Midlands Innovation TALENT is hosting its first technician-led, equipment-sharing virtual roadshow, bringing together colleagues from the region’s eight research-intensive universities, including the University of Nottingham, to collaborate, share best practice and discover the network’s state-of-the-art facilities.

It will include presentations and panel discussions, plus a chance to speak with knowledgeable staff about their facilities. 

The roadshow takes place on Microsoft Teams at 1.30pm on Wednesday 24 February 2021.  

Find more details and sign up here. 

TALENT is part of Midlands Innovation and is the largest ever investment into technicians in higher education, whose specialist skills often go unrecognised despite the crucial role they play in the success of universities and the growth of the UK economy. There are around 2,100 skilled technicians working in HE across the Midlands, managing about 1,270 pieces of equipment. 

This event will showcase research equipment, facilities, infrastructure and specialist services across Midlands Innovation institutions. These shared resources are managed by technicians and are a catalyst for collaboration and knowledge exchange. 

The roadshow will feature a webinar by the University of Birmingham’s Dr Andrea Mitchell on Enabling Technologies: Alternative approaches to enabling access and training, followed by a panel discussion on overcoming hurdles related to equipment sharing.

Attendees can also participate in discussions around Training During and Post Covid-19 and Human Participant Testing During and Post Covid-19.

The event will provide an opportunity to discuss current issues, share best practice and of course learn more about how technicians are leading the sharing of equipment across Midlands Innovation. 

Simultaneously, the Technician Led Equipment Sharing fund will be open for a second round, and the event provides the opportunity to book a short meeting with facilities across MI to see if it could help accelerate your research. 

You can also book a session with the following facilities: 

Advanced Bioimaging RTP - University of Warwick 

Analytical Scanning Electron Microscopy and Automated Mineralogy - University of Leicester 

Centre for Mathmetical Cognition - Loughborough University 

Electron Microscope Facility - University of Leicester 

Flow Cytomery Facility - University of Nottingham 

Mitochondrial Profiling Centre - University of Birmingham 

Polymer Characterisation RTP - University of Warwick 

Proteomics Research Technology Platform – University of Warwick 

SLIM – University of Nottingham 

Warwick Integrative Synthetic Biology Centre (WISB) - University of Warwick 

X-Ray Diffraction RTP - University of Warwick 

XPS Facility - University of Warwick