The University of Warwick has won Royal recognition for the work of WMG (Warwick Manufacturing Group) with the award of a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education.

The 21 winners of the Eighth Round of the Queen’s Anniversary Prizes for Higher and Further Education were announced by the Founder and Chairman of the Royal Anniversary Trust, Robin Gill CVO at a special Reception at St James’s Palace on the evening of Wednesday 18^th November.

These national honours are awarded every two years to institutions of higher and further education across the UK for work of outstanding excellence. They celebrate world-class achievement and capture the remarkable diversity and quality of the work going on in our universities and colleges of further education.

 Lord Mandelson, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, said:-

“I warmly congratulate the twenty one universities and colleges which have been awarded The Queen’s Anniversary Prizes for Higher and Further Education in this the 8^th biennial Round of the scheme.  Together the winners represent a distinguished and sustained contribution to human progress and to the UK’s high international standing in education.”

The Prizes are a national honour recognising world-class excellence - in any aspect of an institution’s work - which demonstrates evidence of originality, innovation and benefit for the wider community.

Professor Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya, founder and head of WMG, stated:

“We will receive the certificate for this award in 2010 which will be a wonderful way to start WMG’s 30th anniversary year.”

“WMG has been a vital bridge between industry and academic research teaching, bringing significant benefits to both. It has also been a bridge that has connected UK industry and research with global thinking and innovation.” 

Robin Gill, Founder and Chairman of the Queen’s Anniversary Prizes for Higher and Further Education, commented:-

“The Prizes confer the highest national recognition on the work of our universities and colleges and the part they play in the country’s economic advance, social wellbeing and industrial self-fulfillment.  The Prizes scheme creates networks that benefit the institutions themselves as well as the wider community. It establishes a benchmark for excellence and validates the UK’s contribution to innovation, knowledge and skills on the world scene. ”

 Notes for editors:

WMG was launched in 1980 and now has 220 staff. Since 1980  more than 24,000 individuals have gone through, with over 6,000 Masters degrees awarded and the close involvement of 500 UK companies.  WMG has teaching and research centres in Hong Kong, India, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand and provides expert advice to many overseas governments and companies.

Since 1997 WMG has generated more than £80 million worth of income for the University, and the industrial partnerships created through the programmes have enabled the Group to develop into a major industry focussed research centre.

It has had significant impact at UK regional, national and international levels, examples respectively being the Premium Automotive Skills programme, managers’ training for Network Rail and training for senior managers in Chinese state-owned enterprises. 

The Group has diversified into a wide range of sectors from its initial focus on automotive and aerospace – financial services (RBS Group), mining (UK Coal), pharmaceutical (GSK) and house building (Westbury Homes).   It recently opened a £50 million Digital Laboratory and is planning a second such facility.

For further information please contact:

Peter Dunn, Head of Communications, Communications Office,
University House, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 8UW, UK   
email: p.j.dunn@warwick.ac.uk Tel: +44 (0)24 76 523708  Mobile/Cell:  +44 (0)7767 655860 

 A full list of the winners is available from

Peter Chenery, General Manager, The Royal Anniversary Trust  Tel: 0870 242 7160    
Email:  info@royalanniversarytrust.org.uk

PR130 18^th November 2009