QMUL projects shortlisted for Times Higher Education Awards 2015

The first of the nominations has gone to the Queen Mary Students’ Union (QMSU) Olympic Legacy Project which has been recognised in the Outstanding Contribution to the Local Community category.

The Olympic Legacy Project was set up to provide accessible and affordable sports activities, delivered by QMUL students, in the local community following the success of London 2012.

The project supports QMUL students to achieve National Governing Body accredited sports coaching qualifications. Students then complete a minimum of 15 hours of voluntary sports coaching within local schools, sports clubs or with community organisations.  

Charlotte Kendrick, Head of Sport at QMSU, said: “We’re very proud to be nominated by the Times Higher Education Awards for the Olympic Legacy Project which was set up to encourage sport in and around Tower Hamlets after London 2012. We can’t wait for the awards night and fingers crossed we can win.”

The second project to receive a nomination is a QMUL spin out, Actual Experience, which has been recognised in the Outstanding Contribution to Innovation and Technology category.

Actual Experience is a major success story for QMUL, commercialising 10 years of research by Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer, Professor Jonathan Pitts of the School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science.

Since 2009 it has picked up a number of large global clients and, following the company’s listing in 2014, it is estimated to be worth £78m.

Actual Experience specialises in digital supply chain management – automatically and continuously analysing the digital Voice of the Customer to manage the digital business from the critical perspectives of cost, quality and risk. It delivers a measure of the quality of digital products as perceived by users, be they staff, customers or partners and ensures that every component of the digital supply chain involved in delivering a digital product operates in harmony to achieve a consistent level of quality.

For their customers, the result is a business that operates better because it knows the digital Voice of the Customer – services are delivered more consistently, with higher quality, at lower cost, leading to greater revenues, increased margins, happier customers, and an improved and now manageable digital brand.

Professor Jonathan Pitts said: “We are delighted to be shortlisted for the Times Higher Education Awards. A great deal of hard work has gone into building Actual Experience, so this nomination is very gratifying indeed. We are exceptionally proud of being a major QMUL spin-out success story, and look forward to sharing the company of other technology innovators on the awards shortlist.”