The management team of the?Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT)?has taken the top accolade in a year of record submissions for?Times Higher Education¡¯s?awards for 51¹ú²úÊÓƵn institutions.

KIIT bagged the prize for 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ¡¯s Leadership and Management Team of the Year category at 2021¡¯s?THE?Awards 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ, whose winners were announced in a digital ceremony on 14 December.

The event, which is now in its third year, builds on the success of?°Õ±á·¡¡¯²õ?long-running UK-focused awards, known as the ¡°Oscars of higher education¡±.

The judges praised the Indian institution, which they said stood out ¡°for the volume and range of its contributions¡±, including developing free Covid-19 hospitals, ¡°its widespread distribution of masks and sanitisers, and the provision of free higher education for children of parents lost in the pandemic¡±.

51¹ú²úÊÓƵ

In other categories too, universities showed their mettle in tackling Covid-19 challenges.

The winner in the Technological or Digital Innovation of the Year category, India¡¯s O.P. Jindal Global 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ, created a free, cloud-based application to help schools and universities manage data ¨C especially useful given India¡¯s digital divide.

51¹ú²úÊÓƵ

Saint Joseph 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Beirut, which is based in Lebanon, received the award for Workplace of the Year for its initiatives responding to two crises: the pandemic and the catastrophic explosion in Beirut¡¯s port in August 2020.

°Õ±á·¡¡¯²õ?chief knowledge officer Phil Baty praised all the 2021 winners, who faced stiff competition with dozens of universities submitting entries.

¡°We at?THE?and our distinguished group of guest experts found it a genuine privilege to immerse ourselves in these first-hand reports from all corners of the continent, detailing how universities responded speedily and ingeniously, deploying their resources to support students, staff and local communities,¡± he said.

Times Higher Education?Awards 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ 2021 winners

Leadership and Management Team of the Year
Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT)

Workplace of the Year
Saint Joseph 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Beirut

51¹ú²úÊÓƵ

International Strategy of the Year
Hangzhou Dianzi 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ
Highly commended:?Chinese 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Hong Kong

Teaching and Learning Strategy of the Year
National 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Singapore
Highly commended:?Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), Centre for Applied Learning and Multimedia

THE Datapoints Social Impact Award
Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember

51¹ú²úÊÓƵ

THE Datapoints Improved Performance Award
Universiti Utara Malaysia

Excellence and Innovation in the Arts
Hong Kong Baptist 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ

Technological or Digital Innovation of the Year
O.P. Jindal Global 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ

Outstanding Support for Students
Universiti Teknologi Petronas

51¹ú²úÊÓƵ

Student Recruitment Campaign of the Year
Hanoi 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Science and Technology
Highly commended:?Shoolini 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Biotechnology and Management Sciences