Lancaster University Management School (LUMS) is in the running to be named Business School of the Year at the North of England’s ‘most prestigious education awards’.

LUMS is a finalist in the Educate North Awards 2026 in recognition of its work using research to enhance the student experience and champion education-focused careers.

The School is among six candidates for the award, which will be presented at a ceremony at Emirates Old Trafford Cricket Ground, Manchester, on Thursday, 7 May.

“This is a wonderful recognition for LUMS and our efforts to strengthen teaching innovation, student engagement and staff development,” said Professor Claire Leitch, Executive Dean of LUMS. “I am proud to lead a School that has such a strong sense of collegiality and community, and that is dedicated to elevating education levels on the back of our research-intensive structure.”

LUMS’ nomination is based on work by the Centre for Scholarship and Innovation in Management Education (SIME). SIME is made up of more than 70 members with a vision to promote innovation in management education and to inspire evidence-based excellence in teaching and learning.

The Centre has delivered more than 50 events, launched a peer-reviewed journal, published three books, and released a podcast – all aimed at impacting education and leading debate within the business school discipline. Members have redesigned teaching modules, assessment and feedback processes, and piloted new student engagement initiatives.

“SIME advances LUMS’s goal to deliver a cutting-edge and stimulating curriculum,” said Professor Radka Newton, Director of the Centre. “We have built a community committed to engaging with each other, students, and other universities to develop staff skills and practices, and build better student experiences.

“We provide a safe environment to share new and innovative ideas, and our members tell us they have greater confidence and motivation from working at part of the centre. They also report happier, more engaged students, which is what all educational institutions aim for.”

Professor Leitch added: “SIME’s results show how LUMS shapes debates on scholarship regionally, nationally and internationally. We are building a blueprint for sustained excellence for both learners and educators.”

The other nominees for ENA Business School of the Year are Newcastle University Business School; Salford Business School; Teesside University International Business School; Huddersfield Business School; and the University of Lancashire Business School.

Lancaster University has also been the shortlisted for Law School of the Year, and for the Digital and AI Innovation Award – University Sector as part of The Manchester Metropolitan University Centre for Enterprise (along with the University of Salford and GM Colleges) for their Centre for Digital Innovation project.

LUMS is one of only 145 business schools globally to be triple-accredited by AACSB (the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business), the EFMD Quality Improvement System (EQUIS) and the Association of MBAs (AMBA). It is also a signatory to the United Nations’ Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME), for which SIME are champions in embedding responsible management in the curriculum, and holds the Small Business Charter (SBC) award.