What starts here doesn’t stop here.
For sixty years and beyond, Aston has turned ambition into action, transforming lives, shaping industries and creating impact that travels far beyond our campus.
Throughout 2026, we will be sharing sixty stories from our past and present that show how Aston’s ideas, people and partnerships continue to shape the future.
60 stories for 60 years.
Aston Made.
For the world.
Explore our stories
POWERING PEOPLE AND PLACE
Opportunity changes everything.
At Aston, education has always been about movement. It creates momentum, opens pathways and connects people to opportunity. From Birmingham to the world, Aston supports ambition by linking learning to work and by strengthening the places people live, study and build their futures.
This is education designed to move lives forward. And to help communities grow with them.
Aston was shaped by its city and by the people it set out to serve. Since opening in 1895, its purpose has been clear: create practical, inclusive routes into education that change lives. From pioneering the sandwich year to leading degree apprenticeships, Aston has widened access and strengthened progression for generations.
Today that mission continues through Aston Power Skills and Postgraduate Guaranteed Internships, giving students the confidence and experience to thrive. Our civic commitment is reflected in long-standing Knowledge Transfer Partnerships and in major investments such as the Birmingham Innovation Precinct, bringing together skills, enterprise and research to drive opportunity and inclusive growth across the region.
ASTON MADE LEARNING & EARNING GO HAND IN HAND
Born from Birmingham’s industrial needs, Aston University pioneered education that integrates working life with learning.
From sandwich courses to degree apprenticeships, its model embeds real-world experience into degrees, boosting employability and social mobility.
This applied, industry-led approach continues to define Aston’s role in preparing students for meaningful careers.
Top 1% of business schools. Aston Made the grade.
Aston Business School shaped modern management practice and is still committed to applied, impactful business education today.
Pamela Liversidge: From walking corridors few women entered to opening doors
Pamela Liversidge OBE DL FREng was the only woman on her mechanical engineering course at Aston, and went on to transform the profession.
Clive Hickman: From an Aston PhD to a global impact in engineering and manfacturing
Dr Clive Hickman built a global engineering career grounded in Black Country roots and strengthened at Aston.
EXPLORE MORE:
TRANSFORMING HEALTHCARE AND LIVES
At Aston, research does not stop at discovery. For generations, it has moved into clinics, communities and everyday lives, shaping how conditions are understood, how care is delivered and how outcomes are improved.
This is knowledge in action.
Rooted in research.
Focused on people.
Designed to improve lives, not just study them.
From vision and brain health to medicines, diagnostics and treatment pathways, Aston has a long tradition of working alongside the NHS, industry and communities to tackle real challenges and close gaps in care. Today that work continues through new approaches that improve and extend life, informed by the needs of patients, practitioners and society.
Across optometry, neuroscience, pharmacy and the life sciences, our researchers advance better diagnosis, treatment and patient support. Building on a sustained legacy of applied research and knowledge exchange, we develop solutions through clinical collaborations, AI-enabled innovation and close work with partners in the UK and internationally - helping improve access to care and support healthier lives around the world.
AN AGGRESSIVE BRAIN CANCER. ASTON MADE IT VULNERABLE.
At Aston University, a team of researchers developed temozolomide, an oral chemotherapy drug that transformed treatment for glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive brain cancers.
Their discovery has improved survival and quality of life for patients worldwide and remains one of the clearest examples of university research changing lives.
A TV show gave children seizures. Aston Made broadcasting safer
A global TV incident revealed how light and colour can trigger epileptic seizures. Research at Aston University transformed broadcast safety worldwide and continues to improve diagnosis, treatment and understanding of epilepsy and neurodiversity.
Aston Made diagnosing lung cancer faster than humanly possible
Delays in diagnosing lung disease can cost lives. Through Remedier AI, led by the Sir Peter Rigby Digital Futures Institute, Aston University has developed an AI tool that analyses complex lung scans in seconds, helping the NHS diagnose faster, prioritise treatment and reduce waiting times.
EXPLORE MORE:
DESIGNING INTELLIGENT FUTURES
From its early beginnings in applied science and technology, Aston has grown into a place where innovation meets real-world need. Today, that foundation powers progress across industries and society. Technology here is never abstract. It strengthens systems, supports people and creates smarter ways of living and working.
This is where ideas power industries.
Where technology becomes transformation.
Where intelligence is designed, not imagined.
Where the future is built, not predicted.
Across AI, digital systems, infrastructure monitoring, cyber research and language intelligence, our researchers work with partners to understand complexity, improve decision-making and design more resilient systems. From faster and more secure data networks to tools that support diagnostics, safety and trust in digital environments, Aston continues to connect innovation with application, shaping intelligent futures from Birmingham to the world.
LANGUAGE CAN OBSCURE. ASTON MADE THAT CLEAR.
Words can determine guilt, innocence and justice.
At the Aston Institute for Forensic Linguistics, Aston University researchers apply linguistic science to real cases, supporting police, courts and investigators to improve evidence, protect victims and strengthen justice systems worldwide.
In case you missed the data, Aston Made it into the record books
As global data demand accelerates, the limits of fibre infrastructure are fast approaching. Working in international partnership, Aston University researchers helped achieve a world-record 430 Tbps data transmission through standard fibre.
Aston Made diagnosing lung cancer faster than humanly possible
Delays in diagnosing lung disease can cost lives. Through Remedier AI, led by the Sir Peter Rigby Digital Futures Institute, Aston University has developed an AI tool that analyses complex lung scans in seconds, helping the NHS diagnose faster, prioritise treatment and reduce waiting times.
EXPLORE MORE:
SHAPING INDUSTRY AND SUSTAINABLE GROWTH
Growth that works for people and the planet.
Across decades, Aston has driven sustainable economic transformation through deep links with industry, practical business support and a strong legacy of entrepreneurship. That work now addresses some of the most pressing challenges of our time, from productivity and skills to decarbonisation, net-zero transition and inclusive growth.
Innovation built for tomorrow.
Designed to power growth that works for people and the planet.
Through long-standing partnerships, Knowledge Transfer activity, spinouts and applied research, we help organisations innovate, adapt and scale responsibly. This ecosystem continues to evolve through major regional developments such as the Birmingham Innovation Precinct, connecting skills, enterprise and research to support economic renewal, entrepreneurial opportunity and long-term prosperity.
THE FUTURE IS COMING. ASTON MADE ROOM FOR IT.
The Birmingham Innovation Precinct, adjacent to Aston’s campus, is reshaping a 20-hectre area of the city into a place where academia, industry, government and community come together to drive jobs, innovation and growth.
Aston University’s history of innovation in the city of Birmingham goes back a long way, to its beginnings in 1895 as the Municipal Technical School. In the 130 years since then, it has grown and transformed into an institution renowned for innovation, both in its research and its offering to students, thanks to its deep links to industry and dedication to turning out work-ready graduates.
Knowledge transfer with industry. Aston Made it two way traffic.
From its origins as a Victorian night school powering Birmingham’s industrial boom to empowering a new female workforce for war production during WWI, Aston University has always evolved in partnership with business, industry and, at critical moments, national need.
Aston Made policy input, export ready.
When global trade becomes volatile, businesses and policymakers need clarity, not noise. Through the Aston Centre for Business Prosperity, Aston University delivers fast, rigorous economic research that shapes national trade strategy, informs policy and helps the UK navigate uncertainty with confidence.