Preston’s university wins three categories at Educate North Awards

Educate North 2025 Award Winners. Pic: UCLan

The University of Central Lancashire has won three of the eight categories it entered at the Educate North Awards.

Judges recognised its efforts to improve Lancashire’s socio-economic growth and shone a light on the achievements of PhD student Alexia Lopez whose discoveries of the Giant Arc and the Big Ring are ground-breaking for cosmology.

The university was also recognised for its approach to interprofessional education.

Alexia Lopez recently discovered an ultra-large-scale structure in the universe that is so large it challenges fundamental assumptions in the field of cosmology.

Alexia presented her newest discovery at the 243rd American Astronomical Society (AAS) meeting, sparking mass global interest in her work. Now she has joined world-leading cosmologists and a Nobel prize winner at the Royal Society of London and is collaborating with Sir Roger Penrose of Oxford University, who was a mentor to Professor Steven Hawking.

She said: “Uncovering more fascinating truths about the structure of our Universe is my ultimate passion.

“Winning the Educate North Award is a beautiful reminder that my work is loved and of interest to many people around the world. I also hope it inspires other talented northern youngsters to take a route into academia.”

The University’s commitment to Lancashire was also recognised with a win for the Centre for SME and Enterprise Development (CSMEED) and the Institute for Research into Work and Employment (iROWE) in the Business Engagement, Employer Award (University Sector) category.

Professor Steven Rhoden, dean of the school of business said: “Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are crucial to local employment, wealth generation, and innovation. Despite challenges in the Higher Education sector, the university’s commitment to SMEs and the regional entrepreneurial ecosystem remains stronger than ever.

“We support start-ups to growth, enhancing leadership and management to boost productivity, driving sustainable growth and development, ensuring long-term benefits for the Lancashire region.”

To round off the success, the university’s transforming interprofessional education project, which has revolutionised education for nearly 3,000 students across 17 health and social care courses, won the Student Experience Award (University Sector) category.

The University of Central Lancashire was also highly commended for the STEM Initiative Award: Space in Schools and STEMFirst.

Altogether UCLan was shortlisted nine times at the Educate North Awards. The event took place in Manchester on Thursday 3 April.

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