This coming Thursday, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall will present The Queen’s Anniversary Prizes for Higher and Further Education for 2016-2018 in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace.

Twenty-one universities and colleges in the United Kingdom have been awarded Prizes recognising a wide range of innovative work.

The Princess Royal will be present in her role as Chancellor of University College London. The Duke of Kent will also attend as Chancellor of the University of Surrey.

The Queen’s Anniversary Prizes are awarded every two years to universities and colleges who present work judged to show distinction, innovation, influence and benefit for the institution itself as well as people and society in general.

The entries can be in any field or discipline, and it is for the institution to determine whether or not it wishes to participate in any round.

A team of up to eight of the Trust’s 300 readers, formed from a broad range of professions and disciplines reads the submitted work. Each entry is evaluated and reported on anonymously and confidentially.

Following the review process, The Awards Council of the Trust then recommends the entries judged worthy of a Prize to The Queen, on the advice of the Prime Minister.

The 2016—2018 round is the twelfth round of The Queen’s Anniversary Prizes.

Since 1994, when the first round was announced, The Queen has awarded a total of 250 Queen’s Anniversary Prizes to 125 different institutions, 80 universities and 45 colleges of further education. The prizes are allocated from the Trust’s initiative to mark the 40th Anniversary of Her Majesty’s Accession.

The prize itself is a lovely a silver-gilt medallion and a and inscribed certificate granting the award, signed by Her Majesty The Queen.

Twelfth Round Prize-Winners 2016-18

University of Aberdeen
Health service research leading to improvements in academic and clinical practice and delivery of healthcare

Art University Bournemouth
Distinguished degree level education in costume design for the UK’s leading creative industries

University of Birmingham
Advanced engineering and innovative technology in support of the developing UK rail industry

Cardiff University
Diagnosis and treatment of vision problems in children with Down’s Syndrome

Cranfield University
Large-scale soil and environmental data for sustainable use of the natural resources in the UK and worldwide

Durham University
Leading influential research on parent-infant sleep, with a widely-used public information service

University of East Anglia
Combined natural, social and environmental sciences to advance understanding and protection of the environment

The University of Edinburgh
Clinical innovations to respond to major unmet needs in women’s health

University of Essex
Authoritative social and economic research to inform the policies of governments for the improvement of people’s lives

University of Glasgow
The Historical Thesaurus of English, a unique resource for scholarship, education and creativity

Harper Adams University
Innovative applications in agricultural engineering and technologies to address UK and global food security

The Institute of Cancer Research
Pre-eminent work in cancer drug discovery with benefits to patients globally

University of Liverpool
A lead role in drug safety, drug design and improvements of existing therapies with outstanding work on HIV

The London School of Economics and Political Science
Training, research and policy formation for cities of the future and a new generation of urban leaders in other countries

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Responding to the Ebola crisis with clinical action, local training and new preventative strategies

National Film and Television School
Specialist training for film and television to provide exceptional and recognised talent for the UK creative economy

Newcastle College
Specialist vocational and commercial training for aviation and rail to meet new employment needs in the region

Scotland’s Rural College
Large-scale breeding research for dairy cattle producing improved milk yield and environmental benefits

University of Southampton
Innovations in photonics that enhance the global fibre internet, laser manufacturing, next-generation computing and new optical technologies

University of Surrey
Leading research and teaching in food and nutrition informing public policy on diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis and other dietary related issues

Weston College
A leader in inclusive educational approaches to support learners with special educational needs and disabilities