June 2025 news

A man with white hair does his finances with a calculator

Costs for minimum retiree needs have fallen while moderate and comfortable standards see modest rises

The latest update of the Retirement Living Standards (RLS) shows a decrease in the cost of the minimum retirement lifestyle, down to 拢21,600 per year for a two-person household, due to the impact of lower energy prices and changes in the public鈥檚 expectations for this standard.
The nanoscale violin under a microscope

Loughborough University physicists create 鈥榯he world鈥檚 smallest violin鈥� using nanotechnology

Physicists at Loughborough University have used cutting-edge nanotechnology to create what they believe may be 鈥榯he world鈥檚 smallest violin鈥�, which is small enough to fit within the width of a human hair.
Dr Rob Harland, Professor Mike Wilson and Dr Catherine Rees are sat together on a bench outside.

Loughborough Professor becomes UNESCO鈥檚 first-ever Chair in Storytelling

Loughborough University鈥檚 Professor Mike Wilson has been appointed as UNESCO鈥檚 first ever Chair in Storytelling Education for Sustainability.
Picture of a young girl in a blue coat

Majority of MPs represent constituencies where one in four children are in poverty

As the UK grapples with record child poverty rates, new analysis from Loughborough University shows two thirds of MPs represent constituencies where at least one in four children are in poverty.

Leicestershire鈥檚 universities are working together for a greener future

As the UK gears up for Big Green Week this June, Leicestershire鈥檚 universities - Loughborough University, University of Leicester and De Montfort University (DMU) - are proving that collaboration is key in tackling climate change.

HMRC website and a pen and letter

鈥淩ecent cyber attacks weren鈥檛 purely technical failures, they started with people, processes, and misplaced trust鈥� 鈥� Cyber Security expert comments on run of high-profile online attacks

HMRC revealed yesterday that more than 100,000 taxpayer accounts had been compromised, as cyber criminals stole more than 拢47 million through fraudulent tax rebates. While the tax authority managed to secure the accounts, meaning no taxpayer鈥檚 money was lost, the incident highlights how susceptible to organised fraud large organisations can be.

The Brand Digital and Creative Production Team posing for a photo with a certificate and the awards presentation evening.

Loughborough鈥檚 Brand, Digital and Creative Production bring home three awards

We are pleased to announce that Brand, Digital and Creative Production colleagues have won Association of Creative and Print Managers in Education (ACPME) awards across three categories.
Complete Uni Guide 2021 - shot of Hazlerigg

Leicestershire鈥檚 universities invite local residents with life and skills experiences to apply for community-focused research projects

Loughborough University, the University of Leicester and De Montfort University are inviting people from the local community to apply for paid, full-time PhD, and part-time placement research projects that aim to improve the lives of communities across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.
A group of students are walking past the Hazelrigg Building on the Loughborough University campus.

Complete University Guide 2026: Loughborough celebrates a decade amongst the UK鈥檚 top ten universities

Loughborough has been ranked seventh in the Complete University Guide 2026 鈥� out of 130 institutions.
Lots of industrial chimneys releasing CO2 in the sky

Firms that emit more carbon face higher costs, reduced investor confidence, and greater financial instability

A new international study has found a strong link between carbon emissions and corporate financial instability.
A man on his smartphone

New national benchmark reveals what UK households need to be digitally included in 2025

A new report has set out a national benchmark for what UK households need to feel digitally included in 2025.
ornament houses on a table

"Housing investment needs to be backed up by concrete detail about delivery, rather than this investment simply delivering more 鈥榓ffordable鈥� housing, which is anything but for many households."

Rachel Reeves unveiled billions for social and affordable housing in today's Spending Review (11 June 2025), in what some are calling 'the biggest cash injection for affordable housing in half a century'.

two men shaking hands

Loughborough University and Army Sport forge new partnership

Loughborough University and Army Sport have announced a new strategic partnership designed to enhance high-performance sporting opportunities for Army personnel.
3 children sat working together at school

鈥淧arents鈥� understanding of their children is often belittled and children are rarely asked what they need" - Loughborough expert argues need to fully focus on children's rights in SEND system reform

As part of this week鈥檚 Spending Review (June 25), Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed over 拢1bn in support for children's social care and the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system. Of this, 拢760m will go towards making the SEND system "more inclusive and improve outcomes for all children and young people."
A florist stands behind a table of flowers in his shop

The UK鈥檚 small businesses should be fuelling the country鈥檚 growth ambitions. Here鈥檚 why that鈥檚 not happening

The UK government鈥檚 spending review has set out its priorities for the next three years. But behind the rhetoric about boosting growth lies growing concern about small businesses being locked out of the wider UK economy. Government funding and regulation are increasingly out of step with the reality of micro-enterprises and sole traders, shutting off their potential to boost GDP growth.
A child in a red top with a pencil working on a piece of paper

Nine-year-olds in England sit timed multiplication test 鈥� but using times tables is about more than quick recall

An opinion piece by Professor Camilla Gilmore and Natasha Guy, of Loughborough University's Department of Mathematics Education, and Professor Lucy Cragg, of the University of Nottingham.
Sri and Katie holding their Purple Plaque Awards smiling at the camera with colleagues from the University

Entrepreneurial alumnae celebrated for receiving Purple Plaque awards as part of events hosted at the Loughborough campus

Earlier this year, three Loughborough University graduates were named winners of Innovate UK鈥檚 Women in Innovation Awards for 2025.

Christ the Redeemer watches over Rio Je Janeiro

Loughborough University scholar awarded prestigious ERC grant for groundbreaking youth research across the Global South

A Loughborough University London academic has been awarded 鈧�2.4m in European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grant funding to launch a major international research project that will explore how young people across the Global South navigate uncertainty and push for change.

A block of flats in London

Families with children in London can no longer count on having access to social housing

A new report from the Minimum Income Standard (MIS) London programme reveals that, for the first time since research began in 2014, it can no longer be assumed that families with children will have access to social housing 鈥� a shift that has significant implications for the cost of living and the adequacy of social support in the capital.