Cranfield University has been shortlisted in two categories for this year’s Times Higher Education (THE) Awards: Research Project of the Year: STEM, and Outstanding Estates Team.

Research Project of the Year: STEM

Changing aviation to meet 2050 targets is dependent on faster progress towards certifying new technologies, more open access and sharing of the fundamental building blocks for the design, testing and flight of sustainable aircraft.

This is being achieved through the Enabling Aircraft Electrification (EnabEl) research project headed by Dr Guy Gratton.

The work, led by Cranfield University, achieved the first ever flight by a British designed and built, all-electric conventional aeroplane in April 2022 — and in the process, crucially, the team has solved a range of technical problems associated with making sustainable aircraft a practical reality, and is building a path towards future British electric powertrains and aircraft.

Outstanding Estates Team

Since 2020, the Cranfield University Estates Team have been working tirelessly to redevelop the estate, future-proofing its energy supply and helping protect against long-term price increases.

In 2022, to illustrate the University’s ongoing commitment to sustainability, we signed the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Accord as part of our mission to achieve net zero by 2030. In the past three years, we’ve secured £20m in funding to decarbonise the campus and make this goal a reality. Our mission is to bring two very opposing concepts, aviation and sustainability, together to create an environment that both honours tradition and protects the environment.

The THE Awards are recognised as the ‘Oscars of higher education’, being short-listed for a Times Higher Education Award celebrate outstanding examples of best practice across the sector and highlight the work of an individual or their institution.

These awards focus primarily on activity during the 2021-22 academic year.

Professor Karen Holford CBE FREng, Chief Executive and Vice-Chancellor of Cranfield University, said: “Congratulations to all involved in the two shortlistings. We are delighted to have been nominated in the THE Awards. It is an opportunity to celebrate the excellent work and achievements of our colleagues here at Cranfield University.”

THE editor John Gill said: “19 years on from their launch, I’m delighted to say that the enthusiasm for the THE Awards continues to grow. This year saw yet another record number of entries, but maybe more importantly, we also have more institutions represented on the shortlists than ever before – a clear indicator of the great strength in depth of UK and Irish higher education."

This year’s winners will be announced at a ceremony in Liverpool on 7 December.

The full awards shortlist can be viewed on the THE Awards website.