The University is renowned for its strengths in enterprise and innovation and was ranked 1st in the UK as the most entrepreneurial university in 2019 and 2020 (Octopus Ventures Impact Rankings).
Queen’s is a leading university in translating research innovation into commercial application. Our strategic priorities build on our rich heritage of innovation, both economic and social, and focus on true global challenges.
We are accelerating inclusive growth through our leadership in the once-in-a lifetime opportunities that are presented by the Belfast Region City Deal, driving forward major innovation projects that will include advanced manufacturing and clinical healthcare.
The innovation projects created by Belfast Region City Deal focus on the data-driven knowledge economy of the future through new open-source facilities for research and development. They will serve as a catalyst that will drive forward investment in research and development and help embed a culture of innovation to act as a driver for increased productivity, and establish Belfast as a globally significant destination for innovation.
Through QUBIS, our commercialisation arm, we have created more than 100 technology spin-outs, generating £396m in revenue and creating 3,800 jobs. We have also supported the creation of 1,800 jobs via the cybersecurity business cluster which is based around our Institute of Electronics, Communications and Information Technology (ECIT).
Our long tradition of entrepreneurship and commercialisation has secured £155m in capital investment for Northern Ireland and has seen the creation of many top companies including LSE-listed Kainos Group Plc, Andor Technology, and Fusion Antibodies Plc among the companies in the universities spinout portfolio.
Queen’s successfully delivers high-impact Innovation programmes across the island of Ireland, UK and Europe, for many of the key innovation agencies in those territories. From university focused research-to-commercialisation programmes, challenge-led programmes for specific sectors or scale-up innovation programmes for existing SMEs.
Queen’s is at the forefront of cutting-edge research, developing pioneering technologies and thinking on a global scale through four Global Research Institutes within the University;
The Institute of Global Food Security, The Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice, The Institute of Electronics, Communications and Information Technology and The Institute for Health Sciences, each bringing different disciplines together on a scale that enables them to address major societal challenges.
For our industry partners, the research that happens at Queen’s a crucial part of their innovation process, from basic research through to applied and translational research.
Queen’s works closely with businesses, charities and others to meet a huge variety of social and economic goals.
Through the Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) scheme, Queen’s helps businesses across the UK to improve their competitiveness and productivity through the better use of knowledge, technology and skills that reside within the UK Knowledge Base.
Queen's, along with a vast network of partners, industry experts and mentors, is helping to build an innovation eco-system that is designed to tackle the urgent global, national and local economic & societal challenges we face.
Belfast is a capital city with a passion for progress – a passion shared by Queen’s University Belfast, with our campus positioned in the beating heart of the city.
Belfast has a long and proud history of industry and innovation, from ship building to linen manufacturing.
Today, the city is an inward magnet for investment and its young, dynamic population and thriving business community drives technological advances, building competitiveness, innovation and prosperity on the global stage.