This week brings exceptional recognition for two pillars of our region’s education and skills sector – North West Regional College (NWRC) and Ulster University, whose work continues to create opportunity, drive innovation, and strengthen the economy.

NWRC has been awarded the prestigious 2025 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Education, the UK’s highest honour in further and higher education. This national award recognises the College’s outstanding contribution to business support and innovation, with its Business Support Centre standing out as a key engine of growth for local companies. From a single office on one campus, the Centre has grown into a network of five Technology Innovation Centres (TICs) spanning four campuses, each dedicated to solving real-world industry challenges.

These TICs (Foodovation, the Product Design Centre, XR, i4.0, and robotics) provide SMEs with direct access to research expertise, prototyping facilities, digital technologies and workforce development. NWRC now partners with more than 400 businesses each year, reducing innovation risk, accelerating time to market and enabling firms to adopt new processes and technologies that keep them competitive. Over the past year alone, more than 1,000 individuals have been upskilled through programmes aligned to emerging labour market needs, reinforcing the College’s role as a catalyst for regional productivity.

For the Chamber’s members, this award is a powerful endorsement of the strength of our local skills ecosystem and the practical, hands-on support available to businesses right here in the North West. NWRC’s Business Support Centre is a direct driver of business growth, job creation, and innovation across priority sectors.

Alongside NWRC’s achievement, we also congratulate Ulster University Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Bartholomew, who has been honoured by the Flax Trust for his leadership in widening access to education and championing community-focused regeneration. His work reflects the University’s long-standing commitment to social mobility, skills, and economic development across Northern Ireland, including in Derry-Londonderry.

Together, these awards highlight the strength of our regional education and skills cluster and its critical importance to the business community. As demand for skills, research capability, and innovation continues to grow, the achievements of NWRC and Ulster University are a reminder of the world-class resources we have right at our doorstep.