Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence and National Teaching Fellowship Schemes

Posted on: 18 February 2026 by Charles Buckley and Lisa Day in 2026

Victoria Gallery and Museum
Victoria Gallery and Museum

This blog provides an insight into the Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE) and the National Teaching Fellowship Scheme which celebrate teams and individuals respectively who have made an outstanding impact on student outcomes and the teaching profession in higher education. Both schemes are organized and run by Advance HE and are open to teams and individuals from the UK's four nations working in institutions with full or Affiliate members of Advance HE.

The University of Liverpool has an excellent track record of producing winning teams and individuals who have been successful in achieving this prestigious and highly competitive awards.

This success can be partly attributed to the innovative Pipeline Programme established by staff at Liverpool and Manchester University which has grown to become a thriving collaboration of five universities who support each other in nurturing teams and individuals to support each other through structured communities of practice.

Each year, eligible institutions can nominate up to three individuals to apply to Advance HE for NTF and one CATE team. Advance HE rigorously review the submissions and select up to 15 teams to receive the CATE award and up to 55 individuals to receive the NTF award. Winners are invited to attend a celebratory event in Autumn of that year and become members of either the CATE Network (CATE-Net) or the Association of National Teaching Fellows (ANTF). The awards not only provide an opportunity to receive national recognition from peers and the professional body which overseas learning and teaching, but also offer career development opportunities, a platform to showcase scale and impact, a chance to influence the wider sector, a personal and professional confidence boost and to become part of a supportive and creative network of like-minded teams and individuals passionate about learning and teaching.

There are many resources and opportunities to learn more about both schemes through the University of Liverpool and Advance HE. Each institution employs a Teaching Excellence Award Lead (TEAL) and a Deputy. At the University of Liverpool these are Charles Buckley and Lisa Day. Both are very experienced and act as reviewers for each scheme and are committee members for CATE-Net. Each year, Advance HE release a call for colleagues to apply to become reviewers for both NTF and CATE (reviewers do not have to be award holders) and this is a great way to become familiar with the criteria for each scheme. Advance HE also run a number of other support activities and guidance which include:

University of Liverpool

Staff at the University of Liverpool can find out more about both schemes by approaching their TEAL or Deputy TEAL for more information and attend the information session delivered through the Pipeline Programme.

Expressions of interest in representing the university can be made following contact with the TEAL in September of each year. These are considered by a panel of existing internal NTF and CATE winners from inside the university who select up to three individuals to go forward to represent our university in applying to Advance HE for NTF and one CATE team. The pipeline programme can help you in writing your initial expression of interest and, if you are selected to represent the university, you will also receive additional support and guidance as you develop your full submission.

You can read the stories of some of the recent University of Liverpool NTF winners:

Recent University of Liverpool CATE winners: