Friday, 24 April 2020
The UK’s biggest ever conference for technicians in Higher Education and research will be taking place at the University of Nottingham on Wednesday 23rd June 2021.
The UK Higher Education Technicians Summit (HETS) is dedicated to sharing best practice amongst technical staff working in higher education and research in the UK and Ireland.
As a highly skilled workforce, around 30,000 technicians currently underpin research, teaching, knowledge transfer and innovation at UK universities, and many are researchers and educators in their own right, teaching and training students and researchers at every level.
I am delighted that we are able to confirm the fourth UK Higher Education Technicians Summit in June 2021. I know it’s an event that colleagues value and enjoy. Through initiatives like HETS and also the recently announced TALENT programme, we are ensuring increased professional development opportunities for technical colleagues across the region, the wider UK and beyond.
HETS 2021 is being held at the East Midlands Conference Centre on University Park campus, and is sponsored by Midlands Innovation in partnership with the Science Council.
RECOGNISING TECHNICAL EXCELLENCE
The 2021 summit will be the largest event held specifically for UK and Ireland higher education and research technical staff, building on the success of three previous summits held at Birmingham in 2019, Warwick in 2017, and in Nottingham in 2015.
The conference is structured around a range of “hot topics” and will also discuss broader issues around technical skills and education, including the importance of technicians in driving forward innovation, and the latest initiatives to ensure the future provision of technical education to young people.
HETS will once again be recognising technical excellence in academia through the awarding of the national ‘Papin Prizes’. To reflect the depth and breadth of technical roles in universities and research institutes, the Papin Prizes will be awarded to technicians in a range of categories, including teaching, research, infrastructure, outreach and more.
Dr Helen Turner, Director of Midlands Innovation, which sponsors HETS, said: “The roles that technicians do, usually behind the scenes, are vital in ensuring the success of our universities and research institutes, providing academic, research and student colleagues with the essential technical expertise that they need to enable their research and teaching.
“HETS is an opportunity to celebrate the work of technicians, while also helping to develop their skills, and giving them the opportunity to network with each other, making invaluable new contacts in the technician community.”
LEADING THE WAY IN TECHNICIAN DEVELOPMENT
Midlands Innovation is leading the way in the development of Higher Education technicians in the UK. It recently secured funding from Research England and partners for a programme called TALENT, the largest ever investment into technicians in universities, whose specialist skills often go unrecognised despite the crucial role they play in the success of universities and the growth of the UK economy.
Registrations for HETS 2021 and the nominations for the 2021 Papin Prizes will open in autumn 2020, but Technicians can sign-up here now to receive a notification of when registrations are open, and to receive eNews updates about further details about HETS 2021.
Read more about the history of HETS here.
For more information about the support provided for technicians through Midlands Innovation, visit: https://midlandsinnovation.org.uk/Our-Technician-Commitment
Story credits
For more information, contact Nick King, Midlands Innovation Communications and Marketing Manager, on: +44 (0)7964 391057 or nick.king@era.ac.uk
or Sarah Alton, Public Affairs Officer, Midlands Innovation, on: +44 (0)7817 061386 or: sarah.alton@nottingham.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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