Campus News
£70 million investment will allow UoN to power future transport to net zero
April 8th, 2024
In one of the largest funding injections the East Midlands has ever seen, the university has secured more than £70m to establish new world-leading and open-access research facilities and programmes that will decarbonise future transport.
A £14m award from the UK Research Partnership Investment Fund (UKRPIF) has been augmented by public and private co-investment, allowing the university to build on its internationally leading capabilities in electrification, hydrogen and manufacturing.
Chris Gerada, Professor of Electrical Machines and lead for strategic research and innovation initiatives at the University of Nottingham, said: “This is one of the largest funding injections the East Midlands has ever seen, and the opportunities are clear for new research to enable the UK to take an international lead in powering transport.
“This investment accelerates our shared vision to create world-class facilities, build strategic partnerships with industry, stimulate investments in the UK, and drive economic growth. We’re grateful to UKRPIF and our industry partners for the trust they have put in us.”
The university hosts the UKRI Driving the Electric Revolution Industrialisation Centre (DER-IC), and this further investment will enable the centre to scale up manufacturing processes it is developing for electrical machines and drives.
From March 2025, the university will work with industry partners to demonstrate electrical machines and drives manufacturing for a range of propulsion, traction, and generator applications. The manufacturing facilities will also be available for industry co-location to accelerate technology developments to market.
The university’s co-investment partners span industries across aerospace, power generation, marine and off-highway.
The facilities and programmes will be primarily based at Jubilee Campus and build upon recent investments such as the Power Electronics and Machines Centre (PEMC), the zero carbon innovation centre funded by East Midlands Freeport, as well as previous investments from Driving the Electric Revolution, Research England, EPSRC and D2N2.
Together, they strengthen the university’s position as part of a national network of research, infrastructure, and skills development.
Professor Tom Rodden, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange at the University of Nottingham, said: “Building on the university’s leading capabilities in zero carbon innovation, our open-access facilities will bring together partnerships at regional, national, and international level.
We’re enabling collaboration with other higher education institutions, ensuring the highest-quality research and maximising academic, industrial and socioeconomic impact.”
This is the place that translates zero carbon research into real-world solutions: find out more
Tags: net zero, Professor Tom Rodden, ZCC, zero carbon, Zero Carbon Cluster
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Legislation changes and updates to university policies
April 8th, 2024
A number of university policies around flexible working, carer’s leave, paternity leave and protection from redundancy have been updated.
The government introduced several new family friendly regulations which came into force on Saturday 6 April 2024.
In response, university policies and documents have been reviewed, updated, and approved in collaboration with key stakeholders to ensure compliance with the regulations.
Flexible Working
The university believes flexible working can enhance staff motivation and accommodates the diverse needs and preferences of employees by promoting better work-life balance and increasing job satisfaction.
The Flexible Working Arrangements Policy has been reviewed and is now called the Flexible Working Code of Practice. The procedure encompasses the new regulations such as providing employees with a day one right to apply for flexible working, increasing the number of flexible working requests which can be made in any 12-month period from one to two and providing an outcome to a request within two months.
Guidance for employees and managers has also been developed to support colleagues through the flexible working procedure.
We’re looking to hear from colleagues about their flexible working arrangements. If you wish to share your experiences to inspire and inform the university community and help enhance our new employee and manager guidance, please complete this MS form.
For further information and to access the new flexible working procedure, please visit our HR webpages.
Statutory Carer’s Leave
The university recognises the challenges that carers face while trying to balance the demands of caring, work, and looking after their own health and wellbeing.
The Long-term Carer’s Leave Policy has been reviewed following the introduction of the Carer’s Leave Act 2023.
The policy is now called Carer’s Leave Policy and includes the new statutory right to one-week unpaid carer’s leave, which can be taken in blocks of a day or half a day, aiming to support carers to remain in work alongside their caring responsibilities.
The policy review was supported by the university’s Carers Staff Network who have welcomed the introduction of the Carer’s Leave Act. For more details around the Carers Staff Network, please visit our Staff Network webpage.
For further information or to access the policy, please visit our HR webpages.
Paternity Leave
The way in which Paternity Leave can be taken has changed, effective from Friday 8 March 2024, applying to children born on or after 6 April 2024.
The changes support employees to take paternity leave more flexibility by providing more options for parents on when and how they take their paternity leave.
For further details, please visit the Paternity Leave webpages.
Extension to Protection from Redundancy
The university has reviewed and updated existing policies and guidance following the extension to redundancy protection period for pregnant employees and those on and returning from maternity leave, adoption leave or shared parental leave.
For further information, please visit our HR Redundancy and Redeployment webpages.
Tags: Carer's leave, carers, flexible working, Flexible working policy, HR policies, paternity, policy, Protection from Redundancy, staff networks, university policies
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Pay award 2024/25 implementation
April 8th, 2024
Further to the announcement of a local three year pay deal in 2022, the details of the 24/25 pay award for our level 1-3 staff have now been finalised.
The local pay negotiation process covers all staff in the Administrative, Professional, Managerial (APM), Technical Services (TS), Operations & Facilities (O&F) and Childcare Services (CS) job families at levels 1-3.
Level 1-3 staff subject to local pay negotiations will see a two-phase increase in pay, with the first phase bringing our bottom pay point in line with the 2024 voluntary living wage rate.
The first phase will bring forward the annual pay award to Wednesday 1 May 2024 increasing pay by 2.06% (starting at £12.00 per hour at pay point 10) maintaining existing pay differentials throughout APM, TS, and O&F pay scales.
Childcare Services staff will be assimilated to the equivalent evaluated APM, TS and O&F level 1-2 hourly rates developing a new pay scale to reflect they work 39 hours per week.
Allowance payments will receive a flat 2.06% increase as of 1 May 2024.
The second phase of the 2024/25 pay agreement will see allowance payments and pay points within Level 1-3 APM, TS, O&F and CS pay scales receive a typical increase of 4.17% from Friday 1 November 2024.
Whilst the date of the second increase will be effective from 1 November 2024, the month the increase is applied in will be confirmed once the new go live date for UniCore is announced.
Incremental progression
71.4% of level 1-3 staff are eligible for an increment from 1 August 2024. Level 3 staff promoted to level 4 will transfer to the first pay point within the level 4 scale that provides a financial increase. CS1 staff moving to the new pay scale range will be eligible to increment to the second pay point within CS1 pay scale from 1 August 2025.
Click here to find new Salary Scales for APM, TS and O&F staff L1-3 staff for the period 1 May 2024 to 31 October 2024 and 1 November 2024 to 31 July 2025.
Click here to find new Salary Scales for L1-2 Childcare Services staff for the period 1 May 2024 to 31 October 2024 and 1 November 2024 to 31 July 2025.
As confirmed in the 2022 pay agreement, Level 1-3 staff will receive an additional 1 day annual leave to be increased from October 2024 or January 2025 (determined by your annual leave year) moving from 26 to 27 days.
Level 4-6 Pay Award 2024/25
We will provide an update on the annual cost of living pay award for level 4-6 staff as soon as possible following conclusion of the national pay negotiations.
Tags: 1-3, level 1-3 staff, pay award, salary scales
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Research in Action 2024: skills, tools, and current debates
April 5th, 2024
Research in Action Week will run from Monday 17 to Friday 21 June 2024, featuring a series of free expert talks for staff and students aimed at strengthening the integrity of research conducted across the university.
All sessions for the week are now available online for booking and further information.
Previously titled Research Integrity Week, the event is now in its fourth consecutive year, building upon its increasing success and popularity. Renamed ‘Research in Action 2024: Skills, Tools, and Current Debates’, the new title reflects the value and activities spanning all research career stages.
The planning of the event has brought together expertise and knowledge from across the university, organised by the University of Nottingham Research Integrity and Research Ethics Committee, with support from Research and Innovation and the Researcher Academy.
This year’s program delves into crucial topics shaping the research landscape, including the ethical dimensions of social media, fake participants in research, exploring research involving BAME and indigenous communities, and navigating the complexities of Human Tissue in research.
The sessions include insights into teams and resources from across the university that support researchers, covering areas such as Research Contracts, Post Award management, Research Information Systems, Trusted Research, and NHS ethics.
Renowned organisations such as the UK Research Integrity Office (UKRIO) and The UK Reproducibility Network (UKRN) will share their expertise, guiding participants on fostering a healthy research culture and collectively working towards improving research quality and integrity.
Researchers stand to gain valuable insights, making Research in Action Week an invaluable opportunity for both staff and students.
Don’t miss out, book now for the sessions outlined below.
Session 1: Monday 17 June 2024: 11am-12:30pm Introduction to the UK Reproducibility Network (UKRN)
Session 2: Monday 17 June 2024: 2pm-3:30pm Introduction to Research Contracts – Tips and Advice
Session 3: Tuesday 18 June 2024: 10:30am-12pm Social Media and Research Ethics
Session 4: Tuesday 18 June 2024: 1pm-2:30pm Research Information System (RIS) at UoN
Session 5: Wed 19 June 2024: 10am – 11:30am – Good research practice and a healthy research culture (UKRIO)
Session 6: Wed 19 June 2024: 12pm-1:30pm Trusted Research and Export Controls
Session 7: Wed 19 June 2024: 2pm-3:30pm Research Post Award- Financial Management and Compliance
Session 8: Thursday 20 June 2024: 10:30am-12pm Fake Participants in Online Research
Session 9: Thursday 20 June 2024: 1pm-2:30pm Human Tissue at UoN
Session 10: Friday 21 June 2024: 10:30am-12pm What does it mean to be ethical and socially-just in ‘decolonial’ times?
Session 11: Friday 21 June 2024: 1pm-2:30pm NHS Research at UoN
For any enquiries about the sessions please email BB-Research-Ethics@exmail.nottingham.ac.uk
Tags: Aerospace and Transport Technologies Research Priority Area, research ethics, Research in Action Week, Research Integrity and Research Ethics Committee., research integrity week
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University invests in sustainable heat source on University Park campus
April 3rd, 2024
In November, University Council approved investment into the first phase replacement of our 70-year-old District Heating Network (DHN) currently heating the campus.
We will create a Low-Carbon Energy Centre on University Park which uses energy from deep under the surface in the form of an open loop water source heat pump. The plans also include improvements to ventilation and glazing.
The construction of the Energy Centre will commence during the summer of 2024 and we plan for the system to be operational by winter 2025.
Work started with some initial borehole tests in December 2023, on the north side of Law and Social Science (LaSS) building. The test allowed us to understand the flow rates that we can abstract water and will inform how many boreholes we need for the system; this will enable us to define a more accurate plan for the next phase of the project.
Further tests to our initial borehole will take place from late March, requiring 300mm pipework to be placed through the Millennium Gardens (from 25 March for approximately two weeks).
The gardens will still be accessible, signs will be in place and for those on foot the pipe can be stepped over. Alternatively, this can be avoided be using the woodland path at the top of the Downs.
We anticipate a further four boreholes are needed to supply the new Energy Centre, which we aim to progress in Spring/Summer.
Following this we will install underground ducts for pipework on the outskirts of LaSS and in between LaSS and Hallward Library. The laying of these pipes will affect pedestrian routes between the buildings and access around this area will be more limited than normal.
Users are advised to allow extra time to take alternative pedestrian routes around to the west of LaSS and the east of Hallward while this work takes place. Signs will be in place to help you navigate.
A significant amount of the parking area to the back of LaSS will be unavailable for the duration of the project – flexing up and down as we move through the project. Anyone needing to park in this area is advised to consider alternative options.
Further detail on the individual elements of these projects will be provided as they begin, and we will work closely with the impacted schools, faculties, and teams to ensure disruption is minimised.
Law and Social Sciences – starts Easter 2024
We will replace the current single glazed windows in LaSS with double glazing. This will improve the thermal resilience of the building, allowing us to capitalise on the efficiencies of the new Energy Centre, and keeping heat in and solar gain out.
This work is planned to start in April, during the Easter break and continue through to Autumn 2024.
Hallward Library – starts Spring 2024
The ventilation system will be refurbished to ensure a better balance of temperature within the building. We hope to carry out this work during low use /quiet periods.
Access to building during the works will be affected, including access to Security in Hallward and parking in this area. There will also be the movement of plant and equipment in and around this area throughout the project.
Sir Clive Granger, Trent and Portland buildings – starts April 2024
Sir Clive Granger, Trent and Portland buildings will be disconnected from the DHN following the installation of a new single-source heating to each of those buildings.
This work is expected to start during Spring/Summer and be complete by October 2024. Construction work will take place around the Sir Clive Granger visitor car park side of the building, resulting in the loss of some parking and facilities in the main visitor carpark. The east side entrance will be closed and building users will be asked to use the main entrance on the Hallward Library side of the building.
A small extension to the New Theatre Building will house the new system serving the Trent Building, connecting to the rear of the Trent building near the current bridge on the north side of the building.
The new infrastructure being installed for the Portland building will be within the existing basement plant room located underneath the subway between Trent and Portland.
We are finalising the logistics of all three schemes and the project team expects localised disruption and temporary construction compounds to be located close to the main working areas. We will communicate firm plans as soon as we have them.
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Inclusive Curriculum and Assessments Workshop Series: express your interest
April 3rd, 2024
The Degree Awarding Gaps Academic Advisory Group are launching a series of six workshops to train staff on the fundamentals of inclusive curriculum and assessments, share best practices and understand the sector wide approaches in reducing degree awarding gaps.
In higher education an inclusive approach in our teaching practices is vital as it recognises students from a range of diverse backgrounds who differ by age, gender, class, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, and faith.
They have varied learning styles, confidence, self-esteem, educational experience, and cultural capital. This diversity is a key strength, and our approaches should be inclusive and place the student at the heart of the learning process.
The new workshops are aimed at practitioners and staff who interact with students as part of their academic studies.
Objectives of the workshop series
- To train staff in fundamentals of inclusive curriculum and assessments
- To develop a fundamental toolkit and repository for use by all staff across the institution
- To take a unified approach that includes skills, approaches to build inclusivity in our teaching.
- Embedding inclusivity in quality enhancements and management processes
Who is it for?
Lecturers, programme or module leaders, curriculum partners. Colleagues with related responsibility for inclusive teaching and learning and/or curriculum review, EDI (Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion) leads/managers, or student experience managers or those with student facing roles are also welcome. The workshops are open to staff across our UK, Malaysia and China campuses.
How do I get involved?
Full details and how to get involved can be found on the Inclusive Curriculum and Assessment Workshops webpage on the Educational Excellence website.
Places will be limited. Once you’ve expressed an interest, we will get in touch with you with information on how to register. This will be once the dates are fully confirmed.
If you would like to find out more, please contact the academic lead for this work, Dr Nagamani Bora.
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New UNM Provost and CEO to join university from June 1
March 28th, 2024
Professor David FitzPatrick has been appointed as Interim Provost and CEO, University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus. Professor FitzPatrick joins us from Technology University Dublin, taking up his post on 1 June 2024.
He will provide leadership for the staff and students on our Malaysia campus.
Professor FitzPatrick is the inaugural president at TU Dublin, following its designation as a Technological University on 1 January 2019.
In addition to his highly regarded leadership as Principal of the College of Engineering & Architecture and Dean of Engineering at University College Dublin (UCD), he has excellent academic credentials, considerable experience at executive level, a significant international profile and extensive industry experience, having managed the product development and research of orthopaedic devices for the International division of a major US medical devices organisation.
UoN Vice-Chancellor Professor Shearer West said: “We are delighted to welcome Professor Fitzpatrick to the University of Nottingham to lead the University of Nottingham Malaysia.
“As Interim Provost and CEO, David will bring a fresh leadership perspective to the excellent curriculum, research portfolio and student support already in place in Malaysia.
I look forward to working with him and the UNM Management Board as they continue to deliver the outstanding research and student experience that are already hallmarks of UNM.”
Professor FitzPatrick said: “Having worked across my career with responsibilities for international portfolios, both in industry and academia, I am very much looking forward to joining the university, to working with the Vice-Chancellor and the University Executive Board in Nottingham and Malaysia. 
I look forward to joining colleagues in Malaysia in building on the significant track-record and regional presence already achieved, and furthering their strategic objectives.”
Professor David FitzPatrick holds a bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering from Trinity College Dublin, and a doctorate in biomechanics from the University of Oxford.
After receiving his doctorate, Professor David FitzPatrick worked in the orthopaedic industry, initially with Howmedica International Ltd. in Limerick, followed by a career with DePuy International in Leeds. His work with DePuy International included managing product development, strategy and research programmes for knee, upper limb, trauma and spinal product lines.
In 1998, Professor FitzPatrick returned to Ireland to UCD’s Department of Mechanical Engineering and was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2005, Associate Professor in 2010 and full Professor in 2012. He served as Head of the School of Electrical, Electronic and Mechanical Engineering from September 2005 to August 2011, followed by a period as Vice Principal for Internationalisation & Development in the College of Engineering and Architecture.
Having been appointed by UCD as the inaugural Provost of the Beijing-Dublin International College in 2012, he led the development of Ireland’s largest dual-degree programme initiative in China and continued in that role while holding the post of Principal of UCD’s College of Engineering & Architecture and member of UCD’s University Management Team, from 2014 to 2018, taking up his role as President, TU Dublin, on 1 January 2019.
His research has focussed primarily on areas closely linked to orthopaedic mechanics and medical device design, particularly relating to the knee joint and spine. Professor FitzPatrick has published extensively in peer-review journals and major international conference proceedings.
His work has been recognised with the International Society of Biomechanics Clinical Biomechanics Award (2003) and the Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland (RAMI) Haughton Lecture & RAMI Silver Medal (2017).
Tags: Professor David FitzPatrick, University of Nottingham Malaysia, UNM
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Investment on University Park campus: spring – autumn 2024
March 27th, 2024
The university is making major investments to its estate and infrastructure this Spring, Summer and into early Autumn to bring real improvements in our buildings to the benefit of both students and staff.
The first major improvement is to the heating system, to improve the reliability and reduce carbon emissions on University Park.
We are going to create a Low-Carbon Energy Centre on University Park which uses energy from deep underground in the form of an open loop water source heat pump to supply the Law and Social Science and Hallward Library buildings.
As part of this we are going to make improvements to ventilation systems and install new windows in the Law and Social Sciences building.
This will start in Spring 2024 and be completed Winter 2025. The current heating system will be kept going until new works are completed.
At the same time, we will install new single-source heating to Sir Clive Granger, Trent and Portland Buildings. This work will start in Spring 2024 and be complete by October 2024.
Alongside this we will also initiate a programme of roof replacements at Sir Clive Granger, Portland Building, Pharmacy and Psychology to address the issues we have faced in recent months and to ensure long-term protection for our occupants, buildings, and contents.
All this activity is essential and will have a hugely positive impact for heating reliability, building conditions and help reduce long-term costs of operating buildings on University Park.
However, such large works will mean significant disruption to the central areas of University Park from when the projects start in April 2024, through to their expected completion in winter 2025.
Further detail on the individual elements of these projects will be provided as they begin, and we will work closely with the impacted schools, faculties, and teams to ensure disruption is minimised.
Timeline of key activity
Energy Centre:
- Starts April 2024 and completes Winter 2025
- Window replacement at LaSS Spring to October 2024
- Improvements to ventilation in Hallward Summer 2024.
Sir Clive Granger – starts April 2024:
- New heat source
- Roof
Trent Building – starts April l2024:
- New heat source
Portland Building – starts April 2024:
- New heat source
- Roof
Tags: Estates, Estates and Infrastructure, investment, Portland Building, Sir Clive Granger, Trent Building, University Park
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Funding opportunity: Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL)
March 26th, 2024
There is an exciting funding opportunity through the Fulbright Commission to develop Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) with a US partner.
The initiative will enhance an existing module which focuses on one of the following topics; Racial justice, inequality, climate change, polarisation and division.
If you are interested in applying, please complete our Expression of Interest form which also includes further information on eligibility and application deadlines.
The deadline to fill in the Expression of Interest form is Friday 5 April 2024.
Global Engagement and Global Opportunities will fully support the successful academic through the application process.
Tags: COIL, Collaborative Online International Learning, Funding opportunity
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Director of HR Jaspal Kaur announces retirement
March 26th, 2024
The University of Nottingham’s Director of HR Jaspal Kaur will retire this spring after 29 years of dedicated service.
Jaspal has overseen huge changes in the university during her time and has contributed to the development and growth of HR. Most recently this includes the HR Transformation Programme and the significant efforts around the implementation of the HR element of UniCore.
Serving as Director under three Vice-Chancellors, Jaspal has been at the heart of many of the most important developments at Nottingham in the past three decades including the many HR issues involved in the establishment of campuses in Malaysia and China and, in recent years, the creation of a powerful People and Culture Strategy.
She also oversaw the implementation of the revamped Staff Engagement Survey – as well as actions which have emerged from it and from the initiatives above.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Shearer West said: “I’d like to thank Jaspal for all of her years of hard work and service to the university.
“Her calm and steady leadership in challenging times has been crucial in getting big projects across the line and we will miss the levels of commitment she has brought to the role.
“I am sure everyone will want to join me in wishing her the very best in retirement and thanking Jaspal for her service during her long career at Nottingham.”
In the period running up to her departure, Jaspal will work closely with Helen Dunn, Deputy HR Director, to ensure an effective handover before Helen takes over on an interim basis following Jaspal’s retirement.
Tags: Director of HR, Jaspal Kaur
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