Local archive
Education
Durham University Business School’s MBA has climbed 20 places to joint-70th in the QS Global MBA and Business Masters Rankings 2027, with the programme also ranked 30th in Europe. Five Durham master’s programmes feature in the global top 60.
Business & Openings
Sedgefield-based Magnitude Biosciences, a Durham University spinout, has secured £1.3 million in investment to expand its drug-discovery platform, commercial work and staffing.
Community
County Durham residents and visitors are being asked for their views on plans to introduce GPS-controlled conservation grazing at Waldridge Fell, near Chester-le-Street.
Education
Professor David Oswald and colleagues at Durham University helped identify DDRop, a hardware attack that could undermine confidential-computing protections on Intel and AMD platforms.
Community
Durham County Council has launched a month-long September activity programme offering free leisure-centre access, Move Plus passes, taster sessions, Couch to 5k opportunities and prizes linked to National Fitness Day on Wednesday 16 September.
Sport
Bishop Auckland Football Club has become one of the first organisations to join Durham County Council’s Suicide Prevention Champion initiative, helping encourage open conversations about suicide and mental health across County Durham.
Education
Durham University has won the Enterprise for Good award at the National Enterprise Educator Awards and been shortlisted for Outstanding Entrepreneurial University of the Year at the Times Higher Education Awards. The recognition highlights support including the Hazan Venture Lab, Game Changer and the Social Impact Fund, while the university’s student businesses include an online catering marketplace, space-sector software company and AI video-editing platform.
Education
Durham University will host the Universities UK Annual Conference on 8 and 9 September 2027, bringing university leaders, policymakers and partners to the city for discussions on the future of higher education.
Culture Aykley Heads
The Light Durham has announced a wide-ranging autumn and winter programme of exhibitions, talks, performances, workshops, live music and late-night cultural events, following more than 5,000 visits during its opening week.
Education Framwellgate Moor
Ryan Hepple, who began his career as a plumbing and heating apprentice at New College Durham, is now leading the engineering design for a £6 million refurbishment of the college’s sport and music facilities at its Framwellgate Moor campus.
Culture
Durham University has highlighted a programme of alumni, researchers and prominent North East figures appearing at Durham Book Festival 2026, which runs from 9 to 11 October.
Traffic & Construction
LNER will run additional services through Durham on Sunday 13 September 2026, helping runners and spectators reach Newcastle for the Great North Run. More than 20 LNER colleagues are also taking part to raise money for CALM, with the railway company saying its partnership with the charity has generated more than £780,000 since 2018.
Education
Professor Nayanika Mookherjee of Durham University says student-led protests across South Asia reveal shared concerns over education, employment, free expression and state power.
Education
Research from Durham University’s Department of Psychology suggests gratitude is associated with healthier eating, physical activity, better sleep and stress management across several groups, including people living with long-term health conditions.
Culture
Durham University’s Japanese collections at the Oriental Museum have received Designated Collection status from Arts Council England, recognising their national and international significance. The honour comes before a major exhibition of Japanese ceramics opens in October 2026.
Community
County Durham residents, schools, businesses and community groups are being invited to join Durham County Council’s new Big Autumn Clean throughout September, following a launch beach clean at Crimdon where volunteers collected 35 bags of waste.
Education
Durham University research first developed to date fossils from the Cambrian Explosion has led to StratoBayes, a new AI company working with industry on subsurface decision-making. The Durham spin-out launched in June 2026, has secured £280,000 in support and is already testing its software with companies in the UK and United States.
Education
New College Durham has launched a dedicated Training and Skills Development facility aimed at connecting employers with adult training, apprenticeships and workforce development support. The college says the new hub will help businesses address skills gaps, while its team secured £14 million in funding and supported 7,000 learners during 2024/25.
Education
Experts from the World Bank, International Labour Organization, Durham and Cambridge will meet in Durham on 14 September for a public discussion about changing global business and labour markets.
Education
Professor Carol Adams has been elected a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences, recognising an international career in accounting, accountability, sustainability and integrated reporting.
Culture
A Durham University archaeology partnership with Bangladesh’s Varendra Research Museum is being showcased through a new photo and interactive exhibition at Durham’s Oriental Museum.
Education
Dr Ludovico Rella, an assistant professor in Durham University’s Geography Department, has secured up to €1,437,511.25 over five years from the European Research Council to investigate the microchips and physical infrastructure that make artificial intelligence possible.
Education
Durham University’s Council was told the institution was unlikely to achieve its 2035 zero-carbon ambition, with limited finances restricting investment in projects such as heat recycling and solar panels.
Business & Openings
Bluebox Storage says people moving to smaller homes later in life can reduce pressure by sorting possessions before packing, separating items they may need later from those they no longer want, and using short-term storage for emotionally difficult decisions.
Education
Durham University has received a £500,000 Wolfson Foundation grant to expand specialist equipment at its North East Material Culture Analytical Suite, supporting less invasive research into archaeological objects, climate change and ancient diets.
Culture Claypath
The first Durham Jazz Festival has sold out its Knats show and Emma Fisk’s Hot Club du Nord performance ahead of the inaugural three-day event, which will run across Durham City from 23 to 25 October 2026.
Business & Openings
A Durham Magazine feature explains how preparation, cleaning, stock control and used cooking-oil collection help busy restaurant kitchens maintain smooth service, while noting that its London example is not a report about a named Durham business.
Crime & Public Safety
Several cars were set alight during a reported vigil in Haswell, County Durham, for A66 crash victim Michael Cahill, 23. The incident came amid a major policing operation following the deaths of two police officers and five young men in the crash and a fatal house fire in Grangetown.
Community
University Hospital of North Durham has taken part in the first Love Your Lounge Month, explaining how its discharge lounge supports patients while medication, transport and other arrangements are finalised.
Education
Durham University has been ranked 33rd globally in the 2026 Times Higher Education Sustainability Impact Ratings, its highest-ever position and fourth consecutive annual improvement.
