Queen's University, Belfast has been named as the Times Higher Education Entrepreneurial University of the Year.

The University was awarded the top prize at a glittering ceremony in London's Grosvenor House Hotel hosted by Clive Anderson.

Professor Gerry McCormac, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Planning and External Relations at Queen's accepted the award from Paul Hannon, Director of Research and Education at the National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship (NCGE).

Presenting the award Hannon said: "Queen's University is simply an excellent example of what we were looking for from an entrepreneurial university - strong leadership and vision, real student engagement, innovative faculty and clear evidence of the impact they have made in their local environment."

Queen's Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Gregson believes the award is excellent news for the university and excellent news for Northern Ireland.

He said: "This award recognises the University's ongoing work in ensuring that tomorrow's business leaders have the necessary skills to promote economic growth, which is vital for Northern Ireland’s future prosperity in an increasingly competitive world.

"Indeed, this message was reinforced last week during US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's historic visit to Queen's, at which I pledged the University’s total commitment to continuing to support economic development in Northern Ireland.

"Building on the entrepreneurship programmes in the University, it is the students themselves that have created an environment in which enterprise has flourished," he said.

Meanwhile, SDLP Employment and Learning Spokesperson Pat Ramsey MLA congratuled Queen's: "The award is well deserved for the university management, staff and students who are recognised for their outstanding research and innovation and for their very important connections with industry which is resulting in new investment, business growth and jobs."

In the QUB award citation, the judges highlighted various aspects of the university's success in entrepreneurship including the success of its spinout businesses through QUBIS, a company which commercialises the University's research and development activities.

It has helped Queen's become the number one higher education institution in the UK in terms of turnover, generating a combined total of £102 million in 2009.

The University's Knowledge Transfer Unit which facilitates partnerships between academic groups and companies who need access to skills and knowledge in order to innovate was also highlighted. It is currently the UK's leading participant in Knowledge Transfer Partnership.

Queen's commitment to enterprise can also be seen in its pioneering model of entrepreneurship education within the curriculum which is now embedded in 116 pathways, reaching 11,000 students across the University. This has led to over 500 students directly engaging in business activity.

Entrepreneurship also underpins Queen’s aim to become a global Top 100 University. The University last year hosted the International Roundtable for Entrepreneurship Education and has developed alliances with institutions in India, China and Malaysia, as well as world renowned entrepreneurial institutions such as Stanford University, MIT and Babson College.

(GK/BMcC)