Over 70 graduates claim awards at RSB Accreditation Awards Ceremony 2026
Date: 29 Apr 2026
The Royal Society of Biology (RSB)'s annual Accreditation Awards Ceremony took place on Thursday 23 April 2026 at the House of Commons.
The event celebrates institutions which have had programmes accredited in the last year as well as celebrating graduate recipients of the Top Project Award from accredited degree programmes. This year's event was sponsored by AstraZeneca and followed on from a successful accreditation conference during the day, sponsored by LearnSci.
Speeches
The ceremony opened with a welcome speech from the Viscount Stansgate FRSB before handing over to RSB CEO Dr Doug Brown CBiol FRSB. Doug emphasised the breadth of work the RSB actively leads, from influencing government policy and growing membership to annual events such as Biology Week and the importance of degree accreditation. The number of RSB accredited courses is growing year on year, and the winners of the awards are a crucial part of the next generation of bioscientists. Doug also acknowledged AstraZeneca's support in some of the RSB's career work. Professor Richard Reece CBiol FRSB, Chair of the RSB Accreditation Committee, then delivered a speech reflecting on the RSB's history of accreditation dating back to 2010, acknowledging that it continues to recognise excellence today.
Speech from sponsor AstraZeneca
Dr Liz Roberts, Senior Director in Mechanistic Biology and Profiling within Discovery Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals R&D at AstraZeneca, then took to the podium. Her message focused on the recognition of academic excellence and entering an AI-native era. Liz stated that scientists' abilities to explore more ways to treat disease, focusing on the questions that matter most, and designing experiments that change lives, are critical for the future. She acknowledged that accreditation confirms rigour and best practice, and that the RSB stands for excellence in biology for the benefit of all. Liz concluded by saying the future is in capable hands as shown by the success of the award winners.
With thanks to AstraZeneca for sponsoring this year's awards ceremony.
Awards presentation
The awardees were then presented with their certificates followed by the opportunity to network over canapés. The RSB's congratulations go to all the graduates who gained Top Project Awards from Apprenticeship Accredited, Foundation Accreditation, Accredited, Advanced Accredited, Master's Accreditation, Doctoral Training Accredited, and International Accredited courses.
Institutions awarded Accreditation in 2026
Outside of the UK, the RSB currently accredits over 60 programmes at 16 institutions across six continents. Congratulations to all the institutions who were awarded accreditation this year. Accredited courses can be found in our Accreditation Directory or you can discover more about Accreditation.