YEAR IN REVIEW

2022 was a milestone year for the University, as we celebrated the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II granting us our Royal Charter. This act, which signalled the formal creation of the University, was one of the first of the new queen’s reign.

Celebrating Southampton at 70

In May we celebrated the landmark year with a special 70th anniversary event, welcoming over 375 alumni back to Highfield Campus, as well as members of our donor community, for a day of lectures, tours, reminiscing and quizzes.

Lecture theatres were packed to the rafters as Pro-Chancellor and alumnus Jon Sopel sat down with Professor Russell Bentley to talk about his experience covering the Trump Presidency, the state of American politics today and his next venture after leaving the BBC.

We also saw the crowds piling in to hear about the future of medicine and smart partnerships between medical researchers and data scientists. The team explained how cross-disciplinary research may be the key to the next big breakthroughs in tackling the world’s toughest diseases.

Guests also enjoyed a picnic lunch in the sunshine, and a pub quiz all about Southampton and the history of the University.

Rankings success

2022 was also a success across all major league table rankings. We were delighted by the news that the University rose two places to 13th in the Complete University Guide 2023 and climbed another place in the Guardian University Guide 2023 to 16th, with 13 subject areas in the top 10.

Southampton also retained its 16th place spot for the second year running in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023. Globally, we remain in the world top 80, with a ranking of 78 in the QS World University Rankings 2023

The University was also recognised for its excellence in health and science in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings by subject 2023. Southampton rose to 88th in the global league table for Clinical Health, and maintained strong positions in Life Sciences and Engineering.

Biomedical research funding

The University’s excellence in health and science was further endorsed this year when the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) announced funding of £25 million for the Southampton Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) over the next five years.

Southampton has spearheaded NIHR-funded nutrition and respiratory research since 2008. Most recently, the BRC played a key role in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This latest significant investment will enable new themes for Data Health and Society; Microbiology, Immunology and Infection; and Perioperative and Critical Care. The funding is an increase of around 80% from the £14 million received in 2017-2022.

“We are extremely proud of our partnership with University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust and this significant increase in funding is a testament to the ground-breaking work taking place across our communities.”

Professor Mark Smith Vice-Chancellor of the University of Southampton

Welcoming new alumni

In the summer we welcomed over 3,700 new graduates to our alumni community, as well as five honorary graduates whose expertise in their respective fields serves as an inspiration and exemplifies the University’s mission to achieve the remarkable and build an inclusive world. Almost 1,000 further graduates celebrated their graduation at our December ceremonies. Congratulations to all our new graduates, and a warm welcome to your alumni community!