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Engagement and Place Awards 2026

Our Engagement and Place Awards recognise and celebrate great examples of collaboration with different publics. They showcase how the benefits of our research and teaching go beyond the University.

About the Awards 

We honour projects displaying the diverse ways University colleagues and students work with external partners and communities.   

The awards recognise many innovative collaborations between the University and its external partners. These bring value to the social, cultural and economic wellbeing in our city, region and across the globe. 

We're delighted to announce our shortlisted projects for the Engagement and Place Awards 2026:

Engaging for Health and Wellbeing

The Engaging for Health and Wellbeing Award is for colleagues engaging to create a world in which we all live healthier, happier and longer lives.

Winner

Taking Health and Wellbeing Beyond Newcastle University - Dr Rachel Stocker

This partnership between Newcastle University and Darlington Football Club Foundation delivered evidence-informed sport and wellbeing programmes.

It embedded student research to improve community health, reduce inequalities, and extend university engagement into underserved areas.

Nominations

Care - Dr Alastair Cole

'Care' is a documentary co-created with Sunderland care professionals alongside Dr Alastair Cole, Prof Karen Ross, Prof Andrew Newman and Lucy Jolly. It documents their frontline experiences of COVID-19, and has toured the UK to shape public awareness, staff training, and national social care policy.

The SPACE Pilot - Dr Anna Purna Basu

SPACE Pilot is a partnership supporting children with complex conditions through whole-family, community-based care. It supplements existing clinical treatment with social prescribing to improve wellbeing and long-term health outcomes beyond hospital discharge.

Engaging for Economic Benefit

This category celebrates colleagues who engage with entrepreneurs, businesses, the public sector and not-for-profit organisations. The aim is to generate economic benefit for the University and its partners through innovation and knowledge exchange.

Winner

The Northern Net Zero Accelerator - Prof Elizabeth Gibson

This initiative unites universities, industry and communities to co-develop low-carbon energy solutions.

It translates research into real-world impact while building skills, partnerships and inclusive pathways to regional decarbonisation.

 

Nominations

Interactional AI - Dr Adam Brandt & Dr Spencer Hazel

This project uses applied linguistics to help Ufonia Ltd develop Dora, an NHS clinical assistant. It conducts phone consultations, improves patient experience, reduces clinician workload, and advances accessible, human-centred AI in healthcare delivery.

The National Innovation Centre for Data

The National Innovation Centre for Data supports organisations to unlock data and AI potential. It achieves this through collaborative skills transfer projects, building internal capability, driving innovation, and delivering significant economic impact across the North East.

Engaging for Societal and Environmental Benefit

This category celebrates projects adding value to society and tackling environmental challenges.

Winner

Birds, Bees, Bikes and Trees - Dr Michael Richardson

This project engages young dads in green skills, community learning and climate action.

The aims include building confidence, challenging stereotypes, and strengthening connections between families, nature and urban communities.

Nominations

Carving Out Climate Testimony - Prof Jen Bagelman

Carving out Climate Testimony is an Inuit-led project engaging youth as co-researchers. The project explores climate change and mental health, using creative methods to influence policy and strengthen community resilience.

Saltwater Law - Prof Gina Heathcote

Saltwater Law is a collaborative project with Indigenous communities in Australia, developing two-way methodologies to integrate Indigenous sea governance into international law. This shapes more inclusive and place-based global ocean management.

Engaging for Cultural Benefit

This category describes projects contributing to the vibrancy and cultural richness of society, through expertise in creative arts practice, culture and heritage.

Winner

Ballast Hills Burial Ground Project – Dr Myra Giesen & Dr Shane McCorristine

This project engages communities, students, and partners to recover overlooked histories.

Members reconnected a forgotten burial site with descendants, restoring awareness, respect, and long-term stewardship.

Nominations

From Collections to Climate Change - Dr Kristin Hussey & Dr Clare Hickman

In collaboration with the Great North Museum, History students created a trail through the galleries. They re-interpreted collections through the lens of climate change and biodiversity loss.

Listening to the Voices of the Rivers – Dr Giuliana Borea

This exhibition connected Indigenous Amazonian philosophies with North East communities through art, education, and dialogue. They fostered environmental awareness and collective action around river ecosystems and ecological responsibility.

Engaging with Policy and Practice

This category recognises projects that inform policy through research, teaching and knowledge exchange. They will explore challenges created by contemporary societal, economic, environmental and cultural issues.

Winner

Shaping the UK’s AI Workforce - Dr Matthew Forshaw

The AI Skills for Business Competency Framework unites government, industry and education.

It defines responsible AI skills, shaping policy, training and standards while enabling an inclusive, adoption-ready UK workforce.

Nominations

From Community Dialogue to National Impact - Dr Madihah Rushaidhi

This project engaged diverse religious and community stakeholders in Malaysia and Indonesia. Its aim is to co-develop culturally sensitive guidelines for body donation, strengthening ethical practice, public trust, and inclusive medical education.

Scalable Literacy Practices to End Learning Poverty in Africa

Prof Pauline Dixon and Dr Steve Humble's project applies research on synthetic phonics to transform literacy education. It partners with governments and communities to train teachers, inform policy, and improve reading outcomes for millions of children globally.

Inclusive Education, Life Long Learning and CPD

This category celebrates collaborative projects with external partners that enrich the learning experience and knowledge of our students and learners.

Winner

Phonological Awareness for School Readiness and Progress - Prof Helen Stringer

The project provides evidence-based tools and training to improve phonological awareness.

It supports educators and therapists to enhance early speech and language development, literacy, and to influence policy, benefiting thousands of children globally.

Nominations

Live Projects for Addressing Sustainability and Climate Change - School X & RWE

This flagship module brings interdisciplinary student teams together with experts and industry partners. The aim is to tackle 'live' sustainability challenges that include applying theory in practice, building leadership skills, and developing practical solutions to climate challenges.

Science Adventures - Science Adventures' Team

This project delivers inclusive, free, research-led science experiences for children and families, widening participation and building confidence in STEM. It also trains students while strengthening community engagement and improving diversity in developmental research.

Early Career Researcher

This category recognises the varied engagement practice undertaken by researchers in the early stages of their research careers, either doctoral students or early career researchers.

Winner

'Waste-Not!' - Dr Oktay Cetinkaya

Waste-Not! develops AI-driven odour sensing technology, aka 'artificial noses' measuring food freshness in real-time.

This reduces household waste and drives behavioural change towards more sustainable, equitable, and low-carbon food practices.

Nominations

Beyond the Spoken Word - Caitlin Thompson

This co-produced project uses creative methods to capture autistic women’s experiences of pregnancy, amplifying lived voices to inform more accessible, understanding, and inclusive maternity care practices.

Lintukoto - Dr Henna Asikainen & Dr Usue Ruiz Arana

Lintukoto: Multispecies Climigration Archive is a participatory arts project engaging displaced communities through nature-based activities. It co-creates immersive artworks that connect migration, belonging, and climate justice while amplifying lived experiences and challenging discrimination. 

Vice-Chancellor and President's Award

This award celebrates the work of a colleague or team that demonstrates outstanding, sustained engagement practice.

The Vice-Chancellor chooses the winning project as an exemplar and embodiment of our Engagement and Place strategy.

Winner

The Policy Academy 

Established in 2016, the Policy Academy has become an integral part of the University’s civic and strategic mission.

It provides a space for colleagues across all disciplines and career stages. Here they can develop the skills, confidence, and networks needed for effective policy engagement. 

Through its programmes, workshops, events and services, the Academy has fostered a dynamic community committed to shaping and informing policy. 

Engagement and Place home
2025 Awards