NEWS10 September 2025
The University of Surrey, in Guildford, has been named a finalist in the ‘Best Educational Institution’ category of the prestigious TIGA Games Industry Awards for 2025.
The nomination recognises the University’s success in forging new collaborations between academia, top games developers, indie studios, and gamers.
Guildford is widely recognised as the UK’s ‘Hollywood of Video Games’, and the University plays a pivotal role in maintaining this legacy and status.
The nomination primarily centres on the achievements of the university’s work as part of the Games and Innovation Nexus (GAIN), which has delivered a pioneering programme of support for Guildford’s game sector.
Backed by £2.3m in funding, GAIN connects academic research with games developers to explore new technologies, support innovation and accelerate commercial impact.
The Games Innovation Zone
A key milestone of the programme was the opening of the new Games and Innovation Zone at the University of Surrey’s Stag Hill Campus, in partnership with Surrey County Council and Research England.
Since opening in summer 2024, the space has welcomed academics, student developers, local game creators, and creative tech leaders. Alongside skills workshops, seminars, and networking sessions, it has offered vital game testing opportunities for MSc Psychology in Game Design and Digital Innovation students, while also serving as the ideal venue for industry engagement across other games-related courses.
The programme has also connected more than a hundred independent and AAA title developers and supported dozens of students from local colleges and schools to discover career opportunities in the games sector and ensured our new Bsc Hons Games Design course is aligned to the skills the industry requires.
Support from the GAIN programme also paved the way for ConnectPlayWise Ltd to spin out from the University of Surrey and launch its pioneering game, designed to tackle social skills gaps in children and loneliness in older people.
Dr Jon Weinel, who heads up the new Game Design BSc (Hons), which is set to welcome its first student cohort in the coming days, said:
“We’re thrilled to be finalists in the category of ‘Best Educational Institution’ in the TIGA Games Awards 2025. The nomination for this award was primarily based on the incredible work by the Games and Innovation Nexus (GAIN) project.
“We hosted industry talks, careers events, workshops, and game jams. We also worked in collaboration with top games companies such as EA, nDreams, DPS games, and many others. Though the GAIN project formally ends in November, the incredible work by the team has helped lay the foundations for our brand-new BSc (Hons) Games Design course, placing [the gaming] industry at the heart of the programme. This will ensure Surrey students develop the skills they need to launch successful careers in a rapidly evolving sector, which is exciting news for the Guildford games industry cluster – securing the town’s status as the UK’s ‘The Hollywood of Video Games’ into the future.”
Caroline Fleming, Director of the Surrey Innovation District at the University of Surrey and innovation lead at Surrey Research Park, said:
“We’re incredibly proud to be shortlisted by such a prestigious industry body. Guildford has a long history of shaping the UK games industry with Surrey Research Park a hub of game innovation, so we are thrilled to be building on that legacy almost 40 years on.
“With GAIN we set out to bridge the gap between academic research and the IP-sensitive games industry, creating opportunity for regional economic growth and positive societal impact. I’m delighted by what the team driving the programme and colleagues at the University have achieved. Winning the Best Educational Institution Award, would be the ‘icing on the cake’ for the University of Surrey.”
The University of Surrey is one of nine universities up for the award. Winners will be announced at a ceremony in London on Tuesday 4th November.
More information
To see who is collaborating and learn about the Games Innovation Zone, check out the GAIN microsite or for more about the BSc (Hons) Games Design visit the course website
