QUB Path to Sanctuary Team, which I have been leading with colleagues, has been shortlisted for the Best Collaboration award. The team was shortlisted alongside three other teams, from a total of around 38 institutional applications submitted for the Best Collaboration category. The group provided support and guidance to co-author the Institution's University of Sanctuary application, bringing staff, students, and local communities together. They also supported coordination and governance, as well as providing advice on the design of a three-year Sanctuary Strategy with civic and community partners. This collaborative, best-practice approach had a major impact, leading to Queen’s being awarded Sanctuary status by the UK Universities of Sanctuary Steering Group in June 2025—the first NI university to achieve this status.
Staff Excellence Awards Team - On behalf of the judging panel, we would like to congratulate you on being shortlisted for the Best Collaboration award at this year’s Staff Excellence Awards. For the team to be shortlisted from such a strong field is a truly significant achievement and a testament to the collective impact of the work you have all done. You should be very proud of this accomplishment. In recognition of this achievement, each team member will receive £100 prize money in their March salary. Thank you all for the continued dedication and the valuable contribution you make.
Mairéad Regan, Senate Member, Chair of the Staff Excellence Award - Congratulations on your well-deserved recognition -
This year, the Judging Panel received over 270 nominations, and your team has been nominated by a colleague for their outstanding contributions, dedication and the remarkable impact of their work within our university community.
Shortlisting and Nomination reason:
The Queen’s University Belfast Path to Sanctuary Operational Group exemplifies the University’s Connectivity value through exceptional collaboration across roles, disciplines, and sectors. This diverse team comprising academic staff, professional services, and students worked as a cohesive and interconnected network to embed inclusion, compassion, and social responsibility within the University’s culture. Their collective efforts culminated in the submission of Queen’s first University of Sanctuary application in January 2025. The successful award of University of Sanctuary status in June 2025 stands as a testament to their shared commitment, strategic collaboration, and impactful civic engagement.
What they did:
Between August 2024 and July 2025, the team united people and systems across Queen’s to create a joined-up approach to supporting refugees and asylum seekers. They co-authored Queen’s first University of Sanctuary submission, meeting all ten national award criteria. Key outcomes include launching the Our Path to Sanctuary webpage (https://www.qub.ac.uk/public-engagement/civic/sanctuary/) connecting staff, students, and communities; establishing the Sanctuary Operational Group to sustain institutional connectivity and governance; co-designing a three-year Sanctuary Strategy with civic and community partners; and delivering over 16 Sanctuary Coffee Mornings that built genuine bridges between campus and community.
How they did it:
Connectivity defined their approach. Academics and Professional staff from Civic Engagement, Admissions, Widening Participation, Student Wellbeing Communications, Students' Union, and Open Learning collaborated to link institutional resources with external expertise from Belfast City of Sanctuary, external civic partners, Education Authority NI, ANAKA Women’s Collective, and the Migrant and Minority Ethnic Thinktank and others. Consultation workshops modelled inclusive practice, providing interpreters, accessible venues, and transport, ensuring lived experience guided every decision. These partnerships illustrate connectivity in action: breaking down silos, aligning institutional processes, and co-creating solutions that transcend departmental and sectoral boundaries.
Why it was done this way:
The team’s collaborative model was deliberately chosen to reflect Queen’s Strategy 2030 aim of building connected communities and impactful partnerships. By fostering mutual learning between staff, students, and displaced people, the group ensured Sanctuary principles were not just adopted but truly integrated. Connectivity across academic, administrative, and civic domains enabled collective ownership and accountability for long-term change.
What difference it made:
The results demonstrate the power of connected action. Sanctuary has become embedded in Queen’s governance and culture, with the Operational Group reporting to the University Management Board. An extensive review of past scholarship programmes has been completed, and new scholarships are currently being developed. New two-year Fellowships have been created to allow three at-risk academics annually to continue their research in safety at Queen's. To date, approximately 300 refugees, asylum seekers, and community members have engaged directly with Queen’s through a range of inclusive events. The initiative strengthened cross-sector links with Belfast City Council, GEMS, and other partners, supporting employability and integration. It also deepened internal networks, encouraging staff and students to collaborate on civic and intercultural projects beyond their usual remits.
How we know it had impact:
Evidence of impact includes Queen’s being awarded University of Sanctuary status by the UK Universities of Sanctuary Steering Group in June 2025, as well as earlier national recognition from the Universities of Sanctuary UK Steering Group in October 2024 for “making Sanctuary an institutional priority.” These achievements have strengthened the University’s civic reputation, increased student engagement, and led to measurable growth in community participation. The initiative’s approach has also been disseminated across other UK universities as an emerging model of best practice, demonstrating its influence beyond Queen’s.
So what?
The Path to Sanctuary Operational Group embodies Connectivity by linking people, disciplines, and communities to achieve lasting transformation. Their collaboration has turned civic values into tangible outcomes, creating a university where connection, compassion, and shared purpose redefine what inclusion means in higher education.
The significant positive impact the nominees made beyond the expected responsibilities of their role:
The Path to Sanctuary Operational Group at Queen’s University Belfast exemplifies the University’s Connectivity value through an extraordinary collaborative effort that has generated sustained impact well beyond members’ formal duties. This partnership has joined people, disciplines, and communities together to embed compassion, inclusion, and civic responsibility at every level of the University.
Impact beyond expectations
Team members undertook responsibilities well beyond their core roles to make Sanctuary a lived reality at Queen’s. Working voluntarily and collaboratively, they bridged departments and sectors to co-author the University’s first University of Sanctuary application, not only meeting all ten national criteria but in many areas exceeding them. The UK Universities of Sanctuary commended our highly consultative approach and highlighted our website, which is now being shared with other academic institutions as an example of best practice. Through their leadership and commitment, the team brought together diverse perspectives to create a unified vision of welcome and belonging.
Institutional transformation through connectivity:
The team created structural and cultural change by connecting previously separate areas of the institution. They established the Sanctuary Operational Group, ensuring continuous dialogue between Civic Engagement, Widening Participation, Admissions, Student Wellbeing, Communications, Students' Union, Open Learning and academic schools. This new network reports directly to the University Management Board, embedding Sanctuary principles into policy, governance, and practice. In doing so, the team built the connective framework that allows inclusion to thrive across Queen’s.
Tangible achievements (August 2024 – July 2025):
Launched the “Our Path to Sanctuary” web portal (https://www.qub.ac.uk/public-engagement/civic/sanctuary/), linking staff, students, and communities through one multilingual digital hub.
Plans to expand Sanctuary Scholarships and CARA Fellowships following extensive reviews of both schemes, strengthening pathways that connect displaced students and academics with educational opportunities and enhancing overall accessibility.
Hosted 16 Sanctuary Coffee Mornings and an information fair attended by more than 160 refugees, asylum seekers, and local residents, including individuals from minority ethnic backgrounds, fostering meaningful community engagement and authentic human connections.
Co-designed a three-year Sanctuary Strategy with Belfast City of Sanctuary and the Education Authority NI, integrating community voices into institutional planning.
Delivered inclusive consultation workshops at Queen’s University as well as community spaces, using interpreters and accessible venues to remove barriers and strengthen trust.
Partnered with Belfast City Council and GEMS to connect refugees and asylum seekers with employability and requalification pathways.
Evidence of measurable and reputational impact:
Institutional connectivity: Sanctuary work now features in Queen’s governance structure and civic reporting lines.
Recognition: In June 2025 Queen’s was the first university in Northern Ireland to achieve the University of Sanctuary award.
Civic and policy influence: The team’s work informed NI Assembly discussions on race equality and integration, demonstrating Queen’s connected leadership.
Cultural integration: Staff and students across multiple faculties now collaborate on civic projects inspired by the Sanctuary model.
Connectivity beyond the University:
Partnerships extend across Belfast and internationally, linking Queen’s with NGOs, councils, and cultural and community organisations such as Diverse Youth NI, BOMOKO, Include Youth NI, Stronger Together Network, Glaucoma UK, ANAKA Women’s Collective, Angaza Happy Women, ACSONI, HAPANI, iAssist NI, among others, as well as with universities across the wider Universities of Sanctuary network. This outward-facing connectivity has positioned Queen’s as a model of best practice and has inspired replication of its approach across the UK and Ireland.
In summary:
The Path to Sanctuary Operational Group embodies the spirit of Connectivity by uniting people who might otherwise work in isolation across professional boundaries, disciplines, and communities to achieve transformative impact. Their collaboration has advanced equality, deepened civic engagement, and enhanced Queen’s reputation as a compassionate, connected university whose influence reaches far beyond campus walls. Our success was due to a powerful cross-campus and community collaboration that transformed Queen’s University Belfast into a nationally
University of Sanctuary tean are recognised for embedding compassion, inclusion, and civic leadership across every level of the institution.
| Awarded date | 27 Feb 2026 |
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| Degree of recognition | Regional |
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