Southampton Together

Southampton Together recognises our remarkable community of volunteers and donors, who support the University by generously donating their time and money. 

In 2022, our Southampton Together community helped us to deliver more world-leading research, outstanding student experience, and comprehensive careers and employability support. Below are just a few of the highlights from the past 12 months. Thank you to all our donors and volunteers for supporting Southampton this year. With your help we can continue to achieve the remarkable.

The Giving Report 2022

“It gives me great pleasure to present this 2022 edition of our annual giving report showcasing some of the remarkable things that we have achieved as a result of your support over the last year.

This report shows just some of the ways in which you, as part of our community of donors and volunteers, have helped us to change the world for the better: from developing new treatments for cancer, to training the next generation of scientists and engineers, to providing a helping hand to our most vulnerable students.”

Professor Mark E. Smith CBE
President and Vice-Chancellor

Together, our alumni and supporter community are transforming lives 

This year, more than 900 of our alumni and supporters have responded to appeals and donated to our priority funds: the Ignite Programme and the Cancer Immunology Fund. Thanks to their generosity, we’re transforming lives. 

The Ignite Programme supported 60 students from disadvantaged backgrounds to thrive at Southampton, and we saw our very first Ignite graduate this summer – an amazing moment.

Our researchers in the Centre for Cancer Immunology continued to make incredible, groundbreaking discoveries, which will revolutionise cancer treatments and ultimately save many lives around the world.

Thank you to everyone who donated this year, together you are transforming the lives of our students and cancer patients across the globe.

Igniting student success

At Southampton, we are dedicated to improving access to our world-class education, and the Ignite Programme is a key part of our plan to increase equality of opportunity.

This year saw a step change in the support that we offer to students through our Ignite Programme, a widening participation initiative funded by generous donations from alumni and supporters, set up to enable students from disadvantaged backgrounds to thrive at Southampton. Thanks to the crucial support of alumni and supporters like you, this new academic year we have the fantastic opportunity to support an additional 30 students. This increases the size of the Ignite cohort to 90, with 12 awards, 16 bursaries and 2 scholarships.

Your support to our Ignite Programme also enabled us to increase the number of the careers and employability workshops offered to students on the programme, secure internships and work experience for over 75% of Ignite students, as well as expand the support available before and during their studies at Southampton.

Jess, a Biomedical Science student recently took on the opportunity to work at Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust for two weeks, travelling to the Isle of Wight to sample the concentration of nitrates in the soil, completing reptile surveys of slow worms, common lizards and even adders and gaining crucial fieldwork experience in an introduction into the industry. 

Jess said “I am extremely grateful for the two weeks I spent at the Trust, and I am happy to know there are people out there who care about wildlife and protecting them as much as I do.” An amazing experience for Jess made possible by the generous supporters of the Ignite programme. 

Jess surveyed reptiles for the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust during her internship

Breaking new ground in cancer immunology

Southampton’s cancer research was given a significant boost by several generous donations and a constant and unwavering stream of regular givers this year. Gifts that continue to save lives at the centre. 

The Oddfellows Society awarded Associate Professor Tim Fenton funding of £100,000 to study the role of RNA editing in generating neoantigens in cancer cells. Tim was selected from amongst a list of 27 submitted from different universities across the UK and the award of £100,000 was formally confirmed at the Oddfellows’ annual conference in May. A huge thank you to the Oddfellows Society and congratulations Tim! 

Support from Bernard Sunley Foundation earlier in the year also enabled scientists at the Centre to develop initial research ideas into more advanced proposals.

Four projects each received a gift of up to £25,000 from the Foundation to the Cancer Immunology Fund. The funding provides vital support to researchers with early concept ideas that need further investigation before more substantive funding from external sources can be secured.

Sue Davies, Director of the Bernard Sunley Foundation, said: “Our Trustees are immensely proud to be helping the University of Southampton in its advancement of truly cutting edge and potentially life-saving cancer research harnessing the immune system. This grant, which was given to help mark the Foundation’s 60th anniversary year, is about looking to the future and to supporting talent and ideas that may help to transform the lives of patients in the years ahead.”

These generous gifts will allow researchers at the Centre for Cancer and Immunology to continue their great work into immunology, saving lives and changing the world.

Associate Professor Tim Fenton and the Centre for Cancer Immunology

Volunteers building better outcomes

This year, our amazing community of almost 850 volunteers generously gave their time to a whole range of activities supporting our students and recent graduates. 

Our volunteers gave a total of 9320 hours this year, using their skills, experience and expertise to support employment, widening participation, recruitment and student experience.

Here are just some of the kinds of volunteering that our alumni and supporters have been involved with in that time:

• 45 Career Contacts mentors
• 38 Graduate Ambassadors
• 17 speakers on our Degrees to Save the World webinar series
• 4 alumni giving time to the Ignite programme

2022 also saw a huge number of alumni sharing their knowledge and skills through the E-mentoring Southampton platform.

If you are not currently a volunteer but would like to use your skills and experience to help students and new graduates, why not sign up to E-mentoring Southampton? If you live in Southern Hampshire, you can also join our local alumni volunteer mailing list, to find out about activities happening nearby that need your support.