About the Teaching Excellence Awards (NTFS and CATE)

The National Teaching Fellowship Scheme (NTFS) and Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE) are annual competitions run by Advance HE to identify, recognise and celebrate the UK’s most outstanding individuals and teams having an impact on student outcomes, student experience and the Higher Education sector.

National Teaching Fellowship Scheme (NTFS) 

National Teaching Fellowship celebrates outstanding individual impact.  It celebrates and recognises individuals who have made an outstanding impact on student outcomes and the teaching profession in higher education.

The award has been running since 2000 and there are now nearly 900 National Teaching Fellows, with up to 55 individuals receiving the award each year. On gaining the award, fellows play an ongoing role in enhancing teaching and learning within their institution, the HE sector and further afield.  A Higher Education Institution can nominate up to three individuals each year. Scotland has only been able to nominate since 2018.

University of Edinburgh National Teaching Fellows:

2020: Michael Seery (Chemistry)

2019: Heather McQueen (BioSciences)

2018: Catriona Bell (now working for Queen Margaret University)

Joined University of Edinburgh with an NTF:

Rayya Ghul (IAD)

Chris Sangwin (Mathematics)

Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE) 

Celebrates outstanding collaborative impact. It recognises and rewards collaborative work that has had a demonstrable impact on teaching and learning. Introduced in 2016, the scheme highlights the key role of teamwork in higher education.

About the nominations process

The scheme has been running in Scotland since 2018 and each HEI can nominate one team per year.

If you are interested in applying for a National Teaching Fellowship or CATE award or nominating an individual or team for the  2021-22 submission or later, please contact us at the email address below to discuss.

We have written guidance on the nomination process, including: who is eligible; how staff are selected for nomination; and guidance documents for individuals and teams.

The University of Edinburgh NTF and CATE nomination process - find out more

Enquiries

To enquire about CATE and NTFS at Edinburgh, please contact Professor Catherine Bovill in the first instance. All enquiries will be treated confidentially.