Campus News
£23.3m research funding means new treatments will be developed faster in Nottingham
October 14th, 2022
£23.3m investment in world-leading in research in Nottingham has been announced today (14 October 2022).
The funding, awarded by the National Institute for Health & Social Care Research (NIHR), will mean the development of new treatments for common illnesses like asthma, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, depression and arthritis will be accelerated through the NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre over the next five years.
Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Executive of the NIHR, said: “Research by NIHR Biomedical Research Centres has led to a number of ground-breaking new treatments, such as new gene therapies for haemophilia and motor neurone disease, the world-first treatment for Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, a nose-drop vaccine for whooping cough, and the first UK-wide study into the long-term impact of COVID-19.
“This latest round of funding recognises the strength of expertise underpinning health and care research across the country and gives our nation’s best researchers more opportunities to develop innovative new treatments for patients.”
Professor Ian Hall, Director of the NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Professor of Molecular Medicine at the University of Nottingham, and a Respiratory Physician at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, explains how this funding will support vital new developments in treatments and medical technology for use in the NHS: “This is excellent news for our patients and for every patient living with some of the most common, but also the most debilitating health conditions in the UK today.
“In the last five years the research done by the NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre has led to breakthrough treatments and diagnostics including our significant contributions to both COVID-19 and Long Covid research.
“This funding means that we will be able to find new solutions for people whose quality of life and life expectancy is significantly reduced by the impacts of mental health, respiratory, gastrointestinal, liver and musculoskeletal conditions as well as hearing loss. It will also significantly contribute to the development of Magnetic Resonance Imaging technologies for health, which is a cornerstone of our research programme in Nottingham”
The NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) is led by internationally renowned scientists, researchers and clinicians from Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and the University of Nottingham, together with expertise from Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and a number of NHS and academic partners across the East Midlands.
First established in 2017, the role of the Nottingham BRC is to take discoveries from scientists in Nottingham, and other, world-leading universities, and develop them into new drugs and medical technologies to improve patient care. Since its launch, researchers from the NIHR Nottingham BRC have published over 3,000 papers and helped build the research community of the future by supporting around 400 trainees. As well as the funding awarded by the NIHR, the Nottingham BRC has also brought in a further £182m of external funding to support research undertaken by its research teams in the last five years.
The NIHR Nottingham BRC focuses on health problems where there is the greatest international, national, and local need, where the city of Nottingham is already leading the world in research. Today’s funding will support research for the next five years in the following areas:
- respiratory disease;
- gastrointestinal and liver disease;
- hearing;
- mental health and technology;
- musculoskeletal, trauma, surgery and rehabilitation; and
- magnetic resonance and precision imaging.
The new funding will start in December 2022 and will be used in a five-year research programme taking place up to 2027.
Full details of the new research will be launched at the NIHR Nottingham BRC Conference on Thursday 17 November 2022. Reservations for the Conference are open now.
Tags: enzyme research, resear
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Play your part in shaping your workplace
October 14th, 2022
Colleagues at levels 1-3 are being called on to play a part in the decision-making processes of the university and help shape the policies and procedures that impact our working environment.
New staff representative are sought for membership to non-union seats on the Consultative Committee for Support staff. The role begins immediately and runs to 30 September 2025.
The Consultative Committee for Support Staff provides a forum for communication, consultation and discussion between the university and support staff representatives regarding university policies, current issues and future developments.
This includes general issues regarding working conditions, training and welfare of support staff. Issues will normally be raised through the appropriate university channels prior to it being raised at the Consultative Committee.
The Committee reports to People & HR Committee, a sub-committee of the University Executive Board.
Visit our workspace for more information about the role. You can also access the nomination form there.
To be eligible for nomination, you must not be a trade union representative or official, but may be a trade union member. Individuals nominated must be working within the constituencies they would serve.
A full list of constituencies and the areas they serve is available on the workspace. They must be proposed and seconded by members of staff from the same staff group who are also working in that constituency.
A commitment of around ten hours a year is expected for the role.
The deadline for nominations is 12noon on Friday 28 October 2022. Consider nominating yourself or your colleagues using the online nomination form.
Director of HR Jaspal Kaur said: “The Consultative Committee for Support Staff provides valuable insight, comment and discussion of the university’s key policies and processes.
The committee is an essential part of our change and continual improvement, and I urge staff at levels 1-3 to find out more and consider nominating themselves or their colleagues.”
Tags: Consultative Committee for Support Staff, Staff feedback, support for staff
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Key Travel update: Ryanair flights to be removed
October 13th, 2022
The university has made the decision to remove Ryanair flights from the Key Travel service with effect from Monday 10 October 2022.
Since the pandemic, Ryanair has changed its distribution model, blocking third-party access to book flights by Online Travel Agents (OTAs).
Therefore we have taken the decision to pause bookings with Ryanair while Key Travel work with them to help find a solution. We will update people accordingly if the situation changes.
This change has also affected Travel Management Company (TMC) bookings (with Key Travel being the university’s TMC), causing a significant amount of booking failures.
The change also impacts on all post-ticketing actions, such as adding bags and seats. These can now only be made online direct through Ryanair by the passenger.
Can I still book Ryanair flights?
Yes, but a dispensation form is required to be completed. To request the form, please contact the Travel Team, letting them know that you wish to make a booking with Ryanair.
The form needs to be completed before a booking is made and will record the details of non-Key Travel bookings. This will allow the Operational Resilience Team at the university to locate and support travellers in times of need.
People can claim reimbursement of Ryanair flights via Concur expenses under the expense type, ‘Airfare’.
Any existing bookings with Ryanair made via Key Travel are still in place and not affected by the change above.
Tags: Flights, Key Travel, Ryanair, travel
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Recognition for East Midlands fundraiser of the year
October 13th, 2022
Emma Pearson, a fundraiser in the Campaign and Alumni Relations Office (CARO), has been recognised as East Midlands Fundraiser of the Year in this year’s Chartered Institute of Fundraising (CIOF) awards.
Following nomination by colleagues in the Philanthropy Team – who sit within CARO – Emma, Senior Development Manager for the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, was shortlisted, and subsequently chosen as winner in an event held on Thursday 29 September.
Emma’s nomination was supported by the following statement:
“Emma has many skills and attributes, that she often doesn’t recognise, but it is her personable manner, tenacity and determination that make her a great fundraiser. She engages directly with the projects she endeavours to support, making possible the installation of the Intra Operative MRI Scanner at Queen’s Medical Centre, for use by the Children’s Brain Tumour Research Centre.
She talks passionately and eloquently about the impact donors can make, matching their interests with the work of the university and in particular the Medical School. As a colleague, she is an inspiration and pleasure to work with. She is always there for others, thinking through difficult conversations and asks, finding solutions, identifying the right prospects to talk to and does so with complete professionalism.
Emma Pearson with the CIOF East Midlands Fundraiser of the Year award
Her sense of humour is also a great asset that makes her a wonderful member of the team. Emma has cultivated long term relationships in her 20 years at Nottingham, with both prospects and internal connections. These personal interactions drive and engage her with the causes she works to raise funds for.
Emma is very much about people, and people who want to make a difference for others. All of these attributes have enabled her to raise over £1million in the past year. Whether capital or research projects, the world is a better place for so many people because of Emma, and our whole team feel privileged to count her as a colleague.”
From the shortlisted entries, the panel of judges were unanimous in their decision to present the award to Emma.
The recognition of Emma’s work is a boost for the fundraising team and for partners across the university.
This award galvanises and celebrates the team’s efforts and achievements in research, the creation of improved teaching facilities and provision of scholarships.
The CIOF is the professional membership body for UK fundraising, supporting fundraising by promoting excellence throughout all areas. Find out more here.
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Nottingham improves world ranking
October 12th, 2022
The University of Nottingham has been ranked among the best in the world.
Nottingham has jumped an impressive 11 places to position 130 according to the Times Higher Education World University Ranking 2023, the highest position for almost a decade. It also maintains its position as 18th in the UK.
Analysis of the rankings indicate that the University’s position in the last few years has been enhanced by influential research into Covid, as well as improvements in highly cited research, income from industry and proportion of International Staff and students.
Dr Paul Greatrix, Registrar at the University of Nottingham said: “The latest league table confirms our status as a world-leading, globally connected, university.
“We are incredibly proud of the research that our colleagues have carried out during the Covid pandemic. From work into finding a vaccine to rebuilding business resilience, from looking at the underlying causes and risks that exacerbate Covid in some people to analysing its impact on the television industry we had research from all corners of the university demonstrating our breadth and world-changing impact.
“Alongside our academic reputation, this demonstrates the full-rounded experience we provide for our students. We unlock potential and encourage students and staff to transform the world around them.”
THE World University Rankings assess more than 1,600 institutions across 99 countries to produce the tables using 13 performance indicators which are grouped into five areas: Teaching (the learning environment); Research (volume, income and reputation); Citations (research influence); International outlook (staff, students and research); and Industry income (knowledge transfer).
The rankings can be viewed in full at https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings.
Tags: Times Higher Education, Times Higher Education World University Ranking 2023, World University Ranking
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Free Mandarin course for beginners
October 10th, 2022
The Nottingham Confucius Institute is offering a free three-week taster Mandarin language course.
The course will introduce you to basic Mandarin and give you an insight into Chinese society and culture.
Classes are offered both in-person and online for three consecutive weeks on the following dates:
- Tuesday 1, 8 and 15 November
5.15-6pm
In-person - Thursday 3, 10 and 17 November
12.30-1.15pm
Online
Registration closes at 12 noon on Friday 28 October. Places are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
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HR recruitment campaign photography – register your interest
October 6th, 2022
The university is seeking staff volunteers to be featured in a portfolio of photographic images to support our staff recruitment campaigns and build our recruitment brand.
We aspire to create an environment which celebrates and values diversity and are committed to attracting, recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce.
Our aim is to gather imagery that will best represent the university, promote our benefits, spaces, and support our attraction and inclusion aims to encourage applications from all sections of the local and global community.
To support this aspiration we are looking to produce a bank of images which will show the diversity of roles and careers available at the university, and to attract a wide and diverse range of applicants to come and work with us.
Shots will be natural and feature a range of working environments and locations, including University Park, Jubilee campus and Sutton Bonington.
We intend to cover all job families across three days of photography towards the end of October.
This will require one hour of a staff members time on the day of shooting, and we will work with individuals to plan time slots and locations once we have details of interested parties.
Please complete the form below to register your interest in appearing in our recruitment campaign photos.
Your answers will be treated in the strictest confidence, and all data disclosed will comply with GDPR 2018.
If you are interested, please fill out this short form.
Tags: HR, Staff photos
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Getting to know our new Digital Core processes
October 6th, 2022
Over the past few months the Digital Core project team have been busy getting to understand the new processes that the university’s new HR, Finance and Procurement IT system will support.
The new self-service system is expected to be rolled out at the university during Q1 2024. This will allow us all to access HR, Finance and Procurement services from one place. We can look forward to the new system being modern, reliable, secure and fully integrated. It will replace 47 separate dated systems that we currently use.
The implementation partner for the Digital Core project is Mastek (previously known as Evosys). Members of staff from Mastek have now joined the project team at King’s Meadow Campus and have been running 71 implementation workshops since June. 49 colleagues from various departments have taken part in workshops relating to their areas of expertise.
Daniel Lang from the Procurement team said: “I am really pleased with how the workshops are going. We have built a strong rapport with the Mastek team which has helped to keep the conversations open and honest, and we are moving forward at pace.”
In the workshops the team explained how current HR, Finance and Procurement processes work at the university and they were given an initial demonstration of the new system. The workshops have resulted in the project team identifying decisions that need to be made and actions that will be completed to ensure the system is ready for use at the university. The team are now working through these.
Colleagues in each faculty/department have been recording the organisational structure for their areas. Over the coming weeks, this structure will be input into the new system for further demonstrations.
“I am very much looking forward to the more detailed demonstrations with real-life university data. This will allow us to see how the solution is shaping up and what decisions will need to be made to deliver the best we can for our colleagues,” highlights Daniel.
We are pleased to advise that a dedicated Change team has now joined the Digital Core project. Colleagues from this team will work closely with each faculty and department to help build relationships, set clear expectations and provide support as we move towards using the new system. The team are excited to be working with you and they are currently identifying the best ways to engage with each area and from when.
Work is also currently underway to brief the owners of IT systems that will send data to, or receive data from, the new HR, Finance and Procurement system (integrations). Dates are being confirmed for when system owners will be asked to test a mock-up integration ahead of the go-live date. This will play a key role in ensuring IT systems will continue to send and receive data as they do today.
If you have any questions about the Digital Core project, please join the Digital Core virtual drop-in session taking place on Thursday 20 October 2022, 11am to 12 noon. This is an informal opportunity for you to find out more about the project and ask any questions that you may have.
Use this link to register for the session – you will receive a calendar invite after you register.
For further information, please visit the Digital Core SharePoint site or email digitalcore@nottingham.ac.uk.
Tags: Digital Core, Digital core implementation, Digital Core Project
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Cut the cost of your commute with Liftshare scheme
October 5th, 2022
With fuel and the cost of living at an all-time high, the university is reminding colleagues that the University of Nottingham Liftshare community is available for people to take advantage of.
With 481 employees already signed up, you can use the platform to connect with nearby colleagues to help cut the costs of your commute.
Why Liftshare with the university?
There are many reasons to try out the Liftshare scheme, including:
- Instantly cutting the cost of your commute in half by sharing your journey
- Creating a sustainable future and reducing your carbon footprint
- Reconnecting with colleagues on the return to campus
How do I Liftshare?
- Join uon.liftshare.com
- Add a journey to your account
- search for a Liftshare teammate
- if you find a suitable match, send a request to share
- Once the request is accepted, you have formed a Liftshare Team
- Download the free Liftshare app (Android / Apple)
Connect with your colleagues, form a team and begin cutting your commute costs!
Sign up to UoN Liftshare today.
You can find a helpful list of FAQs about the scheme for more information or contact the Sustainability team with any questions.
Tags: Car share, carbon reduction, commute, Lift share, Liftshare, net zero, staff travel, sustainability, travel
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Changes to library opening hours for 22/23 academic year
October 5th, 2022
Three of the university’s libraries will be open 24 hours, seven days a week, starting from Monday 31 October 2022.
Last academic year, six libraries were open until 2am (Sunday – Thursday) for the majority of term time, but we received significant feedback from students asking for the return of 24-hour access for both late night and early morning access.
Following a survey of library users last academic year and a review of current opening hours and usage data, UoN Libraries are happy to confirm that 24-7 term-time opening hours will be returning this academic year in three libraries.
New opening hours
The following libraries will be open 24 hours, seven days a week throughout most of the autumn, spring and summer terms:
- George Green Library, University Park
- Djanogly Learning Resource Centre, Jubilee Campus
- James Cameron-Gifford, Sutton Bonington
George Green and Djanogly Learning Resource Centre will start 24/7 from Monday 31 October 2022, with James Cameron-Gifford starting on Monday 10 October 2022.
Our other libraries will be open term time hours. Find the latest opening hours on the Libraries website.
The three 24/7 libraries have been selected based on their size, location and facilities. These changes will provide staff and students with extended access to library space on each campus whilst also considering factors such as sustainability and usage.
George Green Library is a short walk from both Hallward and Greenfield Medical libraries and has high-performance computers as well as a postgraduate-only floor and calm space, making the most of the available space for students at all levels.
James Cameron-Gifford has been recently refurbished on B floor with new Group Study tables and lounge chairs, freshly painted walls and new artwork that depicts the beautiful scenery on Sutton Bonington campus.
Libraries offer a range of services to support students with accessing print resources from all library locations, including Click and Collect and providing scans of sections of material by email for personal use.
If you need to access resources but aren’t sure how to do this, you can ask any member of Library staff wearing a blue lanyard or get in touch by phone, email, live chat or social media.
Tags: campus libraries, Djanogly Learning Resource Centre, George Green Library, James Cameron-Gifford Library, Libraries, library, UoN Libraries
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