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by alumni Adam Konowe and Mike Chikuni ( pictured above , R-L ).
The awards themselves were designed exclusively for the event by artist Jessica McMillan and featured hand embroidery representing the essence of each award category .
The award categories were carefully curated to represent the wideranging collaboration opportunities available with Keele University . As well as covering key areas such as sustainability , social inclusion and the development of talented and employable students , this year ’ s awards also recognised the contribution that local organisations have made in the wake of the coronavirus in the form of a dedicated ‘ Pandemic Response ’ award .
Professor Trevor McMillan , Vice- Chancellor of Keele University , said :
“ The focus of Breaking the Mould is to celebrate the remarkable achievements of the businesses and graduate employers that we at Keele are proud to partner and work with , especially in what has been an unusually challenging and difficult time for all .
“ 2020 has , more than ever , seen the need for transformation and innovation from all organisations . And the applications put forward for this year ’ s awards have highlighted the ways in which many of our local community have adapted in order to address not only their own changing circumstances , but also those of everyone around them .
“ At Keele , we aim to support organisations by providing an environment that allows creativity to thrive , and we want to encourage a diverse business community across Stoke-on-Trent , Staffordshire and beyond . We encourage all people within our communities to have the confidence to access the support to help them to flourish , and to do so in socially and environmentally responsible ways .”
All of the finalists for this year ’ s Breaking the Mould awards had demonstrated the positive impact that their relationship with Keele University had enabled them to deliver . But there was one organisation whose achievements in 2020 have the potential to impact the lives of billions of people worldwide .
Cobra Biologics , which has two facilities on Keele University ’ s Science and Innovation Park , is one of the manufacturing partners for AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford ’ s Covid-19 vaccine . The production agreement is part of a programme to ensure broad and equitable supply of the vaccine throughout the world , meaning that Cobra will be playing a significant role in the fight against the virus by being part of a manufacturing process that could see up to 3 billion doses produced by the end of 2021 .
To find out more about the Breaking the Mould awards , please visit keele . ac . uk / breakingthemould .
Pictured left ( L-R ): Professor Trevor McMillan ( Vice-Chancellor ) and Peter Coleman ( Chief Executive , Cobra Biologics ), with the Science Park Company of the Year award .
Keele ranked in Global top 40 for sustainability
Keele has once again been scored among the top 4 % of universities in the world for sustainability in a global ranking of over 900 universities .
For the fifth consecutive year , Keele has placed in the Top 40 in the UI GreenMetric World Rankings , securing 37th place out of 912 universities with a commitment to sustainability that entered from around the world .
The rankings look at six indicators of each university ’ s commitment to sustainability , including setting and infrastructure , energy and climate change , waste , water , transportation , and education .
This is the eleventh edition of the UI GreenMetric ranking , which compares universities ’ efforts towards campus sustainability , environmentfriendly university management , and sustainability education .
Professor Mark Ormerod , Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost , said : “ We are delighted to be ranked so highly in this increasingly prestigious global university sustainability league table for the fifth year in succession .
“ This achievement further demonstrates Keele ’ s sector-leading position for its whole institution approach to sustainability , and reflects our commitment to embedding sustainability across everything that we do .”
www . keele . ac . uk / news