The University of Salford has recognised alumnus Nic Humphries with an honorary degree, highlighting his family’s support for technology and environmental scholarships.
Recognition for widening university opportunities
The University of Salford has awarded alumnus Nic Humphries an honorary degree in recognition of philanthropy supporting opportunities for less advantaged students. Its announcement published on 21 October 2026 highlights support from Humphries and his family since 2021 through Hg Access to Tech and the Harrington Foundation. That support includes technology and environmental scholarships, combining financial assistance with opportunities to develop professional connections. The announcement does not specify the ceremony date or the type of honorary degree.
Salford recognises Nic Humphries and his family’s support
Vice-Chancellor Professor Nic Beech presented the honorary degree at a special ceremony. Past and present scholars gathered afterwards, bringing together the recognition of a donor with students whose university experiences the family has supported.
The University credits Nic, his wife Jen and their daughter Fiona with helping create opportunities for students from less advantaged backgrounds. Its account presents the award as recognition of a sustained relationship, rather than a single donation or a newly established scholarship.
Humphries described the philanthropy as teamwork with Jen. He connected his motivation to his own experience at Salford and emphasised giving opportunities to others. Those comments place his continuing relationship with the University at the centre of the recognition.
In its wider account of the family’s philanthropy, Salford also identifies support for IntoUniversity Salford Central, Energy House Labs initiatives and a two-year Tutor Trust pilot. These sit alongside the scholarship work acknowledged in the announcement.
Nic Humphries is also a senior figure in software investment. As checked on 24 October 2026, Hg’s biography describes him as Senior Partner and Executive Chairman, responsible for strategy, management and governance. It records that he joined Hg in 2001, founded its software team and served as chief executive from 2007 to 2017.
From the original technology awards to the 2025 expansion
Hg Access to Tech began in September 2021. Salford’s original scholarship announcement described an initial programme running to 2024, with 14 scholarships across that period and three years of support for each scholar. Five awards were offered to students entering that September.
The original financial terms were £9,000 over three years, with a household-income requirement below £25,000. These are historical terms, not the amounts now shown on the University’s donor page. The initial announcement also envisaged collaboration with Hg businesses on placements, industry access and workshops.
On 30 July 2025, Salford announced an expansion. It reported that the partnership had helped 14 young people begin degrees in science, technology, engineering or mathematics since 2021. It also announced ten further awards for 2025/26: five continuing technology scholarships and five new Harrington Foundation Environmental Scholarships.
The Foundation co-designed that expansion with the University and student input. The approach combined financial assistance with career-development support, extending the programme beyond its original technology focus.
The dates distinguish separate developments. The environmental expansion was announced in 2025; a scholarship celebration followed in 2026, before the honorary-degree announcement. The July 2025 beneficiary figure and planned awards should not be read as a current cumulative total.
What the current Hg technology scholarships offer
As checked on 24 October 2026, the University’s individual scholarship listings describe five first-year Hg awards worth £12,000 each over three years. They also identify a conditional summer-placement uplift.
The listed degrees are Computer Science, Computer Science with Cyber Security, Software Engineering, and Electrical and Electronic Engineering. This gives the technology strand a defined course focus, rather than making it a general award for every undergraduate subject.
The £12,000 figure describes the total across three years, not an annual payment. It also differs from the £9,000 package described when the programme began in 2021.
For prospective applicants, the individual listing is the relevant place to distinguish current funding from earlier announcements. Its description of five awards does not establish a guaranteed allocation for September 2027, and the placement-related uplift should not be treated as an unconditional part of every award.
How environmental scholarships broaden the programme
The environmental strand grew partly from a conversation with a scholar. In the July 2025 announcement, Fiona Humphries, the Harrington Foundation’s managing director, said her discussion with Benjamin Lowe helped inspire the specialist scholarship.
As checked on 24 October 2026, the donor page lists five environmental scholarships, also worth £12,000 each over three years, with a conditional summer-placement uplift. They bring environmental subjects into a programme that began with technology-focused support.
The named degrees are Biological Sciences, Marine Biology, Zoology, Wildlife Conservation, Environmental Geography, Environmental Management and Geography. The range spans biological study, conservation and the relationship between people and their environment.
The listing also allows consideration of applicants from wider STEM subjects who demonstrate a strong environmental interest. That provision broadens the potential applicant group, but does not make every STEM student eligible.
The environmental awards therefore have their own subject coverage and selection priorities. They are a distinct strand of the expanded programme, rather than simply a new name for the original Hg Access to Tech awards.
Who the scholarships target and the 2027 entry route
The Hg listing encourages applicants from POLAR4 or IMD quintiles 1–2 and identifies first-in-family university attendance in its eligibility information. POLAR4 concerns participation in higher education, while IMD refers to the Index of Multiple Deprivation. Quintiles divide the relevant measures into five groups.
The environmental listing specifies UK residency, full-time study on an eligible course and a widening-participation background. Its priorities include IMD quintiles 1–2, Salford postcodes and first-generation students. Selection is competitive.
These scholarship criteria should be distinguished from the University’s broader outreach work. Salford’s widening-participation information identifies groups including learners from low-participation areas, those eligible for free school meals, first-generation applicants, care-experienced and disabled learners, and young carers.
That page describes work with schools and colleges across Greater Manchester to provide impartial information about higher education. It helps explain the wider context for widening access, but its outreach categories do not replace the selection rules for either scholarship.
As checked on 24 October 2026, both individual scholarship listings mark applications for current first-year students in 2026 as closed. Both show an application route for September 2027 entry.
The overview’s introductory 2027 list omits Hg, although its individual listing provides that route. The individual information should therefore be read carefully, without interpreting the link as confirmation that an applicant will receive an award.
Mentoring and connections beyond financial support
The environmental scholarship listing describes employer networking, mentoring and a summer-placement opportunity between first and second year. Approval and availability apply. The offer extends beyond money, but those conditions remain part of what is being offered.
A University report dated 5 February 2026 described a scholarship celebration involving students, alumni, mentors and industry professionals. This was a separate report from the October honorary-degree announcement.
Technology and environmental panels explored careers and skills. Contributors came from software, cybersecurity, banking, marine conservation and environmental research, giving the event a focus on the sectors connected with the scholarships.
In that report, Fiona Humphries described the intended combination of funding, mentoring and relevant paid internships. These are different forms of support: financial assistance addresses study costs, while mentoring and employer contact concern students’ preparation for professional life.
One participating mentor was Paul Birks, a Salford electrical and electronic engineering alumnus and co-founder of Skoyen Software. He told the University that receiving a scholarship had enabled him to attend university himself.
His account illustrates the alumni involvement described at the celebration. It does not establish that every scholar receives the same mentoring relationship or placement. The programme’s stated intentions, the conditional opportunities in the listing and participants’ individual experiences are related, but distinct, parts of the evidence.
What scholars have said about the support
The October announcement included geography scholar James Galley’s account of work experience at Lancashire Wildlife Trust. He described it as valuable and said it had encouraged his interest in sustainable cities.
It also featured business management graduate Nailah Khan. The University reported that a second-year summer internship developed into permanent employment at BNY. Khan said scholarship funding for materials and resources supported her confidence; her account does not establish that the scholarship alone produced the employment outcome.
In July 2025, biological sciences scholar Benjamin Lowe said funding had reduced his paid working hours and helped him concentrate on studying. The University reported his work at RHS Bridgewater and plans to begin a wildlife conservation master’s that September with continuing Foundation support. It also described a student-ambassador role helping develop the scholarship. That report recorded a plan, not subsequent confirmation of completing the master’s.
The February 2026 report included Wildlife Conservation with Zoo Biology scholar Michelle Denney, who said funding allowed her to reduce part-time work and devote more time to study and family.
Computer Science with Cyber Security scholar Abdul Rehman described monthly mentoring, company connections and friendships. He said the encouragement helped him join the Computing Society and its committee.
Software Engineering scholar Ferhan Ali described reduced pressure to work part-time, alongside mentoring on CV preparation and job applications. He attributed securing an internship and placement to that guidance.
These accounts were published by the University. They are individual testimony, not interviews conducted by Greater Manchester Businesses or a programme-wide impact assessment.
Together with the documented scholarship history, they explain the support acknowledged in Salford’s recognition of Nic Humphries. Prospective applicants should consult the University’s individual scholarship listings for current terms and entry information.