Impact

Impact

Real-world examples highlighting the positive economic, societal and cultural impacts of Russell Group universities in every region and nation of the UK.

Feature: Access & participation

19 February 2025
Impact story
Access & participation
University of Exeter

University of Exeter's bespoke access pathway for mature students

A mature student working in a classroom
20 January 2025
Impact story
Access & participation
UCL

UCL partnerships are widening access to HE for pupils across London

15 February 2025
Impact story
Access & participation
Research
University of Warwick

The Warwick study making life better for care leavers

17 January 2025
Impact story
Access & participation
University of Oxford

Opening new access pathways to Oxford

Research
University of Nottingham

Nottingham researchers are using AI to predict solar energy output in different climates

Researchers at the University of Nottingham have created an AI model that allows them to accurately predict the amount of solar energy that can be created in different climates, making grid integration easier in the…

Innovation
University of Manchester

Turing Innovation Catalyst Manchester

The Turing Innovation Catalyst Manchester (TIC) was established in April 2023 with £5m of seed funding secured from the GM Innovation Accelerator scheme, a two-year pilot programme run by Innovate UK to link local R…

Research
University of Manchester

Ardwick Climate Action: creating green space for residents of Manchester

Ardwick Climate Action, with the support of researchers from the University of Manchester, launched a green route where local people can avoid the excessive pollution caused by motor vehicles.

Two people plant trees to create green space in the Ardwick area of Manchester
Access & participation
LSE

LSE Generate: providing entrepreneurship skills to school pupils

The entrepreneurship team at the London School of Economics (LSE) worked with OakNorth, an alumni-founded business, to develop LSE Generate: a schools partnerships initiative designed to help participants develop…

Innovation
King's College London

KCL business students supporting London SMEs and charities

Since 2017/18, King’s Business School (KBS) has run a project which has provided KBS student consultancy support to over 100 SMEs and charities, primarily based in the London boroughs of Lambeth, Southwark and…

Access & participation
Innovation
Imperial

Imperial's Invention Rooms invite the local community to innovate together

The Invention Rooms is a unique space in Imperial’s White City Deep Tech Campus at the heart of the Imperial WestTech Corridor, where the local community and Imperial come together to collaborate, innovate and make…

Two young men in the workshop during the Maker Challenge at the Invention Rooms
Innovation
Research
University of Glasgow

Chemify: the Glasgow spinout digitising chemistry

Chemify, a University of Glasgow spinout company, aims to revolutionise the field of chemistry through digitisation, speeding up the development of drugs and m

Research
University of Glasgow

Tackling climate resilience and social inequalities in Glasgow

University of Glasgow researchers are working on a £10.5 million research programme that is helping Scotland’s largest city move towards climate resilience whilst tackling health, social and economic inequalities…

Access & participation
Research
Durham University

The Bishop Big Dig: building strong places and communities in County Durham

The Bishop Big Dig used innovative archaeology ‘intervention’ to restore people’s mental health and sense of belonging

Access & participation
Education
Durham University

Durham Learning Alliance: giving people the skills they need to get on in life

Durham University and four County Durham colleges are working together to expand education opportunities and drive economic growth in North East England.

Innovation
Research
University of Cambridge

The Cambridge spinout improving early diagnosis of oesophageal cancer

University of Cambridge spinout firm Cyted Health has developed a non-invasive test which uses AI to help NHS clinicians identify the early signs of oesophageal cancer in tissue samples.

Research
University of Cambridge

Using AI to identify hard-to-decarbonise housing in Cambridge

Breakthroughs in clean energy are helping change the way we power homes and innovative approaches to energy efficiency are helping councils and other partners transform local housing stock

An engineer fits a solar panel to the roof of a house
Access & participation
Education
University of Bristol

The Bristol researchers shifting thinking on education policy

Research led by the University of Bristol has redefined how school performance data is understood in England, challenging entrenched assumptions and shaping policies to promote social mobility

A teacher leads a secondary school class
Research
Cardiff University
University of Bristol
University of Exeter

Revolutionising supercomputing with Isambard-AI

The Isambard project, pioneered by the University of Bristol, has transformed the supercomputing landscape, harnessing mobile-device technology to build faster, more affordable, and energy-efficient high-performance…

The Bristol Centre for Supercomputing, home to the Isambard 3 supercomputer
Research
University of Bristol

Transforming engagement with local heritage in Bristol

University of Bristol historians have transformed local heritage engagement with Know Your Bristol, a flagship project developed in partnership with Bristol City Council.

A map of Bristol city centre
Research
University of Birmingham

Everything to Everybody: restoring Shakespeare to Birmingham residents

Everything to Everybody (E2E) was an ambitious four-year project led jointly by the University of Birmingham and Birmingham City Council’s Library of Birmingham to restore the world’s first, oldest and largest…