IT'S the city's third biggest employer and one of the top ten research universities in the country. The University of Southampton has just published its annual review looking back at its major achievements.

Highlights have included vital stem cell research at the university's school of medicine and the creation of a new research centre in the School of Electronics and Computer Science looking at how the latest wireless sensor technology can help environmental projects.

Two researchers in the school of humanities received major research awards totalling £400,000 to investigate aspects of German history and language.

Scientists from The National Oceanography Centre have also taken part in a major international project looking at climate change by measuring the amount of heat carried by the Atlantic Ocean.

Student achievements included recognition from The Royal Academy of Engineering for three undergraduates who have shown great potential and will go on to take part in the prestigious leadership awards programme.

Within the Students' Union the student newspaper Wessex Scene won website of the year at the Guardian Media Awards.

Community activities have also proved a big hit. The School of Engineering Sciences mounted the Headstart Course for Year 12 students interested in engineering .

And the 2004 University of Southampton National Cipher Challenge - part of the School of Mathematics outreach programme - involved 2,000 youngsters nationwide taking part in a code-breaking exercise.

Daily Echo education reporter Clare Kennedy talks to the university's Vice Chancellor Professor Bill Wakeham...

Q: The University of Southampton annual review has just been published. What particular research breakthroughs at the university are you most proud of?

A: As a top ten UK research university, Southampton is home to world-leading research groups across a wide range of disciplines - from space engineering to deep sea oceanography.

Southampton is recognised as one of the pioneers in photonics - the science of light - which gives us lasers and the optical fibres that power so much of our modern communications systems.

Optical fibres were developed here at the University in the 1960s and in the years since then Southampton scientists have been responsible for many other important breakthroughs in this field, such as development of a fibre laser with a continuous output power of over 1kW in a high-quality beam, making it by far the most powerful single-fibre laser yet developed.

On the medical side Southampton researchers are responsible for identifying the gene that predisposes people to asthma, and are working on finding new ways of controlling this chronic disease. Other scientists in the University's School of Medicine are carrying out vital stem cell research to help develop new treatments for major diseases and disabilities.

A Southampton researcher is part of an international team involved in a major breakthrough in the study of Hepatitis C, and Southampton scientists have also made remarkable progress on developing vaccines for cancer.

Last week saw the start of a very exciting project to re-educate arm function in stroke patients, using a small electronic neuromuscular stimulator.

Q: A new £6m student centre is due to open this summer . What will it provide for students?

A: The new Centre will bring together a whole range of services that students need to access, from information on such areas as accommodation and student loans, from registration right through to graduation.

Currently, many of these services are located in different parts of the Highfield campus. The new building will bring them together in one place, making it easier for students to access them, particularly as it is located very close to the Students' Union facilities.

Q: Have you any other major building projects planned?

A: Work on another landmark building for University Road is soon to start on the site opposite the School of Nursing and Midwifery. This will house academics from Engineering and Education - and provide us with a new University entrance and reception.

A new hall of residence at Montefiore in Wessex Lane is nearing completion, and the major refurbishment and extension of three residence blocks at Glen Eyre halls is well under way.

We've also just completed a new annexe to the Biomedical Sciences building at Boldrewood.

Our new £4.5m major outdoor community sports facility is being developed at the University's sports grounds at Wide Lane in Eastleigh. This new sports complex, which opens in October, will be open to the local community and is being developed by the University, together with Eastleigh Borough Council and the Football Foundation. It features a new two-storey pavilion with changing rooms and social areas, two full-sized artificial turf pitches, plus eight floodlit tennis courts and adequate parking for participants and spectators.

And last year we celebrated the completion of a £10m extension and refurbishment of the University's Hartley Library, and the opening of the University's £8.4m indoor sports facility, complete with swimming pool, fitness suite and the biggest indoor sports hall in Southampton.

Q: How have student numbers increased in the last ten years? Do you have plans for further expansion in terms of admitting more students?

A: In 1994/95 we had 11,867 students (full-time and part-time), in 2004/05 we had 19,760 students (full-time and part-time students) - an increase of 7,893 in the last ten years. The university plans to increase student numbers more slowly in the future but only in a manner consistent with government funding of them.

Q: Do you agree that students should pay for their university education through tuition fees?

A: Tuition fees were the only option on offer for providing the funding necessary for higher education in the UK to remain in the top-flight in the world. If the funding crisis that was facing HE was not addressed it would have affected every level of society and impacted on Britain's position in the global economy.

It is important to remember that from next year, when the higher rates come in, students will not be paying tuition fees upfront as they do at present, but re-paying them through taxation once they are earning a certain level of income.

Southampton is investing heavily in bursary and scholarship schemes to ensure no student who could benefit from studying here is deterred on the grounds of ability to pay. Some of the bursaries are targeted at local students.

Q: What are the most competitive subjects to study at the University of Southampton?

A: Our most competitive subjects at undergraduate level are medicine, law, English, computer science, history, engineering, geography, economics, physiotherapy and midwifery.

Q: Do you think that first year undergraduates are less academically able for university than 20 years ago?

A: The spectrum of abilities of students seeking to study at universities currently is very much broader than it was 20 years ago.

Fortunately, the country is able to offer more of its young people the opportunity for this experience. Within the group that would correspond to those entering higher education 20 years ago I am certain that the academic ability of the students is no different.

It is, however, clear that their preparation for university life is different and is, in many cases, not as appropriate. There is, therefore, a much greater demand on the university to provide a more gentle introduction to courses.

Q: What is the percentage of students employed or in further training within a year of graduating?

A: Ninety-five per cent of our undergraduates and postgraduates (full-time and part-time) who are actively seeking work are employed or undertaking further study.

Q: What is the University doing to forge closer links with the local community?

A: The University works closely with many community organisations on a range of projects. Around 1,000 students act as volunteers in the local community, working in schools, sports clubs and community groups. Staff liaise closely with local schools and colleges to encourage young people to apply to their local university. We also offer a range of part-time adult courses, many of which are delivered at the New College Campus.

University departments provide research and consultancy services for businesses, public and voluntary sector organisations. Our External Relations Department takes a leading role in ensuring a positive relationship between the University and its local and regional partners.

The University makes a major contribution to the economic, social and cultural life of the city, the county, and the region.

"We are active members of the Southampton Partner-ship, business Southampton and of the Hampshire Partnership, and also work closely with the South East of England Development Agency, SEEDA - of which I am a board member - on a range of projects that contribute to the knowledge economy of the region.

Q: What are the challenges that lie ahead for the University?

A: With the introduction of top-up fees in 2006, it is important for us to make sure that financial need does not deter students from studying at Southampton. Even with the introduction of top-up fees funding is a major issue, since the full costs of the education we provide are not met. We need also to ensure that we are able to invest in the facilities necessary for a top ten university, so we can compete effectively in the competitive global marketplace for both education and research. The future prosperity of the UK, and the region, will depend upon people and ideas generated by universities like ours.

Building on our already strong links with business is also important. Universities across the world are learning to deal with activities that tend to align them with the world of business rather than to the public sector. We must continue to invest in this.

Q: What is your vision for the University in ten years' time?

A: The vision is for the University to be recognised globally as one of the top ten universities in the UK. Already ranked in the top ten for our research excellence, I believe we are well placed to achieve that.

Q: Southampton University is now no longer the sole higher education institution able to award its own degrees in Southampton. Is Southampton Institute's new status as a university college a good thing? Will you be competing for students?

A: We are very pleased for the Institute. The University and the Institute have complementary strengths, which means that the city of Southampton and the wider region are both very well served, and that students from the area who wish to study locally will find an appropriate course.