Queen’s Anniversary Award – City of Glasgow College awarded for life-saving research

City of Glasgow College (@CofGCollege) has been awarded a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher & Further Education for its life-saving research highlighting the dangers of oxygen depletion in enclosed spaces on-board ships.The highly prestigious award was presented by Her Majesty The Queen and The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester at a formal Honours ceremony at Buckingham Palace on 22 February 2024.

Part of the UK’s Honours system, the Queen’s Anniversary Prizes are awarded every two years to colleges and universities who submit work judged to show excellence, innovation, impact and benefit for the institution itself and for people and society generally in the wider world.

Commenting on the award, Principal and CEO of City of Glasgow College, Dr. Paul Little CBE, said:

“It is a great honour to accept this Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Further and Higher Education on behalf of the Team City colleagues that delivered this vital research.

“I am absolutely delighted that City of Glasgow College has received the highest national honour conferred on the tertiary sector. This prestigious award underlines our relentless pursuit of excellence and recognises the world-class research and innovation taking place at the College.

“This transformational research is having a global impact by saving hundreds of seafarers’ lives across the oceans. This prize-winning work is also testament to the importance we place on symbiotic partnership working together with the vital role our college sector plays within industry. This has been a huge Team City collective effort and I am extremely proud of everyone involved in this trail-blazing project, and we are honoured that the College’s work has been recognised by the Awards Council of the Royal Anniversary Trust.”

Sir Damon Buffini, Chair of The Royal Anniversary Trust, said:

“The Queen’s Anniversary Prizes for Higher and Further Education are an integral part of our national Honours system, shining a light on the ground-breaking work taking place in universities and colleges across the UK. All 22 Prize-winners demonstrate excellence, innovation and impact, with many tackling some of the toughest problems we as a society face today. They are to be commended for reaching this pinnacle of achievement in the tertiary education sector. Congratulations!”

Joining the Principal at the ceremony were Chair of the Board, Alisdair Barron, lead researchers Daniel C. Burke and Dr. Manhal Alnasser, Stuart McDowall, Head of Innovation & STEM, industry partner Dan Olson, CEO of Stena, along with a group of Merchant Navy Cadets from the College.  A reception at the Palace the night before was also attended by representatives from City of Glasgow College and their industry partners.

For more information on City of Glasgow College’s trail-blazing oxygen depletion research, visit this section of our website.