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Lisa Cartwright

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Office for National Statistics partnership boosts data careers and research

A group of people outside of the ONS Mou building

We are partnering with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to support aspiring data professionals. This collaboration aims to enhance career opportunities for students, paving the way for more and higher-quality job prospects for graduates.

Over the next three years, staff from the ONS, the UK’s national statistical institute which has a base in Darlington, near Durham, will deliver lectures and training for master’s students in Data Science and Business Analytics.

PhD students will also work alongside ONS experts on priority research projects. The partnership includes recruitment events, providing students with pathways to internships, and graduate jobs at the ONS. 

ONS staff will also benefit from this collaboration by accessing our Business School’s MBA courses and bespoke training programmes, enabling them to enhance their skills and qualifications. 

In a world that’s being driven by data it’s more important than ever that we not only inspire the next generation of data scientists and analysts, but that we’re giving them the best training and experiences possible. I’m delighted that the ONS and Durham University have come together to make this happen in what will be a hugely beneficial partnership for everyone involved.

Sir Ian Diamond
National Statistician

Driving collaborative research

The partnership will also strengthen research collaboration between the ONS and ourselves. Our academics will contribute their expertise to critical research projects in areas including economic statistics and methodology.  

A recent workshop we hosted brought together ONS and academic experts to identify key areas of focus for future research within economic statistics and methodology. 

Durham University produces research and graduates that transform the world. Our partnership with the ONS will further enable academic expertise to shape economic thinking and data methodology, while also providing exceptional opportunities for our students to build successful careers in data science and analytics.

Professor Karen O’Brien
Vice-Chancellor

Group photo 

Left to right: Professor Kieran Fernandes, Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research Development and Business Engagement, Durham University; Sir Ian Diamond, National Statistician; Professor Karen O’Brien, Vice-Chancellor, Durham University; Heather Bovill, ONS Head of Site for Darlington Economic Campus; Professor Martin Evans, Executive Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, Durham University.

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Northern Accelerator recognised as Place-based Knowledge Exchange Initiative of the Year

People accepting the Northern Accelerator Award collection

Northern Accelerator has been awarded the prestigious Place-Based Knowledge Exchange (KE) Initiative of the Year at the PraxisAuril Knowledge Exchange Awards 2024.

Having transformed research commercialisation across the North East and now grown to a collaboration of six universities, Northern Accelerator received the sector award at a ceremony in Bristol on 21 November.  

The recognition celebrates Northern Accelerator’s impactful work in driving economic growth, innovation, and social value through a strong partnership of Durham, Newcastle, Northumbria, Sunderland, Teesside and York Universities.

Translating world-leading research into sustainable business

Northern Accelerator helps founding academics create R&D intensive, high potential spinouts in the North East and North Yorkshire, realising social and environmental impact from research, and helping create more and better jobs. By supporting technology transfer through a combination of training, funding, networking and executive leadership, the programme has significantly boosted the rate of commercialisation of academic research.

The shared vision of the partners, the founders and funders is that the programme will contribute to economic growth in the North East. To date we’ve launched over 50 businesses, with many now based in regional innovation hubs like Newcastle Helix and Durham’s NETPark.

Northern Accelerator is funded by Research England’s Connecting Capability Fund, and by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund through Durham County Council and The North East Combined Authority

Recognition from the knowledge exchange sector

Knowledge Exchange UK (formerly PraxisAuril) is a world-leading professional association for Knowledge Exchange practitioners. They support and enable professional knowledge exchange and commercialisation between universities and business, helping members stand out as the most effective practitioners in their field, anywhere in the world.

Place-based collaboration

The award underscores the growing recognition of the North East as a hub for innovation, research and development. By focusing on place-based knowledge exchange, Northern Accelerator has worked to ensure that the benefits of research commercialisation are felt within the region, contributing to job creation, investment, and regional regeneration.

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Two energy projects to receive £16.8m investment

Exterior of a NETPark building

Two green energy projects we’re involved in have secured a combined total of £16.8m in new financial support.

The North East Technology Park (NETPark) at Sedgefield, County Durham, and the Energy Central Campus at Blyth, Northumberland, will each receive a share of £16.8m North East Investment Zone (NEIZ) funds from the North East Combined Authority (NECA).

It is hoped the investment will further support the development of electric vehicles, battery technology and offshore renewable energy technology in North East England, creating thousands of new jobs.

More about NETPark

NETPark is one of the UK’s premier science and technology parks, with 40 companies employing 700 people. We have been central to its development, and it’s home to Orbit, our enterprise zone. 

The NEIZ investment of £11.3m will support NETPark’s £100m Phase 3 development.

More about Energy Central Campus

Energy Central Campus (ECC) is focused on developing the skills and talent to make Blyth a centre of excellence for the renewable energy sector.

The NEIZ investment of £5.5m will go towards the Energy Central Institute, an education and innovation facility within the ECC. We are a key partner in the ECI, and recently joined ECC board.

The North East is a manufacturing powerhouse, with a proud heritage, and our investments are unlocking jobs and training for local people in the industries of the future. 

Kim McGuinness, North East Mayor

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Access and Participation: our ambitious plan for a more inclusive Durham 

Students outside of Durham University

We’re introducing an ambitious new plan to improve equality of opportunity in higher education and make Durham more diverse and inclusive than ever before. 

Our new Access and Participation Plan (APP) has been approved by the Office for Students, the independent regulator of higher education in England, and will come into effect from September.  

It builds on our ongoing drive to give everyone fair opportunity to reach university and thrive in their studies. 

We’ve already made great strides in this area, with one in five of our new undergraduate students joining us through a scheme aimed at widening access to education. 

This new APP represents a step change in how we’re identifying and encouraging students from underrepresented groups to study with us. 

We have identified specific groups of students who face extra challenges in accessing and participating in higher education, and we’ve developed targeted support to help them progress.  

There are tailored plans to support mature students, and those with mental health difficulties, and we’re also working hard to make sure everyone feels part of a diverse university community.  

Supporting the student journey  

Our Space to Explore Potential (STEP) programme helps Black-heritage students to explore their own potential, and all that Durham has to offer.  

Our 17 colleges each foster unique communities that play a vital role in supporting students throughout their time with us. 

Beyond their studies, our students can also engage in over 1,000 student-led clubs and societies, enriching their university experience with a diverse range of opportunities.   

Meanwhile, initiatives such as our annual Celebrate Science festival and museums and outreach work have engaged with thousands of pupils over the years.   

We support our students with mental health services, transition programmes, and financial aid – and when it’s time to plan for the future, we provide career advice, work experience and mentoring to help our students take their next steps with confidence.  

Setting goals   

Of course there is still work to be done, and our APP sets out seven key objectives to ensure we’re creating an even more diverse student community. 

We are committed to increasing access, improving ethnic diversity, reducing attainment gaps, enhancing continuation rates, supporting mature students, achieving mental health equity and promoting inclusivity.  

We want to raise the proportion of Black heritage and Asian heritage students studying at Durham and we’re working hard to increase the proportion of economically disadvantaged students studying with us. 

Reducing the attainment gap for students reporting mental health disabilities is also an important element of our work. 

Our progress in these and other areas will be continually evaluated to ensure we’re on track to achieve our goals.  

Removing financial barriers  

Financial support is a key part of our plan, and we’ve improved our grant system to help families who might not qualify for the highest level of financial aid but still feel the squeeze.  

Extra funds are being made available for students facing sudden money problems and for those who struggle to afford to fully take part in University activities.   

Our Durham Grant Scheme is one of the most generous grant schemes in the sector and we’re now able to support even more students by broadening the eligibility criteria.     

A range of targeted scholarships and funding options are also available to support underrepresented groups.  

This includes the upcoming launch of a new scholarship funded by our current Chancellor, Fiona Hill, for students from North East England.  

Working with our students  

Our students themselves will be an important part of making these plans work.    

We’re encouraging students to get involved by joining advisory boards, becoming outreach ambassadors, or representing their peers on important committees.   

By closely collaborating with our students, we can ensure that the changes we make are relevant and effective.   

University student

Everyone deserves fair opportunity to reach their full potential. Our new Access and Participation Plan will make Durham more diverse and more inclusive than ever before. If you’re considering your study and career options, think: Durham.

Professor Karen O’Brien
Vice-Chancellor, Durham University
University student

Durham University’s new Access and Participation Plan marks a significant step forward in ensuring that students from all backgrounds have the opportunity to benefit from and thrive in higher education. A diverse student body enriches learning, fosters innovation, and strengthens our communities. Importantly, we must also ensure young people from the North East are able to follow their goals of studying at Durham – finances should not be a barrier to them fulfilling their higher education dreams. I look forward to seeing the positive impact this will have for students from our city and region

Mary Kelly Foy
MP for City of Durham

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Financial Times Top 10 UK Business School

An office scene with the text Top 10 in the UK

We’re proud to announce we have again been ranked in the UK Top Ten by the Financial Times.

The FT’s European Business School Ranking 2024 lists the best business schools in Europe based on the combined performance of programme-specific FT rankings including the MBA and MSc Management. 

Our School ranked 10th in the UK and 58th overall in Europe – in an increasingly competitive market we maintained our UK standing and slipped one place over last year’s ranking. This follows a jump from 66th in 2022.  

Durham’s position was determined by the 2024 Financial Times rankings for MBA programmes and MSc Management programmes. The School’s flagship programme, the Durham MBA (Full-time) ranked 26th in Europe (8th in the UK, 78th in the world) and alumni from the programme secured an average salary of $120,000 three years after graduating, and see an average salary increase of 89% – which is the sixth-highest of all UK business schools.   

Executive Dean of Durham University Business School, Professor Cathy Cassell, said: 

“Durham University Business School’s programmes are all taught and delivered by world-class and internationally-diverse faculty. The FT’s survey places us 6th in the UK for faculty diversity and 18th in Europe. Their leading research underpins the learning experienced by our students and positions us in the FT’s Global Top 100 Aggregated Research Ranking. This goes to show the quality of all of our programmes, and the Business School generally.” 

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Innovative eye-tracking technology to improve museum visitor experience

A man using eye tracking technology

Our researchers are part of an exciting new project working to enhance museum visitor experience by using ground-breaking eye-tracking technology.

Innovative eye-tracking technology

Professor Andy Beresford, from our School of Modern Languages and Cultures, is leading a team conducting experiments at the Bowes Museum in Barnard Castle, County Durham.

One hundred visitors who volunteer to take part will wear state-of-the-art eye-tracking glasses. The glasses will record their eye movements as they move around the galleries, as well as how long they have spent gazing at a particular display.

On returning the glasses, participants will be asked to complete a questionnaire about their visit.

The researchers will analyse the data from the glasses, and the questionnaires to understand if there is a distinction between the memory and the physical reality of each person’s gallery experience.

The second part of the study, taking place at the University, will involve 50 volunteers taking part in a fixed eye-tracking experiment. This will test the usefulness of the label information provided for a particular object or display and will show whether they need to be rewritten or redesigned.

Improving the museum’s visitor experience

It is hoped that the results will inform potential changes to improve the experience of visitors at the museum and how it presents its displays.

By looking at the data gathered from the two experiments we’ll be able to make recommendations on how and in what ways the visitor experience could be improved by remodelling and recontextualising the artworks on show in the Picture Galleries at The Bowes Museum.

Professor Andy Beresford, Durham University’s School of Modern Languages and Cultures

Find out more

With sections regularly featuring in the top five in national league tables such as the Good University Guide and the Complete University Guide by Subject, our School of Modern Languages and Cultures offers expertise in a wide range of subjects, including language, literature, cultural history, cinema and visual culture, and translation. In the Complete University Guide by Subject 2024, it was ranked 4th for German, 5th for Asian Studies and Italian and 6th for French. 

The School also hosts the BA in Visual Arts and Film and MA Visual Culture. It has forged a ground-breaking partnership with the British Film Institute (BFI), bringing students the unique opportunity to learn from industry experts along with University-wide access to the BFI Player. 

Feeling inspired? Visit our Modern Languages and Cultures webpages for more information on our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. 

Durham University is a top 100 world university. In the QS World University Rankings 2024, we were ranked 78th globally.