Campus News
Join the Royal Society at the UK’s most inspiring research showcase – deadline 10 September
September 5th, 2019
The Royal Society is inviting our researchers to apply for 2020’s Summer Science Exhibition, which offers opportunity to present their discoveries to more than 14,000 people including young people, policy makers and Fellows of the Royal Society.
Applications are now open and will close on Tuesday 10 September at 3pm. The exhibition will run from Monday 6 – Sunday 12 July 2020.
This is an opportunity to emulate the success of the University’s two exhibitions at this summer’s showcase – ‘Green Light for Chemistry’ from the School of Chemistry and ‘SuperBiomaterials to fight Superbugs’ came from the School of Pharmacy.
Tags: biomaterials, Chemistry, Royal Society, Summer Science Exhibition
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Celebrate Black History Month 2019
September 5th, 2019
During October 2019 the University of Nottingham is celebrating Black History Month with film screenings, panel discussions and more.
The University is proud to be celebrating Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) culture, history and our BME staff and student community.
Black History Month is a fantastic opportunity for our University community to engage with, learn more about and celebrate the achievements of our BME community.
We’d like to encourage everyone to get involved, join our celebrations and share details of the programme within their respective areas.
This year’s centrally organised events include:
- 20th Century Britain through the lens of Black American Music
Gain a unique perspective, at different times and places during the mid-20th Century, of the influence of Black American music and youth culture on the UK – well before the advent of either social media or Hip Hop.
Join us for the screening of three BBC documentaries directed by the British director James Maycock:- Northern Soul: Living for the Weekend
- The Motown Invasion
- Gershwin’s Summertime
This event will take place 7.30-10pm, Monday 7 and Tuesday 8 October 2019 at Peggy’s Skylight, 3 George Street, Nottingham NG1 3BH.
For more information, and to book your place, please visit the event page.
- Career Success – the BME Experience
Join our BME staff, students and alumni to hear about their careers, have your questions answered, share experiences, get ideas and build your network. A mix of short presentations and informal small-group discussion, the evening will be chaired by Dr Nalayini Thambar, Director of Careers and Employability.This event will take place 4-6.30pm on Thursday 17 October in the Senate Chamber, Trent Building, University Park Campus.
For more information, and to book your place, please visit the event page.
Activities and events will also be taking place in our Faculties, Schools, Departments and Professional Services. These include:
- Black Healthcare Leaders and Trailblazers
A display of black healthcare leaders and trailblazers will be in the foyer of the Medical School for Black History Month.This event will take place 1-31 October in the Medical School Foyer, QMC.
- Black Nurses: The Women who saved the NHS
The School of Health Sciences BME Student Network is hosting a screening of the BBC documentary “Black Nurses: The Women who Saved the NHS” followed by a thirty minute discussion afterwards.This event will take place 5-7pm on Monday 7 October in Lecture Theatre 3, QMC.
For more information, and to book your place, please visit the event page.
- Organ and Blood Donor Awareness Campaign
The School of Health Sciences BME Student Network is leading a month-long campaign to raise awareness of blood and organ donation, at the University of Nottingham and in the wider Nottingham community. Because of the new rules around organ donation changing next spring, and low numbers of blood and tissue donors from the black community, this is at timely campaign to debunk myths around donation and encourage more people to register.This event will take place at the following times:
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- 11am-1pm, Tuesday 8, 15, 22, 29 October, A Floor, Medical School Foyer
- 10am-2pm, Saturday 12 October, Nottingham City Centre
- 10am-2pm, Saturday 19 October, Beeston Town Centre
- BecoME: BME Leaders in Healthcare Conference
The School of Health Sciences BME Student Network, together with the Afro Caribbean Medical Network and the Students’ Union BME Network, present “BecoME: BME Leaders in Healthcare” conference. Open to all, this conference will highlight the journeys of prominent BME leaders in healthcare, offer career building workshops, and provide an opportunity to network with other current and future leaders of healthcare.This event will take place 9am-5pm, Saturday 26 October, Business School South.
For more information, and to book your place, please visit the event page.
Details of all events will follow in a comprehensive programme announced on Tuesday 1 October 2019.
Dr Val Watson, Head of University Counselling Service and Chair of the University’s BME Staff Network, said:
“We’d like to encourage everyone to get involved; show support for our BME staff and students and local community, aim to learn more about black history, contribute to ongoing debates, see the progress we’re making, and help us make more history.”
Get involved…
For further details of all events, please visit the University’s event listings.
To find out more about the University’s Black History Month programme, or if you’re arranging a Black History Month event and would like it adding to the central event listings, please email People and Culture.
For news and updates on the events, follow the People and Culture blog.
Tags: BHM 2019, Black History Month, BME
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Confidence in Concept scheme – applications open
September 5th, 2019
Applications are still open for the 2019 Medical Research Council (MRC) funded Confidence in Concept scheme.
Administered by the University of Nottingham, the grants are designed to support discovery research to facilitate acceleration to early stage therapeutic and diagnostic development in any area of health. They offer funding to support preliminary work, or feasibility studies, which establish the viability of the approach.
Projects should aim to generate sufficient preliminary data to establish the viability of an approach before seeking more substantive translational funding, e.g. from the Developmental Pathway Funding Scheme (DPFS).
Applications are encouraged from all departments and faculties where project objectives are aligned with the MRCs remit, including applications that fit with the UoN and MRCs strategic priority areas.
A workshop was held on Tuesday 3 September and presentations from the day, containing details on how to apply and further guidance for submitting an application, are available on Workspace for those who missed this event.
The deadline for applications is 4pm on Friday 4 October.
For more information, and to submit your application, please visit the Confidence in Concept workspace webpages.
Tags: Developmental Pathway Funding Scheme, grant, Medical Research Council, research
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Staff Pay Awards 2019/20
September 5th, 2019
The University has confirmed details of pay awards to staff for 2019/20. These ensure that the majority of University staff will receive pay rises of between 3.8% and 5.6% (including increments where applicable); deliver significant enhancements for the lowest paid staff; and include a further commitment to pay the equivalent of the Voluntary Living Wage when it is confirmed in November.
Full details of the pay award for all staff are available on the Human Resources website. To see the increase in your pay in monetary and percentage terms, scroll down to the 2019 Pay Award – Salary Impact Tables link. Open the tab for your job family and grade and view the spine point that is applicable to you at 31 July 2019. It is anticipated that the increases will be paid with arrears in October salaries.
A summary for each job family is provided below:
- For research, teaching and APM grade 4-7 staff, the University will implement the national 1.8% cost of living increase, which when combined with incremental increases and bonuses awarded through the 2018/19 PDPR process means that more than half of staff covered by the national negotiations will receive an average 4.8% pay increase.
- For Operations & Facilities staff, the University will match the national 1.8% cost of living increase, with significantly higher increases of up to 3.65% for staff at spine point 16 and below, and move all staff with two years continuous service in the role as at 31 July 2019, up an additional spine point. This leads to an average pay increase for the three-quarters of staff who have two years continuous service of between 4.8% and 5.6%.
- For Technical Services, Childcare Services and APM grade 1-3 staff, the University will match the national 1.8% cost of living increase, with significantly higher increases of up to 3.65% for staff at spine point 16 and below, and additionally pay a 2% non-consolidated bonus for all staff who were at or above the standard pay maximum for their grade as at 31st July 2019. This leads to an average pay increase of between 3.8% to 5.6% recognising that staff below the standard maximum will also receive an increment salary increase in most cases.
- For Technical Services grade 4 – 5 staff, the University will match the national 1.8% cost of living increase, which when combined with incremental increases and bonuses awarded through the 2018/19 PDPR process means more than half of staff in this group will receive an average 4.8% pay increase.
- For Clinical Academic staff: in line with comparable NHS staff, salaries for medical and dental consultants are increased by 2.5% and for doctors in training 2%. National and local clinical excellence awards remain unchanged and there are no non-consolidated awards in this pay round.
The University has also committed to continue meet the Voluntary Living Wage rate for the lowest paid staff in 2019/20, which is currently £9.00 per hour. The increased rate will be confirmed by the Voluntary Living Wage Foundation in November for payment from 1 December 2019.
The University of Nottingham undertakes annual pay negotiations on the cost of living increase through national collective bargaining led by UCEA for research, teaching and APM grade 4-7 staff; and local pay negotiations for APM grades 1-3, staff in Operations & Facilities, Technical Services and Childcare Services.
Tags: HR, pay, pay award, Voluntary Living Wage
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The VC’s blog — A Global Sense of Place
September 5th, 2019
In her latest blog, the Vice-Chancellor reflects on the value of international campuses in an increasingly complex and ambiguous world.
Read the blog: www.nottingham.ac.uk/About/Vice-Chancellor/Blog/Blog-021.aspx.
Tags: Brexit, global, VC's blog, Vice Chancellor
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Times Higher Education Awards – University Shortlisted in 5 Categories
September 5th, 2019
The University’s reputation for excellence in research, teaching and student support has been recognised with shortlistings in no less than five categories in the Times Higher Education Awards 2019 – the annual ‘Oscars of Higher Education.’
- Research Project of the Year (STEM): for the School of Physics development with UCL of a new generation of wearable brain scanners which will improve analysis and open up new possibilities for investigating disorders including autism, epilepsy and dementia.
- Digital Innovation of the Year: for the School of Health Science’s Health E-Learning and Media digital platform called HELM Open which provides more than 250 free web-based learning tools developed by more than 5,000 healthcare stakeholders to promote the latest working practices in each area of healthcare.
- Excellence in Registry Services: for the Registrar’s Department’s Transforming Teaching Programme that has reformed assessment practices, processes and models to deliver a culture of assessment for learning leading to increased student motivation and confidence and reduced anxiety surrounding rigorous assessment.
- Outstanding Contribution to Leadership Development: for the University’s stewardship of the Ambitious Futures national graduate leadership scheme for higher education which attracts the brightest talent into employment at universities through an 18-month development programme.
- Outstanding Marketing/Communications Team: for the External Relations teams in our UK, China and Malaysia campuses who delivered the Discover Our World campaign to promote the University’s research and innovation to audiences across the globe, reaching 493 million people.
Full details of the University’s shortlisted entries – together with their competitors for each award – are available at THE shortlist.
The winners will be announced at a special awards ceremony on Thursday 28 November at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London to an audience of more than 1,000 guests including politicians, senior sector figures, and academic and professional university staff from all corners of the UK.
Tags: THE Awards 2019, Times Higher Education Awards
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Engagement events to support ‘Getting in Shape’
September 4th, 2019
As part of the ‘Getting in Shape – Investing in our Future’ programme this Autumn, Information Services and Estates will jointly be holding a series of engagement sessions across University of Nottingham locations.
‘Getting in Shape – Investing in Our Future’ aims to improve how the University manages money, activities and services, and grows investment in teaching, research, staff and students.
Open to all professional services and academic staff, these short, interactive sessions, hosted by Chief Digital Officer, David Hill, in collaboration with colleagues from Estates and the Getting in Shape team, will provide the opportunity for colleagues to feedback regarding existing services and current ‘pain points’, as well as identifying potential efficiencies, areas for future development and opportunities for innovation.
David Hill, Chief Digital Officer, is looking forward to engaging University-wide in order to progress potential ‘Getting in Shape’ initiatives and said,”these face-to-face sessions will provide a valuable opportunity for us to hear first-hand how our peers use our systems and services, what works well, what doesn’t, where changes are required and what you would like to see us deliver in the future. We want our peers to have an active role in co-designing our future services and identifying areas for continuous improvement or where we can deliver in more lean or efficient ways. This is your opportunity to share your opinions and help to shape our future – we look forward to meeting you.”
More information about dates, locations and how to book on sessions will be published in the coming weeks – please see the Digital Network blog for details.
Tags: David Hill, digital, getting in shape, GIS, Information Services
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Art and theatre groups for children at Lakeside
September 3rd, 2019
Lakeside Arts youth groups return for September, giving young creatives the chance to learn skills in art and drama.
The groups available are:
Lakeside Youth Theatre
A group of weekly sessions focuses on developing new skills and having fun through drama. Our groups have a reputation for strong ensemble work and are the perfect platform for members to create, develop and take risks using their own ideas. Participants will also get the chance to work with exciting artists and theatre professionals.
There are four age groups:
- Little Lakesiders (5-7 years)
- 8-10 years
- 14+ Performance Group
£45 – £65 per term starting between Thursday 19 – Saturday 21 September
Gallery Art Group
A regular art session for young people with a passion for art and design and provides a well-resources environment for creative experimentation and skills development. The highly experienced tutors refer to the Lakeside exhibitions for inspiration, leading workshops in painting, photography, drawing, multi-media sculpture, printmaking, ceramics, textiles and other crafts.
There are three age groups:
- 8-10 years
- 11-13 years
- Lakeside Young Artists (14-18 years)
£50 – £60 per term per term starting between Tuesday 17 – Saturday 21 September
Find more information on the Lakeside Arts website: https://www.lakesidearts.org.uk/take-part-learn/young-creatives.html.
Tags: art, gallery, Lakeside Arts, Youth theatre
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Professional development opportunities with the Leadership and Management Academy
September 2nd, 2019
Developing your leadership practice can help you to build the confidence and ability to lead and manage your staff.
As the higher education sector continues to navigate an era of ambiguity and change, leadership means being comfortable with not knowing all the answers and understanding the complexity and wider context in which to lead. The Leadership Management Academy (LMA) can help enhance your leadership practice, build your confidence, and develop a great network of like-minded colleagues.
LMA Development Programmes
A range of Specialist programmes have been launched in response to specific University, faculty, school and departmental needs. Programmes include: Leadership for an Increasingly Digital World, Strategic Finance, Lean Leadership practice and more. Some of these programmes are open to all leaders and managers, while others are targeted for specific audiences.
There is still time to apply for the refreshed 2019/20 core programmes that provide focused development for all leaders and managers at all levels.
You can find out more and apply on the LMA Development Programmes pages of the LMA hub.
‘Spotlight on…’ sessions
For a flexible option to learn about different aspects of leadership and management such as performance conversations, overcoming ‘imposter phenomenon’ and how to use various coaching styles, join a ‘Spotlight on…’ session.
These two-hour events held every month cover a range of practical topics and are led by experts from around the University.
For more information, and to book your place, please visit the Spotlight on… page of the LMA Hub.
Further development opportunities
The LMA also continues to offer coaching and mentoring, job shadowing and a wide range of online resources for all staff who wish to develop their skills and career.
Tags: coaching, leadership, management, mentoring, Professional Development
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Appraisal and Development Conversations (ADC) now live
September 2nd, 2019
The new Appraisal and Development Conversations (ADC) process will supersede PDPR from 1 August 2019. Full guidance and templates for staff are now published on the HR website.
The ADC has been developed in partnership with staff, following contributions from more than 450 colleagues across the University via focus groups and with Trade Union colleagues.
The ADC should better support a year-round conversation to support performance, wellbeing and objectives. Details of an entirely separate process to reward staff, the Nottingham Reward scheme, have also been confirmed.
The Appraisal and Development Conversation will:
- align to the University year, with a framework that encourages regular discussion across the year, concluding with an annual review.
- better clarify the link between University goals and individual objectives, as well as provide a focus for discussions around staff development, wellbeing, workload, and work-life balance.
- not have a rating outcome, unlike the previous PDPR, and therefore no direct link to performance-related reward.
- run from August-July with the annual ADC conversation taking place from April to the end of July.
Objectives set for the 2019/20 academic year should be transferred to the new ADC forms once introduced in August, with the annual Appraisal and Development Conversations to take place between May and July 2020.
PDPR 2018/19 outcomes and any associated performance related reward (Rating 1 and Rating 1PBs) identified in the most recent cycle will be paid as normal in August 2019.
Training and Support
A series of one-hour briefings have been organised on a number of campuses in July and September, with further dates in October to follow. Staff can book onto these sessions on the Central Short Courses website.
These briefing sessions will cover how the ADC has been created; key elements and structure; and what you can expect from the new process; alongside opportunities to ask questions and find out more.
Additional training sessions to help prepare for their ADC and courses to support line managers will be available shortly.
Tags: Appraisal and Development Conversations, Nottingham Reward Scheme, PDPR
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