Transcript:

President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Ian Greer:

Happy New Year and welcome back to campus. And, of course, a warm welcome also to those joining Queen’s for the very first time as part of our January intake.

At Queen’s, we are proud of our reputation for teaching excellence. As we embark upon the new semester, I congratulate our 2025 Teaching Awards winners, who we celebrated at a special event just last month. I know that your work makes a real difference to our students; thank you. 

There is much to celebrate in the research space too. A prime example is the €6.5 million euro PEACEPLUS award to our Engineering and Physical Sciences Faculty’s Clean Air project. This is part of the PEACE-Air partnership, which aims to improve air quality across the island of Ireland. In Medicine, Health and Life Sciences, the All-Island Oncology Innovation Cluster has just been funded by Intertrade Ireland. This will advance the fight against a disease that truly knows no borders. And in our Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty, the £11.5 million-pound METIUS project will transform the policy landscape by using AI to create faster, smarter ways of getting crucial research-based evidence to governments and policy-makers.

We have a number of exciting initiatives planned for this year. To name just a few:

• We will shortly launch two new student transport pilots:
• Our ‘Get Home Safe’ project will utilise SOS Bus services to provide a late-night shuttle service for our students from two city centre locations;
• And we will also introduce a pilot late-night shuttle bus service, operating daily from 9.00pm to 2.00am, connecting One Elmwood, the McClay Library, BT1, BT2 and BT9, as well as Queen’s Sport Upper Malone.
• We will roll-out the SafeZone App before the Easter break, giving our university community extra peace of mind by connecting you directly to the University security team should you need help at any time.
• Preparations are underway to host a topping out ceremony. This will mark the completion of construction of our Passivhaus student accommodation project, Weavers' Hall.
• We have a sod-cutting ceremony to mark the start of construction for an expanded facility for our global innovation centre, Momentum One Zero, at Queen’s Titanic Quarter.
• And we look forward in the coming weeks to a visit from Narxoz University in Kazakhstan, that will further enhance our partnership with them. 

As a community, it's essential that we listen to one another. So I'd like to thank all colleagues who took part in our 2025 Staff Pulse Survey. The results not only show a university with a strong sense of purpose, but have also helped us identify areas where we can enhance your experience at work.

Staff engagement remains impressive at 68%, reflecting sustained commitment despite a year of significant change. Pride in Queen’s also remains high, with 76% of colleagues saying they are proud to work here, and over 70% report strong support and communication from their line managers. The survey results will help guide our action-planning, and we will keep staff informed as this progresses.

Finally, as the new semester gets underway, I would like to thank each and every member of our university community for the energy and commitment you bring to Queen’s each and every day. I wish you all a successful and rewarding term ahead.

Thank you.