Hey, 2023, it’s time to think big.

The world is big. The challenges? Even bigger. Which is why we think 2023 will be the year Queen’s experts start to meet those challenges with the scale of their thinking. Grand visions. Ambitious targets. World-changing goals. Here’s how Queen’s is aiming to make 2023 the year of thinking big. Big-big. 

 

 

Ten years old. Still in primary school. But in the eyes of the law you are now fully responsible for your actions. Break the law, and you can expect to face the full force of the criminal justice process, from arrest through to prosecution, trial and sentencing. 

Ten is the lowest age of criminal responsibility in Europe – and much lower than 14, which the UN Committee of the Rights of the Child considers to be the youngest age that a child should be held criminally liable.

The impact of this criminalisation can be devastating. These children have more chance of being further involved in the justice system. They can become alienated from society. Their criminalisation also creates barriers to education and future employment – and has huge implications on their mental health.

Which is where Dr Siobhan McAlister’s (School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work) big thinking comes in. Having provided evidence, she is now at the forefront of efforts to get the age raised. Back in November 2021, her landmark report (with Dr Nicola Carr at Nottingham University) called for the age of criminal responsibility to be raised “as a matter of urgency”. 

And finally, last October, then Justice Minister Naomi Long announced a consultation to seek views on increasing the age. In response, Queen’s was represented at the Stop Criminalising Our Children event, calling on government to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 16, with no exceptions. “The event [provided] an opportunity [to] demonstrate why raising the age of criminal responsibility is the right and necessary thing to do,” says McAlister.

At the event, a child affected by the law shared his experiences. The first time he had dealings with the police, he was just 13. “At the time I was in kinship care,” he says. “I was told I was in a lot of trouble, but no one asked me what was going on or why I did what I did. This was the start of my mental health getting bad. I was in consistent fear of being stopped by the police and everyone where I’m from thinking I was a bad kid.
“At that age you do stupid things; you don’t realise the impact. If [only] someone who was nice and could understand [could] help kids learn what would happen if they did these things – or find out why they did do them and help them, so they don’t do it again.” The consultation has now closed, and a decision is awaited. A change, says McAlister, is “long overdue”.

 

Professor Mark Lawler has a big vision: a world where an average of 70 per cent of cancer patients survive for ten years. And, he says, Europe could be there by 2035 – if the right decisions are made around cancer research.

Lawler’s recent report on cancer research challenges after the pandemic found that Covid-19 had a devastating impact, with one million diagnoses missed. Clinicians saw 1.5 million fewer patients with cancer in the first year of the pandemic, and one in two patients with cancer did not receive surgery or chemotherapy in a timely manner. 

“We are now in a race against time to find these missing patients,” he says. “Additionally, we saw a chilling effect on cancer research, with laboratories shut down and clinical trials delayed or cancelled in the first pandemic wave. We are concerned that Europe is heading towards a cancer epidemic in the next decade if cancer health systems and cancer research are not urgently prioritised.”

But while the report identifies the huge challenges ahead, it also suggests this the ideal moment to reimagine what those systems and that research might look like. For example, the report shows that patients who are treated at a hospital that carries out cancer research have better outcomes – showing that research has real benefits for patients on the ground. 

Furthermore, Lawler believes that research should be widened to focus more on early diagnosis and prevention, as well as drug discovery, and that diagnosing cancer earlier will be crucial. Cancer research must become more data-driven, he says, ensuring that funds go to cancers which may have been historically under-served.

Now, Lawler and his team will work on the best ways to turn their plans to revolutionise cancer research into action. “Gathering data and turning it into cancer intelligence has been our North Star in this Commission,” he says. “Too often, opinion, even expert opinion, has trumped data in the implementation of cancer research policies. Simply continuing to dedicate resource and effort to a narrow research agenda is no longer desirable or viable: we must follow the data and act on what they reveal.”

Because when it comes to curing cancer, you have to think big. “We have an unrivalled opportunity to reimagine cancer research and its implementation to achieve our ambitious 70:35 Vision – 70 per cent of cancer patients surviving by 2035,” says Lawler. “Let’s grasp this opportunity.”

 

Think 5G was fast? Think again. 6G will be here soon – and the Centre for Wireless Innovation at Queen’s is helping to unlock its incredible potential for everyone in the UK. 
Right now, the UK is reliant on a small number of suppliers to build and maintain telecoms networks. The government wants to support the rollout of lightning-fast mobile connectivity to make it easier for more firms to enter the market – and the REASON (Realising Enabling Architectures and Solutions for Open Networks) project is key in this strategy. The project has just received a £12m grant to find new ways of making 6G mobile networks even better – and Queen’s will play a crucial role.
“The Centre for Wireless Innovation at Queen’s is delighted to be playing its part in helping put the UK at the forefront of innovations in the 6G space,” says Professor Simon Cotton, Director of the Centre. “Working with colleagues from across UK academia, government and industry, REASON will push the boundaries of what is currently achievable in open RAN networks.”
The Centre’s innovators will hone in on exploiting strengths in existing technology and infrastructure to deliver next-generation cell-free access. It’s a great opportunity for the University to bring its expertise together with industry: the project creates an ecosystem representing the entire telecommunication R&D supply chain. That includes three major mobile network equipment vendors: Ericsson, Samsung and Nokia. 
This work  has huge potential, using the latest research, AI and smart tech to create a framework for new developments across the UK’s entire technology stack. And it’s also hoped that the move will bolster the UK’s status as a global leader in telecoms research, following Ericsson and Samsung’s recent decision to set up cutting-edge 6G research centres in the UK.
Digital Secretary Michelle Donelan says that with 6G on the horizon, it’s crucial for the UK to stay ahead of the curve of this rapidly evolving technology. “This government investment will see top UK universities join forces with industry to develop the nuts and bolts underpinning new networks, create skilled jobs testing the security of the latest telecoms tech, and ensure our plan for a more diverse and innovative 5G market is sustained in the future,” she says.
An efficient 6G network represents a huge potential opportunity for everyone – from small businesses to global corporations. And Queen’s will be right there, as always, thinking big.

 

Queen's alumni making their mark on the world

From being honoured on the King's New Year's Honours List to receiving Academy Award nominations, January has seen Queen's alumni earning recognition for their career achievements and volunteering - and we couldn't be prouder!

Congratulations to the Queen’s University alumni who were recognised by King Charles on the New Year’s Honours List 2023. 

From volunteering and campaigning to careers dedicated to education, law, cybersecurity, environmental protection and business, the impact made by Queen’s alumni reaches all corners of society. 

Thank you for embodying the Queen’s ethos of shaping a better world with your time and talents. 

British Empire Medal (BEM)

• William I Kennedy, for voluntary service to the community in County Fermanagh
• Helena M White, for services to young people in Northern Ireland
• Peter G Vannucci, for services to association football in Co. Down
• James Morrison, for services to agriculture.
  

Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE)

• Kenneth S Brundle, for services to business, to economic development and to the charitable sector in Northern Ireland
• Kathleen M Guthrie, for services to the Reserve Forces and to the veteran community in Northern Ireland
• Peter D Jack, for services to endurance sport and charity
• Samuel G Young, for services to social work and to education
• Godfrey Gaston, for services to cyber security innovation
• Robert S Anderson, for services to science and nature    
• Michael Scott, for services to pharmacy in Northern Ireland
• Ursula Lavery, for services to the agri-food industry and to the economy in Northern Ireland.
  
  

Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE)

• Michael T Bell, for services to the food and drink industry and to the economy in Northern Ireland
• Joseph P Breen, for services to marine science and to environmental protection
• Carol M McCann, for services to education
• Mary Montgomery, for services to education    
• Trevor Robinson, for services to education
• Nicola L Bailey, for services to healthcare in Northern Ireland
• Brian Baird, for services to economic development in Northern Ireland
• John Stannard, for services to legal education.
  
  

Queen's alumni receive BAFTA and Oscar nominations
Congratulations to the Queen's alumni who were involved in the movie, An Irish Goodbye. Shortlisted for Best Live Action Short Film at the 95th Academy Awards, and nominated for Best British Short Film at the 76th BAFTA Awards, the film centres on two estranged brothers who are forced to reunite after the untimely death of their mother. Crew members - and Queen's alumni - include Sean Murray, Benjamin Hardie Goddard, Alex Donaldson, Chandra Douglas, Sam Bell, Ethan Rea and Ross Cullen. Wishing you all the best for the awards ceremonies!

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