One of the UK’s most prestigious educational honours has been awarded to the University of Leeds for 150 years of textile research.
Leeds has received the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Higher and Further Education, an honour at the highest level of state that celebrates outstanding contributions to education and society.
Thanks to its wide-ranging research expertise and strong culture of collaboration, Leeds is exceptionally well-positioned to address key challenges in the textile industry
The biennial award, formerly known as the Queen’s Anniversary Prize, recognises the University’s history and ambition in textile research. It is the fourth time Leeds has received the prize since 1994.
Professor Shearer West, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Leeds, said: “We are proud of the University's extensive textiles heritage and our long-standing contribution to one of the region's key industrial sectors.
“Our researchers are addressing a vast range of global challenges in areas including sustainability, healthtech and performance textiles. I am looking forward to seeing how the next phase of collaboration and innovation unfolds.”
Founded as the Yorkshire College of Science, the University of Leeds traces its origins to the region’s historic textile industry. In 1874, a large donation from The Clothworkers’ Company led to the creation of the Departments of Textile Industries and of Tinctorial Chemistry and Dyeing – and they played a significant role in Leeds gaining a university charter in 1904.
Innovation at Leeds continues to be strengthened by its longstanding relationship with The Clothworkers’ Company. The creation of the Leeds Institute of Textiles and Colour (LITAC) in 2021 marked the largest donation in the company’s 500-year history.
With the stark reality of climate change and acute economic pressures on the textile industry, the coming into being of the LITAC was a timely and essential development.
LITAC, a cross-faculty and interdisciplinary research institute at the University of Leeds, has recently delivered several significant research breakthroughs, including the creation of a less chemically intensive way of dyeing polyester, producing more effective wound dressings made from collagen, and determining the relationship between the price and durability of clothing.
The Clothworkers’ Centre for Textile Materials Innovation for Healthcare (CCTMIH) was established through a generous grant from The Clothworkers’ Foundation, an organisation founded by The Clothworkers’ Company in 1977 to support people and communities, especially those facing disadvantage.
Professor Stephen Russell, Director of LITAC, said: “With our large global alumni network, creative education programmes and research partnerships with some of the world’s most well-known retailers and textile companies, the University’s impact extends far beyond academia.
“Thanks to its wide-ranging research expertise and strong culture of collaboration, Leeds is exceptionally well-positioned to address key challenges in the textile industry and to drive innovative advances in colour and polymer science with applications across multiple sectors.”
The Hon Mary Ann Slim, Master of The Clothworkers’ Company, said: “Today’s University of Leeds emerged from small beginnings in textiles, in a region throbbing with textile mills. In the late-19th century, The Clothworkers’ Company helped enable those early steps, fostering innovation, then as now.
“With the stark reality of climate change and acute economic pressures on the textile industry, the coming into being of the Leeds Institute of Textiles and Colour (LITAC) was a timely and essential development. The Clothworkers’ Company is proud to have supported LITAC in 2021, with the largest grant in our near 500 year history.”
After 150 years of innovation, the University’s textile expertise is still at the forefront of research. This expertise is filtered out into the industry, not only through partnerships but through the Professional Academy for Creative Enterprise (PACE), which provides continuing professional development (CPD) programmes on topics from sustainability to colour design.
The Queen Elizabeth Prizes for Higher and Further Education celebrate the power of education to change the world for the better.
This includes development of The Sustainable Fashion School (SFS), an accredited online course for Inditex, providing learners with the knowledge and insight to make informed decisions and create sustainable textile products.
Industry collaboration also gives students hands-on exposure and contacts. This experience, along with new courses like the Textile Innovation and Sustainability BSc in the School of Design will maintain an impressive pedigree of application-led education that supports University of Leeds students in becoming industry leaders.
Sir Damon Buffini, Chair of the Royal Anniversary Trust, said: “The Queen Elizabeth Prizes for Higher and Further Education celebrate the power of education to change the world for the better. This much-loved national honour recognises, at the highest level of state, outstanding work in UK universities and colleges, and the remarkable benefit they bring to our economy, society and the wider world.
“This year we are delighted to honour 19 institutions whose work offers an inspiring snapshot of the excellent and innovative work going on in universities and colleges across the UK. Congratulations all!”
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Top image: Dr Abdul Jabbar uses a large white weaving machine in the Spinning, Knitting and Weaving lab. Credit: Dustin Smith, Skywall Photography.