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HomeDepartment of Computer ScienceAbout usNews50 years of Computer ScienceHistory of the DepartmentQueen's Anniversary Prize 1996

Queen's Anniversary Prize 1996

In 1996, the University of York was awarded The Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education, for its work in Computer Science. The press article published by the university on 14th November 1996 can be seen below.

It was announced at St James's Palace today (14 November) that the University of York had been awarded one of The Queen's Anniversary Prizes for Higher and Further Education.

These prizes, introduced following the 40th anniversary of the Queen's reign in 1992, rank alongside The Queen's Awards for Industry. The awards are made biennially for "an outstanding achievement of excellence in an existing activity, area of work or project undertaken by an institution, and of service and benefit to the Nation".

The prize is awarded to the University for the excellence of its work in Computer Science, particularly in technology transfer to industry. In a time when the computing industry is taking over from oil as the largest segment of the world economy, York wins more industrially-sponsored research in this area than any other British university - about 20 per cent of the market.

This prize is a very great credit to the staff and students of the Department of Computer Science

Dr Keith Mander, Head of Department of Computer Science

Industry looks to York for support in computing because the Department of Computer Science is one of the most pre-eminent internationally. It has a Research Assessment Exercise rating of 5 and a Teaching Quality Assessment rating of 'Excellent', the highest possible in both cases.

The staff of Computer Science work closely with engineers in partner industries. The value of this work to the partner companies is high, allowing them to compete more effectively in export markets. The Department's work is significant in many kinds of modern computer system - in aircraft, nuclear power plant, implanted medical devices, rail transport and signalling.

The Prize will be presented to the Chancellor of the University, Dame Janet Baker CH DBE by Her Majesty The Queen in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace in February.

"This prize is a very great credit to the staff and students of the Department of Computer Science," said Dr Keith Mander, Head of Department. "But it reflects too the overall excellence, particularly in research terms, of the whole University."

"This award is the finishing touch to a year of achievement," said Professor Ron Cooke, Vice-Chancellor of the University. "We began 1996 as one of the top two rated universities for teaching quality. We were ranked 7th out of 96 universities by The Times in May, our research income from industry has risen by 13 per cent, and the growth in both graduate and overseas students has exceeded our expectations.

"The University, in recognition of the excellence of its work in computer science, is undertaking a major investment in the building of a new headquarters for the Department. The building will be complete in the autumn of 1997, establishing a superb physical base for the expansion and continued success of the Department's work."

The certificate awarded to the Department of Computer Science when it received the Queen's Anniversary Prize in 1996

The official citation reads:

"Coupling high-quality teaching to the practical research and training needs of industry and commerce at an international level has resulted in worldwide recognition for this computer science work. It has achieved the highest possible ratings in both research and teaching assessment exercises and receives the highest research income from British industry of any UK computer science department. Its results in a very wide area of computer applications have established a deserved world-class reputation."