Aberdeen University has been awarded the Queen's Anniversary Prize in recognition of its research into health services over the last 40 years.

It has been praised for its Health Services Research Unit and Health Economics Research Unit, which pioneer the combination of economic and clinical research to assess which medical treatments are effective for use in the NHS.

The university's work also led to the recommendation that women should not receive multiple embryos when undergoing IVF treatment, which is now accepted practice worldwide.

Aberdeen University, principal professor Sir Ian Diamond said: "We are incredibly proud to have the achievements of the Health Services Research Unit and the Health Economics Research Unit recognised with this prestigious Queen's Anniversary prize.

"Our researchers have conducted more than 1000 studies, involving 46,000 participants from 1,500 places worldwide.

"The results have changed clinical practice, government policy and legislation, and academic studies."

The Queen's Anniversary Prize is awarded once every two years to recognise world-class excellence and achievement.

The prize will be presented to the university at Buckingham Palace early in 2018.