Teams behind a new approach to get people excited about science, an academy to support leadership development, and a scientific breakthrough that reduces infection have all been shortlisted for Times Higher Education awards.

Affectionately known as the Oscars of UK Higher Education, THE Awards are designed to showcase why and how institutions continue to prosper.

The University has been shortlisted in four categories:

• Outreach and Widening Participation
• Most Innovative Contribution to Business-University Collaboration
• Technological Innovation
• Outstanding Contribution to Leadership Development

Deputy Vice-Chancellor of The University of Nottingham, Professor Andy Long said: “I’m delighted to see such a broad range of University life represented in these short-listings. From engaging and inspiring people of all ages to be interested in Science, nurturing leadership skills, to translating academic research into medical products, we can see the breadth of Nottingham’s offering to a global community as well as our own staff. I offer my congratulations to the talented teams involved and wish them well for the awards evening.”

Use of ground-breaking short YouTube videos to engage people in Science and STEM subjects has been shortlisted in the Widening Participation or Outreach Initiative category.

The initiative began with “Nottingham Science”, a YouTube channel showing the daily work of our scientists. This was followed by Periodic Table of Videos (Chemistry), Sixty Symbols (Physics), Deep Sky Videos (Astronomy) and Computerphile (Computer Science). These five channels have attracted a staggering 362 million views and 3.2 million subscribers.

School pupils who were once bored by STEM report their interest has been reignited, encouraging them to pursue university-level study. Some videos have proved particularly appealing to children with learning difficulties (particularly autism) and are often used for home-schooling.

The videos have impacted positively on student numbers at Nottingham, contributing to the University’s wider aim of maximising Higher Education participation amongst non-traditional and under-represented groups.

The University’s work with Camstent, a Cambridge biotechnology company, earned it a shortlist for innovative contribution to business-university collaboration.

Bacteria-resistant polymers discovered at the University of Nottingham have been developed to produce a urinary catheter coating that has the potential to reduce infection and save the NHS £1bn a year.

The collaboration had to overcome challenges of product development in transforming the materials discovery into medical use. In June 2018 the first patient used the Camstent Ltd catheter and a wider trial has been commissioned.

The University’s innovation of the Monica fetal/maternal care monitor has been shortlisted for Technological Innovation of the year. Delivering the world’s first wearable patch for monitoring a pregnant mother and her fetus during labour, the innovation measures the heart rate of unborn babies and mothers, and mothers’ contractions, without restricting her movements. The devices are now used at more than 1,000 sites across Europe, Asia and North America, with more than 100,000 patients benefitting from the technology in the last year.

The University’s Leadership and Management Academy, run by Carol Steed has been shortlisted for its contribution to leadership development. The LMA was launched in October 2016, filling a void in leadership and management provision for the 7,500 staff at the University. It is unusual given the breadth of its provision and the focus on all leaders at all levels.

Alongside 9 blended-learning leadership programmes, training 67 staff as internal coaches, 1:1 personalised support for 65 senior leaders, and a University wide mentoring programme, a major development was the creation and launch of a new platform – the LMA Hub – which is a central point for learning and resources.

As well as focusing on individual leader development, the enhancement of collective leadership practice is also a key feature of the LMA’s portfolio. A Community of Practice for Higher Education Leadership has been established physically and virtually. This is where leaders and managers can share experiences, support each other and put new learning into practice.

Winners will be announced at a gala awards evening at the Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London, on Thursday 29 November 2018.