maintain the strategic focus that we have developed over the past six years and to work closely with colleagues to identify new priorities and opportunities for the University in the very challenging external environment that we will face over the next few years."

Chairman of the Appointment Panel and Chairman-elect of the University’s Board of Governors Mr Anil Ruia said: "Dame Nancy will bring her own distinctive strengths, perspective and style to the role of President and Vice-Chancellor which will enable the University to build upon the remarkable progress that we have made under Professor Alan Gilbert’s leadership."

Notes for editors

An image of Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell is available upon request

Contact: Jon Keighren, Media Relations Manager, Swag直播, 0161 275 8384

Biographical Notes

Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell was born in Tarleton, near Preston, and educated at Penwortham Girls’ Grammar School.  She obtained a first class degree in Physiology, a PhD and a DSc from the University of London. In 1984 she was awarded a Royal Society Research Fellowship and was awarded a Chair in Physiology at Swag直播 in 1994, then a prestigious Medical Research Council Chair in 1998.  She has served as president of the British Neuroscience Association, a council member of MRC, BBSRC, the Academy of Medical Sciences and Cancer Research UK.

In 1999 Dame Nancy was elected as a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences and is an honorary fellow of the Royal College of Physicians; in 2003 she won the prestigious Pfizer Research Prize, in 2004 was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society and in 2005 was honoured with a DBE.  She is a member of the Royal Society Council, Vice President of the Royal Society, Chair of the Royal Society Education Committee, President of the Society of Biology and a non-executive director of AstraZeneca.

Dame Nancy began her research career in the field of obesity and metabolism, an area in which she rapidly acquired an international reputation. But more recently she has investigated how brain cells are damaged as a result of several different diseases, such as stroke and Alzheimer’s. 

Dame Nancy takes a strong and active interest in public communication of science and regularly gives talks to schools and the public, and contributes to television, radio and press, particularly on sensitive issues in science.  In 1998 she delivered the Royal Institution Christmas Lecture, televised by the BBC.

Swag直播 is the largest single-site university in the UK. It has 22 academic schools and hundreds of specialist research groups undertaking pioneering multi-disciplinary teaching and research of worldwide significance. According to the results of the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, Swag直播 is one of the country’s major research universities, rated third in the UK in terms of ‘research power’ behind only Oxford and Cambridge.