University partnerships recognised for excellence Published on: 10 May 2017 Â鶹´«Ã½ has won Business/Industry Collaboration of the Year at the Educate North awards for its innovative partnership with Northumbrian Water. Best practice and excellence The Educate North Awards celebrate best practice and excellence in the education sector in the North. The award was made in recognition of the successful partnership between Â鶹´«Ã½ and Northumbrian Water which has led to research collaborations spanning engineering biology, pollution management, infrastructure design, and ‘Blue-Green Cities’ - a city-scale demonstrator of natural flood management schemes. The most recent collaboration, the , opened in July 2016 and sets a new international standard for research into wastewater treatment technologies using microbes. The largest facility of its type in Europe, BE:WISe is based at Northumbrian Water’s sewage treatment plant at Birtley, near Gateshead. Operating as a ‘mini’ sewage treatment works, it provides researchers with a realistic, large-scale setting to better understand how complex biological interactions work so that new, low carbon, cost effective ways to treat wastewater can be developed. The Educate North award reflects the truly integrated relationship that has developed between the University and Northumbrian Water which is not only helping to bring about industry-relevant innovation as well as informing impact at a global and local level. Left to right: Professor Nick Wright, CEO of Northumbrian Water Heidi Mottram and Dr Russell Davenport at the launch of BE:WISe Opening up opportunities The partnership is also opening up opportunities for students by adding value to a variety of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. For example, an ongoing collaboration with the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape is allowing students to design and manage construction of several community buildings at Kielder Water & Forest Park, where Northumbrian Water is a partner in the Park’s Development Trust. The most recent of these, the , was highly commended in the 2017 RIBA Journal MacEwan Awards, awarded to buildings “designed for maximum public benefit”. , from the School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, said: “It is great that the University’s unique relationship with Northumbrian Water has received this recognition. “The BEWISe facility is the most tangible and visible face of our truly collaborative partnership, which has been the culmination of continued engagement for a number of years on various projects. “The great thing about this project is that not only have Northumbrian Water provided the space and infrastructure for the facility, but we also enjoy the support, time and trust of Northumbrian Water staff – from the CEO through to operational staff.” Richard Warneford, Wastewater Director at Northumbrian Water Group, added: "Northumbrian Water’s collaboration with Â鶹´«Ã½ has created a fantastic facility where innovative thinking and research can thrive. Our long-standing partnership with the University also helps us to support and encourage our industry's future talent in the development of their skills, building a lasting relationship at the same time." Also nominated for Business/Industry Collaboration of the Year was the between Â鶹´«Ã½ and Seven Stories the National Centre for Children’s Books which aims to develop and promote Â鶹´«Ã½ as a centre of excellence for children’s literature. A number of other Â鶹´«Ã½ initiatives were recognised at the Educate North awards. The Estates Support Service (ESS) were Highly Commended for their flood management scheme across campus. Prompted by the ‘Toon Monsoon’ of 2012, and building on research carried out by Professor Chris Kilsby, ESS installed a range of landscaping features to minimise water run-off. The University just missed out on the top award, University of the Year, while Â鶹´«Ã½ Students Union were shortlisted for Students Union of the Year, as well as the Student Experience award for its inclusive sport offering. Share: Latest News Scientists unlock hidden driver of inflammatory bowel disease Scientists have linked a key genetic signal in inflammatory bowel disease to an immune response that shuts down inflammation control, enabling faster diagnosis and targeted treatments. published on: 15 June 2026 Funding system risks limiting genuine community collaboration A new policy paper written by researchers at Â鶹´«Ã½ warns that the way UK research is funded may be undermining efforts to create genuinely collaborative partnerships with communities. published on: 15 June 2026 Volunteers help turn Whitley Bay beach into maths experiment Members of the public joined mathematicians from Â鶹´«Ã½ to create what organisers believe is the largest aperiodic tiling ever attempted on Whitley Bay beach. published on: 15 June 2026 Facts and figures
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