Campus News
New booking system for Professional Services hubs
April 1st, 2022
To support the university’s move towards agile working within the Professional Service Hubs, a new desk booking system has been introduced.
The system has been designed to enable individuals and team leaders to book desks, in the right place at the right time. The key features of the system are:
- Real-time desk availability
- Group desk bookings by team leaders
- Repeat bookings (within the approved criteria)
- Searchable by date, time, location and desk type
- Ability to locate colleagues
- Inclusion of the team zones
The system has been piloted in the Life Sciences Hub, so if you’ve booked a desk there previously you’ll have already used it.
The new booking system will be live across all PS hubs on Wednesday 20 April 2022.
Instructions on how to sign in and set up your account in the new system are available on the space management and planning pages.
Tags: booking system, professional services, professional services hub, professional services hubs, room booking, room booking system
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New deal agreed with Elsevier
April 1st, 2022
Over the last 12 months, UK Universities have been working with Jisc to negotiate a new deal with Elsevier. The aim was to reduce subscription costs and to provide full and immediate open access to UK research.
On 23 March 2022, a new three-year contract was agreed. The deal, which is the world’s largest open access deal with Elsevier, has successfully secured a cost reduction for the entire UK sector. Subscription costs have been reduced to sustainable levels, whilst supporting a transition to full and immediate open access publishing in Elsevier, Cell Press and The Lancet journals.
The Elsevier agreement in context
Over 50% of all UK research output is now covered by a Jisc-negotiated transitional agreement, and more information on how these are achieved is available on the Jisc website.
This deal marks an exciting development in the ways the sector can come together to negotiate open access agreements with publishers, from large and small commercials to not-for-profit societies.
What does this mean for University of Nottingham authors?
Authors will see some changes to how you publish in Elsevier journals.
Subscription journals – Authors have the option to publish open access without paying separate article processing charges (APCs).
Fully open access journals – An APC still applies but it will be discounted. A price cap also applies to the annual increment some of those journals can charge on those APCs.
Josh Sendall, Associate Director for Research, at UoN Libraries said:
“This is a positive outcome and a significant step towards making our research freely and openly available.
“Reaching this result took significant and sustained planning and negotiations – it demonstrates that when we work together as one sector, we can achieve our goals.”
For more details on publishing, visit the Libraries Transformative Agreements webpage.
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Redefining the print service for the future
March 31st, 2022
Printing at the university has changed significantly over the last two years – our data shows that there has been less than a quarter of ‘normal’ printing usage since before Covid-19 (resulting in an 82% drop in volumes).
Although students and staff are now returning to campus, print volumes have reduced and plateaued.
We know that working patterns for all users and demands on services have changed over the past two years. Increasingly, the adoption of hybrid working has been a forerunner to more agile approaches.
The print service will need to continue to evolve too. In response to this and the university’s commitment to both agile working and sustainability now is the right time to review and redefine the managed print service in collaboration with our new Digital Partner.
Seeking user feedback
We are asking you for feedback on the current service and your future needs – this could be enhanced digital services.
As a reminder, the service we currently offer includes:
- A4/A3 printing (including mobile printing)
- Wide format (A0, A1 and A2) printing
- Copying
- Scanning to OneDrive / Email
We would love to hear your views on the future of the service – so please take some time to fill in this survey by the end of Thursday 21 April 2022. Your views will inform how the service shapes up and the services offered.
In addition, a new User Advisory Print Board is being set up and will be sponsored by the university’s Development and Sustainability Director, Andy Nolan.
The new board will help advise on the future direction of print solutions. There will be further communications later in the year as your feedback is reviewed.
Tags: print, print service, printing, University Print Service
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Ending links with Russia universities – guidance for researchers
March 31st, 2022
Update from Professor Dame Jessica Corner
Following Vice-Chancellor Professor Shearer West’s announcement on ending all formal links with universities in Russia, colleagues in Research and Innovation have produced guidance for researchers and teams who may be affected by this decision.
It includes advice and support on ending current research projects, bilateral agreements, memoranda of understanding and any projects under development with partners in Russia.
While academic links between universities can be vital in promoting peace and understanding, we felt compelled to act following a statement by the Russian Rector’s Union offering its universities’ unequivocal support for the invasion of Ukraine. You can read a translation here.
I appreciate that this decision may cause disruption to individual programmes and academics, for which I am deeply sorry. But I hope that you will understand why we must act. We will ensure that this action causes the least disruption possible to the academics and students concerned, and will make alternative arrangements to enable their scholarship and study to continue.
REF2021: who should we thank?
We would like to celebrate colleagues from across the university whose contribution to delivering our REF2021 submission may otherwise go unnoticed.
Please use this form so we can share their stories with our community. These could be technicians, postgraduate research students who supported your research or REF-related activity; APM staff who went the extra mile or academic colleagues who took on extra admin or teaching responsibilities so you could finalise your impact case study.
Looking ahead to REF2021 results
The results of REF2021 are published on 12 May 2022 and colleagues who supported our submission to Research England are busy preparing for this milestone.
This includes how we will share the results to our university community and most effectively communicate these to our partners and the wider world.
We are drawing together guidance by university, faculty and school – as well as how we will benchmark our performance as an institution.
Read Dame Jessica’s full update
Tags: professor dame jessica corner, REF, research, research update
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Preparing for Digital Core project implementation
March 29th, 2022
The Digital Core project team have commenced work to gain a more detailed understanding of current systems, processes and data that will be affected by the introduction of a new HR, Finance and Procurement software solution. They will also start preparing colleagues for the changes that the new solution will bring.
We can look forward to the Digital Core project bringing a standardised and improved way in which we all engage with HR, Finance and Procurement services, through a new underlying Oracle software solution. Currently there are multiple, inconsistent processes and many outdated systems that do not integrate well. Pending Council approval, Evosys has been selected as the implementation partner that will deliver the new software solution.
Work has commenced in various areas to allow the project team to gain detailed insight into our current ways of working and to start early engagement with key stakeholders:
- You will soon be able to register your interest to volunteer as a Digital Core Change Champion for your department. A network of Change Champions from across the university will work with the project team to learn about the new software solution, help shape the rollout of it and prepare the university for the changes that the rollout will bring. This exciting opportunity will allow you to learn new skills, improve your development, feed into your ADC, meet new colleagues and support your teams as they start using the new solution. Further information about this opportunity will be shared with you soon.
- The project team will start to reach out to owners of the 42 systems that are in-scope for being replaced through Digital Core to better understand the implications and impact involved. Input and guidance will be sought from system owners throughout the implementation of the new solution.
- Similarly, the project team will be approaching the owners of approximately 125 identified systems that will require data feeds running from/to the new software solution (integrations). This will allow the team to gain a better understanding of the data flow requirements for the new system.
- Analysis work has commenced on our existing data. The project team are assessing the quality of our data and will ensure they can identify and define the single true source of data that should be used in the new system.
- A workstream has also commenced to map our organisational structure (hierarchy). This will be essential for the new system to ensure we can build HR, Finance and Procurement processes and approvals based on our hierarchy design.
The project team will be working collaboratively with relevant colleagues to gain a better understanding of the detail within each workstream. If you are approached for the expertise that you have in a specific area, your input and support will be greatly appreciated as it will be paramount to the success of this implementation. You will also help us be better prepared when we start working with our implementation partner, which is expected to be in June.
For further information, please view the Digital Core SharePoint site or email digitalcore@nottingham.ac.uk.
Tags: Digital Core, Digital core implementation, Digital Core Project
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Cascade: up to £10,000 for student projects
March 29th, 2022
Staff and current students can apply for up to £10,000 to fund projects that benefit the student experience.
The Cascade funding programme gives staff and current students the opportunity to apply for up to £10,000 in funding for projects that benefit the overall student experience.
Cascade projects may be academic, pastoral or extracurricular, but they must directly enhance the student experience and cascade the positive impact the student community can create.
The programme uses donations from alumni and friends of the university, and has gifted over £1 million to more than 120 projects since 2007. Previous funding has supported student-led initiatives such as Community First Responders, Liter of Light, Global Buddy Scheme and Foodprint.
Of special interest to the programme are projects that:
- Connect campuses and communities
- Encourage creativity and innovation
- Enhance teaching and learning experiences
- Promote environmental sustainability
- Advocate for global citizenship
- Promote healthy bodies and healthy minds
How to apply
To apply, please send the following information by email to cascade@nottingham.ac.uk.
- Full name
- Email address
- Name of project
- Brief description of the project
Following this, a member of the team will be in touch.
You may find it helpful to read What makes a good application before applying.
The deadline for expression of interest is Monday 9 May 2022.
The deadline for applications is Sunday 15 May 2022.
If you would like more information, please email cascade@nottingham.ac.uk.
Future applications
The Cascade Grants Programme runs three rounds per year. The first round for the academic year 2022-2023 will be advertised at the end of September 2022.
Tags: Cascade funding, student experience
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VC staff surgeries: Tuesday 12 April, 3pm–4pm
March 29th, 2022
The next set of ‘staff surgery’ sessions are now available for colleagues to discuss any issue with Vice-Chancellor Professor Shearer West, on Tuesday 12 April 2022, from 3pm – 4pm.
Booking your session
To register for a session, please email BA-VC-Surgery@exmail.nottingham.ac.uk with your preferred date from the list below and a brief agenda for the meeting.
Places are offered on a first-come, first-served basis, so colleagues are encouraged to book early. You will be contacted within two working days of your request confirming the date and time.
Further surgery sessions are available on:
- Tuesday 24 May, 09:00 – 10:00
- Thursday 16 June, 09:00 -10:00
- Tuesday 19 July, 14:00 – 15:00
Further information is available at VC Staff Surgery. Conversations will usually be held in-person, although can be arranged via Teams if preferred.
Tags: Professor Shearer West, VC Surgeries, VC surgery, Vice-Chancellor Professor Shearer West, Vice-Chancellor Surgeries
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New streamlined university travel risk assessment process
March 29th, 2022
As an outcome of a Rapid Improvement Event recently undertaken involving members of the Travel Management Committee and Faculty-based staff and supported by the Getting in Shape team, the university has now rolled out a new streamlined Travel Risk Assessment process.
This new process has been put in place to reduce administrative requirements for travellers undertaking Low Risk trips.
Main changes to the new process include:
- Trips that are identified as Low Risk in the categories of ‘country’ (or are within the UK), as well as ‘activity’ and ‘individual’, and can be covered by the university’s Generic Travel Risk Assessment, need no additional Risk Assessment documentation to be completed. Once the Low Risk nature of the trip has been identified, the travel can immediately be booked through Key Travel. The traveller or booker must confirm this Low Risk categorisation of the trip in the ‘Pre-booking checklist’ when booking in Key Travel, along with confirmation that the relevant manager approval and insurance checks are in place.
- For trips to countries identified as Moderate, High or Severe Risk, or are considered Medium or High Risk in the ‘activity’ or ‘individual’ categories, then a Specific Travel Risk Assessment needs to be completed, signed off by Head of School or equivalent, and submitted to BR-TravelRiskAssess@exmail.nottingham.ac.uk. In cases of Moderate and Medium Risk, upon submission of the Risk Assessment, the travel can then be booked through Key Travel – no additional confirmation or approval is required.
- If the country is classified as High or Severe or the trip is considered a High Risk in either ‘activity’ or ‘individual’ categories, the Risk Assessment will then need to be authorised by the Registrar. This will be actioned by the Operational Resilience Team on receipt of the fully completed and approved Travel Risk Assessment. The outcome of this final approval stage will then be confirmed to the traveller or booker via email.
- Faculty PVC or PS Director sign-off is no longer required for any travel.
It is a university requirement that all staff/PGR student travel should be booked via the Key Travel system. If there are any exceptional circumstances, meaning that all or some of the travel cannot be booked through Key Travel, approval must be requested from the Travel team at travel@nottingham.ac.uk before any travel is booked.
Please also note that the UoN Insurance checklist should still be reviewed before booking travel. If the trip does not comply with the insurance criteria outlined, the Insurance team must be contacted at insurance@nottingham.ac.uk to see if travel insurance can be arranged.
Full details of the new process can be found in the university’s Travel Guidance Document located on the Travel and Expenses workspace.
Tags: risk assessment, travel, Travel and expenses, Travel guidance, travel insurance
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University tops medal charts at BUCS Big Wednesday ’22
March 28th, 2022
The University of Nottingham topped the medal charts with 14 titles and retained their spot at the top of the university sport standings at this year’s BUCS Big Wednesday.
BUCS and UoN were delighted to welcome coaches, athletes and supporters from across the UK to the David Ross Sports Village.
The event is the pinnacle of the BUCS calendar and yesterday’s activities saw over 100 teams, competing in championship and trophy finals, descend on the University of Nottingham for one day of sporting excellence, where over 100 student volunteers, officials and BUCS staff delivered a truly memorable athlete experience.
The event included the introduction of two new sports this year, with American Football and Wheelchair Basketball being added to the occasion. University of Nottingham made both Championship finals, with American Football losing agonisingly against UWE having led with 10 seconds to spare. Meanwhile, Nottingham’s Wheelchair Basketball secured the first ever BUCS National title with a 66-40 victory over Cardiff Met.
The BUCS league programme sees 100,000 students each year take part in competitions in some 3,500 teams across 600 leagues, making it the biggest student sporting programme in Europe.
Hosted by the University for the third time, the event took place in six hub venues in the city, including the £40m David Ross Sports Village on University Park campus, Jubilee Sports Centre, Nottingham Tennis Centre, Beeston Hockey and Basford United. The event drew bumper crowds with many events sold-out and live streamed matches receiving record viewing figures meaning that the event was the biggest to ever be delivered.
The event was also the greenest ever, with the University of Nottingham making a commitment to offset the collective carbon emissions from travel to the event via the planting of around 800 trees, which equate to approximately 20 tons of carbon. Practical measures were also put in place to reduce waste and all athlete match teas were vegetarian, with all catering providers serving meals with recyclable containers/cutlery only.
University of Nottingham Sports Office, Amba Gooden commented:
“Welcoming the best student-athletes in the country to our city has been a real privilege. I am incredibly proud of our teams and this was such an incredible event to host here in Nottingham. Win-or-lose we gave it everything a huge congratulations to our newly crowned National Champions in 8 sports!”
For the full written reports from the day, please visit the University of Nottingham Sport website.
University of Nottingham Sport – BUCS Big Wednesday 2022 results
The University of Nottingham — with 22 teams competing in the finals, with 14 of those in the Championship competition — made the most of the home advantage and the huge Green and Gold crowd got behind them secure 14 titles including 8 in the Championship and 6 in the Trophy).
- Men’s Badminton Championship Winners
- Women’s Lacrosse Championship Winners
- Women’s Squash Championship Winners
- Men’s Table Tennis Championship Winners
- Women’s Table Tennis Championship Winners
- Men’s Volleyball Championship Winners
- Mixed Wheelchair BB Championship Winners
- Men’s Badminton Trophy Winners
- Women’s Hockey Championship Winners
- Men’s Rugby Union Vase Winners
- Women’s Table Tennis Trophy Winners
- Women’s Tennis Trophy Winners
Highlights included an historic Championship gold for the Women’s Lacrosse squad, who dictated their final winning 12-7 against Durham to take the national title.
Men’s Volleyball were also crowned national champions after beating Essex University 3-1 at Jubilee. The team building on their fantastic season under new Head Coach Freddie Fairbairn.
Women’s Hockey dominated large parts of their Championship final again Birmingham spurred on by two-time Olympian and University of Nottingham Sport Scholar Nike Lorenz, who played a pivotal role in the team winning their first national title in several years.
For the full reports from the day, please visit the UoN Sport website.
All proceeds from UoN ticket sales will go directly to the Official Charity Partner the Children’s Brain Tumour Research Centre and the event organisers hope to have raised thousands of pounds from the sell-out crowds at the venues in Nottingham.
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Access to libraries over the Easter vacation
March 28th, 2022
There will be changes to library opening times leading up to, and during, Easter Vacation.
Extended opening
- Currently six of our libraries are open until 2am (Sunday – Thursday).
- From Sunday 3 – Thursday 7 April libraries will stay open until 4am to support students observing Ramadan.
- From Friday 8 April, all libraries will be in vacation opening hours. Visit the individual library webpage to check before visiting.
Visiting our libraries
- Libraries will be closed for Easter from Friday 15 – Monday 18 April. Most libraries will be open 9am – 5pm on Tuesday 19 April, with the Music library re-opening on Wednesday 20 April.
- Extended opening hours will restart for the summer term on Monday 25 April at James Cameron-Gifford Library and Monday 2 May at Djanogly LRC, George Green, Greenfield Medical, Hallward and Business libraries.
Our online resources and support materials will remain available during the closure period.
Your library loans
Library loans can be recalled over Easter Break so it’s best to plan ahead and return any books you no longer need. If your book is requested by someone else you will receive an email with the subject line – ‘Your library loan has not auto-renewed‘. You can also check your library account on NUsearch to see if your book will auto-renew. You will have seven days to return your book before accruing charges.
You can return items to any of our libraries via self-service machines, or the book box outside. If you’re not on campus, you can also return books by post to Hallward Library, however, you will be expected to cover the cost.
Support for students
Whether on campus or studying remotely, Library staff are available to support students accessing resources, information and services they need:
- Library Helpline: Contact Library staff by email, phone or Live Chat.
- Ask Libraries: Drop-in to our online sessions for help with using NUsearch to find books, journal articles and more.
- Support for your studies: Online guides for help with developing their academic skills and finding key resources for your subject area.
- Scanning for personal use: Library staff can supply scans of book chapters and journal articles.
- Study With Us Online: Study alongside other students virtually.
For more information about available services, please visit the Libraries website.
Tags: Libraries, library, Library opening hours, UoN Libraries
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