Campus News
University to re-open Winter Shelter on campus to accommodate rough sleepers
October 9th, 2023
This year, the university will once again be working with local homelessness charity, Emmanuel House, to re-open its Winter Shelter on University Park campus.
From Monday 9 October 2023, the charity will be offering short-term emergency accommodation for up to 27 people every night for 26 weeks until April 2024.
24-hour support will be provided in a university building, ensuring there are fewer people sleeping on the streets of Nottingham during the coldest months of the year.
Ashley Roberts, Head of Campus Services at the university, is leading the project. He said: “This is the third year we’ve hosted the Winter Shelter on campus and as ever it’s great to be able to partner with Emmanuel House on such a worthwhile initiative. The services that the charity provides are invaluable and we’re pleased to be able to support our local community in any way we can.”
The Winter Shelter meets people’s basic human needs – guests have access to washing facilities, three nutritious meals a day and access to continuous and consistent support. This 24-hour wrap-around care is essential for helping people out of homelessness as it allows support work to continue during the day as guests are helped to find work and long-term accommodation and access other services.
Last year’s Winter Shelter, which was open between 17 October 2022 and 10 April 2023, provided 3,922 nights’ protection for a total of 107 people who would otherwise have been rough sleeping. Emmanuel House supported 58 of these people into accommodation.
Denis Tully, CEO at Emmanuel House, said: “The Winter Shelter is an integral service in the additional winter provision for people vulnerable to rough sleeping in Nottingham. We are aware that the cost of living and increase in the cost of accommodation are contributing to a rise in the number of people presenting as homeless. We are hopeful that based on last year’s figures we will be able to support more than fifty percent of people who used the shelter into accommodation solutions.”
Could you help to volunteer?
Emmanuel House is currently looking for volunteers to support the Winter Shelter. The volunteer sessions involve a range of activities, including breakfast service, cooking and serving an evening meal, and activities. Shifts are available Monday – Sunday from morning to evening.
The Winter Shelter is also looking for full-time and part-time support staff. Sessional or contract work is available.
If you would like to donate non-perishable food, sleeping bags or clothes to the Winter Shelter, all details can be found on the website.
Information on volunteering, job vacancies and fundraising can be found on the Emmanuel House website.
Tags: community, Emmanuel House, Rough sleeping, volunteering, Winter shelter
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Joint statement on UUK and UCU collaboration
October 6th, 2023
The University and College Union (UCU) and Universities UK (UUK) have released a joint statement agreeing to a range of measures to improve scheme stability and benefits.
UCU and UUK have been building on the work set out in the joint statements issued on 17 February, 15 March and 25 May 2023 to jointly prioritise the improvement of benefits to pre-April 2022 levels, where this can be done in a demonstrably sustainable manner.
The statement, which gives people an update on this work, has been agreed by both UCU and UUK – subject to completion of their own consultation processes, which remain ongoing.
You can read UCU and UUK’s joint statement in full here.
Members of the USS pension scheme can share their views on the current consultation at the USS Consultation website.
Should you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact your HR Business Partner
Tags: UCU, USS, USS consultation, USS pension scheme, UUK
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Principles for Casual Engagements – joint statement with UoN UCU
October 5th, 2023
The University of Nottingham and the University and College Union Branch (UoN UCU) aim to minimise the use of casual engagements and to encourage direct contracts of employment as the preferred solution.
The university and UoN UCU agree that having principles to govern the use of casual engagements can help achieve this commitment, ensuring that people are employed on the right contract based on conditions detailed within the principles.
If a role does not meet the conditions for a casual engagement within the principles, then the university’s default position will be an employment contract such as a permanent or fixed term contract.
The principles aim to support line managers in deciding the correct type of engagement for the job role and to ensure that alternatives have been explored prior to engaging a casual worker. The principles also recognises that casual workers should not undertake activities for which they will not be paid and that there will be regular monitoring of the adherence to the principles.
The principles are being launched as of 1 October and will initially apply to Research and Teaching staff (R&T, T&L and R only). It is our intention that these principles will also apply to all job families and we will align these once full discussions have concluded.
To support these principles, we need robust systems, process and guidance in place. As part of the HR Operational Delivery Plan, HR will be undertaking a full review of the casual engagement process and supporting material to enable staff to engage with and embed the Principles.
This work will be delivered in line with the launch of the Digital Core system, enabling Faculties to fully adhere to the Principles by this time (anticipated May 2024).
Action required (managers): If you manage casual workers you should familiarise yourself with the Casual Worker Principles to ensure you are aligned or working towards alignment by the time Digital Core goes live. If you have any concerns, please contact your HR Business Partner.
Action required (workers/staff): If you are currently casually engaged by the university, either directly or indirectly via a temp agency, then you should familiarise yourself with the Casual Worker Principles to ensure your engagement is aligned with these. If you believe you should instead be on a fixed-term or other employment contract, then please contact your HR Business Partner.
Jaspal Kaur/Helen Dunn, HR Director, University of Nottingham
Howard Stevenson / Andreas Bieler, UCU Branch President
Tags: agency, casual worker, casual workers, temp work, UCU
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Free Lunchtime Tai Chi and Qigong Taster
October 5th, 2023
Join gold-medallist World Champion, Angela, for a 45-minute taster session.
The Nottingham Confucius Institute is delighted to offer UoN staff and students an opportunity to take part in a Tai Chi and Qigong taster session at lunchtime on UoN campuses from Wednesday 25 October to Wednesday 15 November.
Our gold medallist instructor will lead you in a Health Qigong and popular Yang-style Tai Chi session, showcasing how the traditional Chinese practice of Tai Chi and Qigong can benefit body, breathing and mind. Each session will cover:
- Gentle body mobilisation, calming the breathing and mind
- Step-by-step instruction, learning specific health benefits along the way
- Flowing through the full routine to experience stillness in motion, accompanied by relaxing music.
These taster sessions are ideal for beginners and all movements are slow, gentle and low-impact, accessible to all, with the emphasis on working to your own comfort levels. Please wear loose, comfortable clothing and flat shoes (or bare feet!).
Find more information or book your place at your closest session below:
Sutton Bonington Campus: Wednesday 25 October, 12:30pm -13:15pm.
Jubilee Campus: Wednesday 1 November, 12:30pm – 13:15pm.
University Park Campus , Wednesday 15 November,12:30pm – 13:15pm.
King’s Meadow Campus, Wednesday 8 November, 12:30pm – 13:15pm.
Tags: Free taster session, Nottingham Confucius Institute, Tai Chi workshops
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Pensions focus groups: share your views on the CRSP scheme
October 5th, 2023
The university has arranged a number of focus groups for members and eligible members of the CRSP pension scheme to share their thoughts and views on the scheme.
Workplace pensions are a valuable way for you to save for your future. These are arranged through your employer and require you to pay in a percentage of your salary and your employer then also pays in a percentage too. At UoN we encourage staff to take advantage of this benefit to help prepare for the future.
We offer a number of pensions determined by your job level. For levels 1-3 we offer the Contributory Retirement Savings Plan (CRSP) through Legal and General.
We want to understand your experience of the CRSP pension scheme, if you are currently paying into the scheme and if you don’t currently pay into the scheme, why?
This feedback will help us to understand what employees value in a pension scheme to ensure that the CRSP pension scheme is attractive to our employees.
We would like to hear from a broad range of staff – both those in our current pension schemes and those not currently paying in, from all departments and job families.
You do not need to know anything about pensions to attend this session. We are interested in learning whether CRSP is working for you and if not, how it could be improved.
The focus groups will be small group discussions with up to 25 people in a room, led by Isio, our pension advisors.
Focus group schedule
Monday 16 October, 12.30pm – 1.30pm
In-person focus group, Monica Partridge Building, Room C10
Monday 16 October, 2.30pm – 3.30pm
In-person focus group, Monica Partridge Building, Room C10
Tuesday 17 October, 8am – 9am
In-person focus group, Life Sciences Building, Room B39 (TBC)
Tuesday 17 October, 11am – 12 noon
In-person focus group, Life Sciences Building, Room B39 (TBC)
Wednesday 18 October, 3pm – 4pm
Online focus group led by Isio
If you would like to join one of these sessions, please fill out this form to register your interest.
Tags: CRSP, Isio, pension, pension schemes
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Ongoing eduroam wireless issues
October 3rd, 2023
We are aware that some users are experiencing connectivity issues with personal and university-managed Windows 10 or 11 computers while using the eduroam* wireless network.
Our investigations are ongoing to determine the root cause and resolve the issue. At this time, there is no need to report issues to the IT Service Desk or Smart Bars as this is known and the latest updates will be added to the IT Status Page.
Note, devices such as macOS, iPhone and Android are unaffected by this connection issue.
If you are having difficulties connecting, we recommend trying the following steps:
- Forget the eduroam network or any networks containing ‘eduroam’ such as eduroam via partner by:
a) Navigating to your device’s Wi-Fi settings
b) Locate and select the eduroam network
c) Choose the option to “Forget” or “Remove” the eduroam network from your known networks list - Reconnect to the eduroam network by:
a) Searching for available Wi-Fi networks
b) Select “eduroam” from the list of available networks
c) Enter your eduroam credentials (email address and password) when prompted
If the above steps fail to connect to eduroam, please proceed with the following:
3. Run the automated Configuration Assistance Tool
4. Restart your device
5. Select “eduroam” from the Wi-Fi list and enter your credentials (email address & password) when prompted
If your device is intermittent with connections to eduroam, you may need to repeat the above steps or continue trying to re-connect.
*Please note, you may see eduroam® in your wireless list or during the setup, this is normal and denotes eduroam as a registered trademark.
We apologise for any inconvenience caused by this network issue.
If you require any additional support, please raise a request using the Self Service Portal or by phoning the IT Service Desk on 0115 95 16677.
Further instructions can be found on the Digital and Technology Services website.
Tags: DTS, eduroam, IT Service Desk, university wifi
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Institute for Professional and Work-based Learning launched
October 3rd, 2023
The university has launched a new Institute for Professional and Work-based Learning (IPWBL) – the first step in the delivery of a multi-year vision to support the development and implementation of the university’s skills agenda, of which the university’s successful Degree Apprenticeship provision will be a key part.
The Institute will deliver the newly agreed skills strategy, which sets out a vision for the delivery of skills across the university, enhancing the delivery of the skills agenda by providing oversight, centralised governance, and (in some cases) delivery.
Bringing together the expertise and experience of professional and academic staff involved in skills delivery, the Institute will remove duplication of activity across faculties, ensuring consistency and facilitating the sharing of best practice.
The new skills strategy sets out a clear, ambitious plan for the development of differentiated skills training, backed by the research-led, world-class education for which Nottingham is renowned, signalling the university’s contribution to the local, regional and national skills agenda.
Our skills agenda and creation of the Institute was discussed with Ofsted during the university’s monitoring visit for degree apprenticeships in March 2023, receiving positive feedback. To show progress against the commitments made to Ofsted a phased approach will be taken to the development of the Institute, which will be fully operational by September 2024.
Phase one (current phase) will see the creation of the Institute and the integration of professional staff, currently supporting Degree Apprenticeships, into the new structure.
The senior leadership team for the IPWBL during phase one will consist of:
- Head of Professional and Work-based Learning (Ruth Eccles)
- Academic Director for Degree Apprenticeships (Professor Jonathan Tallant)
- Head of Operations (to be recruited)
This team will be tasked with actioning the new skills strategy, initially concentrating on the university’s degree apprenticeship provision and working to establish centralised governance and procedures for CPD and skills development across the university.
Tags: Institute for Professional and work-based Learning, skills, Skills strategy
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Policy and Civic Impact Programmes open for applications
October 3rd, 2023
Applications are now open for the Institute of Policy and Engagement’s Institute Academy programmes for the academic year 2023-24.
These programmes are your opportunity to access individualised training and support to develop your skills, knowledge and experience in order to achieve policy impact or civic engagement with your research.
Following the successful introduction of the Institute’s Policy Impact Pathways Programme and Policy Impact Accelerator Programme last year, both programmes will run again in 2023-24. They will be joined by a new pilot programme, the Civic Impact Champions programme.
Each programme is available to researchers in any UoN faculty. There are five places available on each of these three programmes, which will be decided via a competitive applications process.
Policy Impact Pathways Programme (PIPP)
The PIPP is our programme for early career researchers wanting to take a first step into engaging policy makers with their research. This programme may be for you if you are interested in policy impact and have some idea of how your work might be relevant to policy makers, but you have yet to make a start on engaging with policy.
Policy Impact Accelerator Programme (PIAP)
The PIAP is aimed at mid-career researchers, or those who have already started to engage with policy partners in some way. This programme may be for you if you have started to develop relationships in the policy space or have taken your first steps into the policy impact world, but would benefit from a structured programme of support to help you develop your skills, knowledge and confidence.
Civic Impact Champions Programme (CICP)
The CICP is aimed at researchers at all career levels, who have some experience of engaging with external partners and/or the public on research projects. This programme may be for you if you have an interest in responding to local need, want to develop your skills in partnership working and are looking to increase your knowledge of local government structures. If you are looking for seed funding and assistance in building networks outside the university then consider applying.
In addition to the three competitive programmes, the Institute will also be able to offer bespoke support to academics who are working on high potential policy impact or public engagement initiatives, and who would benefit from specific support beyond what is available in their self-service training offer.
This support will be available by agreement with faculties, so if you are interested in this, please contact your faculty impact team in the first instance.
For more information on the various programmes, please see the FAQs document and a more detailed breakdown of each programme, which are linked above.
How to apply
The deadline for applications for the three competitive programmes is Friday 27 October 2023.
To apply, please complete the relevant application form using the links below, ensuring you have a letter of support from your school before submitting.
If you have any questions before submitting your application, please contact us on theinstitute@nottingham.ac.uk.
Tags: Institute for Policy and Engagement, Policy and Civic impact, programmes for researchers
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Welcome to Professor Tom Rodden, new Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange
October 3rd, 2023
Professor Tom Rodden is the university’s new Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange. He takes up the role from 2 October 2023.
Professor Rodden is a Professor of Computer Science in the Faculty of Science and had been working at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport as its Chief Scientific Adviser.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Shearer West said: “I am delighted to welcome Tom as our Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange. His many roles in research leadership across his impressive career, alongside his work in, and knowledge of, government will prove invaluable.”
“Recent results from the 2023 Knowledge Exchange Framework have reconfirmed Nottingham’s excellence in knowledge exchange and the vital role we play supporting innovation, addressing global challenges, and driving local economic growth.”
“We placed 7th in the UK for research power in results for REF202I and Tom will build on these achievements and lead preparations towards the next Research Excellence Framework. I look forward to Tom working with our community to enhance further our research quality and performance and strengthen our commitment to the sharing of knowledge.”
Professor Rodden takes over from Professor Sam Kingman, who served as Interim Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange.
Professor Rodden sits on the University Executive Board and has responsibility for the university’s research portfolio, implementing the Research Strategy, which aims to transform our research quality, performance and culture and ensure it is robust and truly reflective of our whole community.
He also chairs the university’s Research Excellence Framework (REF) Steering Group, leading its post-REF2021 review to lay the foundations in preparing for the next REF exercise, as well as chairing the Research and Knowledge Exchange Committee and Nottingham Technology Ventures, which manages the university’s portfolio of spinout companies.
Professor Rodden, who joined Nottingham in 2001 from Lancaster University, said:
“I am privileged to take up this important, exciting and challenging role at the University of Nottingham and building upon the achievements of my predecessor, Professor Dame Jessica Corner, and Professors Neil Crout and Sam Kingman, who maintained our progress while serving as interim Pro-Vice-Chancellors for Research and Knowledge Exchange.
“I look forward to working with colleagues from across the university as together we strengthen a culture of excellence to support the delivery of innovative solutions to key challenges and make a real difference to people’s lives.”
Professor Rodden will be supported by Professor Sarah Metcalfe, who will be taking up the role of Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange in January 2024 once her interim appointment as Provost for the University of Nottingham in Malaysia concludes.
As Chief Scientific Adviser for the Department for Culture Media and Sport from January 2019 to September 2023, Professor Rodden advised ministers and senior officials, ensuring government policies were supported by the best science and technology advice available, and supporting effective communication between government, academia and industry. He providing scientific lead for a range of government digital strategies, including the Events Research Programme during the Covid pandemic, in which 37 large-scale pilot events attended by over five million people were monitored, leading to the safe easing of national restrictions.
He served as Deputy Chief Executive of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) from April 2016 to April 2018 and Deputy Executive Chair between April 2018 and January 2019, with responsibility for research strategy, acting as the UK Research and Innovation lead in both Artificial Intelligence (AI) and e-Infrastructure.
He is a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, a fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery, a fellow of the British Computer Society and a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences.
Professor Rodden’s research is highly interdisciplinary. By better integration of computer, digital and data science with the social sciences and humanities, he seeks to enhance understanding of the impact of novel digital technologies on our lives and the social, ethical and technical challenges presented by the prevalence of personal data and emerging AI technologies.
He is a leading member of the Mixed Reality Lab, an interdisciplinary research facility and creative studio that is home to a team of more than 70 researchers and media artists with strong links to the creative and cultural industries.
He founded and previously co-directed Horizon Digital Economy Research, an RCUK-funded institute that brings together academic, commercial, public and third sector partners to shape the digital economy of tomorrow. Horizon provides solutions to societal challenges such as keeping young people safe online and ethical use of personal data, while helping policymakers keep pace with and anticipate digital innovations.
As Director of the EPSRC Equator Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration, Professor Rodden and colleagues showcased some of the first applications of mobile technologies to support tourism and worked with leading art groups to produce innovative, award-winning media performances.
He has authored over 300 articles, ranging from distributed systems to novel interdisciplinary design methods. His work has helped shaped the interdisciplinary fields of Human Computer Interaction (HCI), Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW), Ubiquitous Computing and Interaction with Smart Environments.
Tags: Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange, Professor Tom Rodden
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Signing off with news of excellent Knowledge Exchange Framework results
October 3rd, 2023
Professor Sam Kingman’s research update
Welcome to my final update as Interim Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange. Thank you for your support and goodwill during my time in this interim role.
I’m delighted to sign off with excellent Knowledge Exchange Framework results and a strong round-up of support and opportunities for our research community.
I hand over to Professor Tom Rodden. Tom is a Professor of Computer Science at the university and had been working at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport as its Chief Scientific Adviser.
As Pro-Vice-Chancellor for the Faculty of Engineering, I look forward to working with Tom and supporting him in delivery of the university’s research strategy and enhancing support of our researchers.
Thanks and farewell to Research & Innovation’s Pip Peakman as further support for researchers is rolled out
Research and Innovation (R&I) is rolling out further improvements and enhanced programmes designed to improve the researcher experience and strengthen support throughout the research project lifecycle.
Its latest programme has focused on delivering faster sign-off of research contracts, which are fundamental to getting collaborative projects off the ground and releasing funding.
This progress has been achieved as part of the R&I Roadmap which was delivered under the leadership of R&I Director Pip Peakman, who has left the university.
Over the past four years Pip has overseen the transition of Research and Innovation to a new operating structure, which has strengthened support to academics and allowed R&I to be more agile in anticipating and seizing funding opportunities.
Researcher Academy unveils new training programmes and bids farewell to champion of research culture
The Researcher Academy is set to release its new training and development programmes for researchers across the university.
The news comes as we say farewell to Professor Lucy Donaldson, who, as Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor for the Researcher Academy and Researcher Career Development, has played a key role in building a positive research culture. Lucy has brought such positivity to her role and has enabled researchers to work together and take ownership of change.
The academy’s training for the new academic year will be released for booking on 10 October.
Please visit the SharePoint Training Hub to view the courses in Researcher Fundamentals and to book a place on a thematic programme.
Thank you for your support
Thank you for your support and goodwill during my time in this role. I’m delighted to sign-off with a strong round-up of support and opportunities for our research community.
Best wishes
Sam
Professor Sam Kingman
Interim Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange
Read Professor Kingman’s full update
Tags: Professor Sam Kingman, research update
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