Sponsor profiles

GOLD SPONSOR: THE HIGHER EDUCATION ACADEMY

The Higher Education Academy

The Higher Education Academy’s role is to be a nationwide focus for enhancing teaching, learning and students’ experiences in higher education. Our mission is to work with institutions, discipline groups and individual staff to provide the best possible learning experience for all students.

We are an independent organisation owned by the higher education sector and we operate across all four nations of the UK. Our UK-wide network of 24 Subject Centres provides a focus for sharing good practice in teaching and learning at the discipline level for 60,000 staff every year. Our work focuses on informing policy, applying evidence, supporting good practice and recognising excellence.

Award for Best Student Experience

This award recognises what matters most to the Higher Education Academy – the student learning experience. We are delighted to join The Times Higher in acknowledging people who have made outstanding contributions to that experience. The award complements our National Teaching Fellowship Scheme, which recognises and rewards academics who influence others in improving the experiences of undergraduate and postgraduate students. The award for Best Student Experience, based on an extensive survey of all UK students, will provide a unique opportunity to find out what students themselves think are the key components of a high quality experience.

Higher Education Academy

SILVER SPONSOR: ARTS COUNCIL ENGLAND

Arts Council England

Arts Council England works to get more art to more people in more places. We develop and promote the arts across England, acting as an independent body at arm’s length from government.

Between 2006 and 2008, we will invest £1.1 billion of public money from government and the National Lottery in supporting the arts. This is the bedrock of support for the arts in England.

We believe that the arts have the power to change lives and communities, and to create opportunities for people throughout the country.

Award for excellence and innovation in the arts

Higher education institutions are powerful investors in the arts and major players in cultural provision and development. They are central to creating the arts workforce, supporting high quality arts opportunities and contributing to the creative economy by supporting enterprise and innovation.

Arts Council England are delighted to have the opportunity to encourage the outstanding interdisciplinary and collaborative practice and achievements in the higher education sector by sponsoring the award for excellence and innovation in the arts.

Arts Council

SILVER SPONSOR: HOBSONS PLC

Imagine effortless access to research and intelligence on the student marketplace of tomorrow and a team of experts, products and software that help institutions target, attract and communicate with their prospective students

We identify sparkle, channel enthusiasm and deliver potential. Our measure of success is discovering the perfect student for a delighted client. We bring years of experience originating research on student trends, allowing universities to take a more sophisticated view of the market.

Our CRM software and outsourced enquiry management helps universities nurture and develop individual relationships, while improving efficiencies and focusing on their core activities.

Globally, we publish hundreds of guides, e-zines and directories, and support websites that appeal to students from high school to university and postgraduate studies.

Our company

Hobsons is a subsidiary of the DMG Information division of the Daily Mail and General Trust [DMGT], one of the largest media groups in Europe. We employ over 450 staff and have offices in the UK, US, Asia, Australia, France, Germany, Switzerland and Belgium.

As part of the DMGT, we have the reach and resources to deliver global recruitment solutions, and link 4,500 educational institutions and recruiters to more than three million students all over the world.

Hobsons is proud to encourage excellence in higher education through sponsorship of the ‘University of the Year’ award.

Hobsons

SILVER SPONSOR: JISC

JISC

JISC is responsible for supporting the innovative use of information and communication technology (ICT) in learning, teaching and research. It is best known for providing the JANET network, a range of support, content and advisory services, research and development activities and a portfolio of high-quality online resources.

Central to JISC's mission is the support of institutional activities to embed best practice in the use of ICT and JISC's sponsorship of the 'Outstanding ICT initiative' will be a particularly visible example of our work to promote innovation and support the work of institutions.

JISC

BRONZE SPONSOR: QAA

The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) is responsible for safeguarding the public interest in sound standards of UK higher education, and encouraging continuous improvement in the management of quality. We do this, in part, by carrying out reviews of UK higher education – delivered in the UK to British and international students, and delivered internationally by UK higher education institutions.

The award for outstanding support for overseas students 2007 is QAA’s tenth year and in celebration of this we are delighted to be sponsoring this award.

The award recognises the importance for UK higher education institutions of providing a high quality experience for international students, and the importance for Britain of being a global player in education. The winner has been chosen on the basis of students’ views. QAA supports the efforts of all HE institutions in making sure that their international students get the best possible opportunities while studying in the UK.

QAA

BRONZE SPONSOR: RESEARCH COUNCILS UK in association with UK GRAD

Each year the Research Councils invest around £2.8 billion in research covering the full spectrum of academic disciplines from the medical and biological sciences to astronomy, physics, chemistry and engineering, social sciences, economics, and the arts and humanities.

The Research Councils fund a major portion of the human research capital, supporting 30,000 researchers at any one time. They need a skilled and motivated workforce to maintain a healthy and vibrant research sector and fulfil research grants. To achieve this, Research Councils UK (RCUK), the strategic partnership of the UK’s seven Research Councils, support a number of activities that aim to support the careers of researchers in the early part of their career.

These activities are delivered principally through UK GRAD, which supports the academic sector to embed personal and professional skills development into research degree programmes.

RCUK's sponsorship of the Award for Outstanding Support for Early-Careers Researchers, in association with UK GRAD, aims to recognise the ground-breaking work being undertaken by higher education institutions in building a better future for UK research.

GRAD RCUK

BRONZE SPONSOR: SAGE

SAGE

SAGE is the natural home for authors, editors and societies. We are one of the largest independent academic publishers in the world, publishing over 460 journals and employing 600 publishing professionals worldwide.

We care passionately about meeting the needs of academic and professional communities and about extending the boundaries of knowledge through innovative publishing. We have global reach with offices in Los Angeles, London, New Delhi and Singapore, but we are proud to retain a culture which puts the quality and value of individual relationships first.

Our reputation as one of the world’s leading social science publisher underpins our younger business in scientific, technical and medical publishing. We have translated over 40 years of experience in publishing excellence in the social sciences to a significant list with over 150 STM titles.

We are proud to be “publishers owned by publishers” and determined to protect our financial independence. This is secured through the dedication of our founder, owner and chairman, Sara Miller McCune and our commitment to profitability which enables us to invest for growth.

Our independence ensures that we will always be able to respect the broad range of publishing needs of the communities we serve.

Sponsor of the Young Academic Author of the Year

SAGE is the first publishing company to join the Times Higher Awards to celebrate the achievements of young academic authors across the country. We are delighted to support the Awards which reflect our belief that excellence and quality are paramount and should be both recognised and rewarded.

Sage

MARKETING PARTNER: UCAS

Located in Cheltenham, UCAS is the central UK organisation through which full-time first degrees, HNDs, university diplomas and nursing and midwifery course applications are processed. A registered charity, UCAS provides services to applicants, advisers, schools and colleges and to institutions that offer higher education programmes.

Every year, UCAS processes more than half a million applications from all over the world for courses at UK universities and colleges. As well as providing an application service for full-time undergraduate courses, the company deals with applications to postgraduate teacher training courses (GTTR), music conservatoires (CUKAS) and has now moved into the postgraduate sector with UKPASS (the UK Postgraduate Application and Statistics Service).

Choosing a course is a life changing event, so UCAS seek to ensure that applicants are fully informed and that the application process is simple and trouble free. This is achieved thanks to a clear and easy online such as "Course Search", "Apply" and "Track".

The Company is committed to achieving 100 per cent end-to-end electronic transactions with all customers and stakeholders and a brand new website has now been completed. This will give a better customer experience and ease of access to the wealth of information that supports the student’s journey to higher education.