The efficient lab – maximising the use of scientific research equipment
The S-Lab programme aims to improve laboratory efficiency and effectiveness in all dimensions, including scientific value, resource efficiency and staff well-being. Director Peter James discusses the laboratory good practice and improvement ideas that that have emerged from the S-Lab award scheme and events.
Martin Farley: ‘my work should never harm the science, but rather aims to improve...
Straddling the disciplines of facilities management and scientific research support, the sustainable labs co-ordinator is an emerging role in universities. Rosie Niven meets Martin Farley, who became the first such appointment in the UK when he was hired by the University of Edinburgh and has since moved to King’s College London to take on a similar role.
Peter Simpson of N8: ‘deep collaboration is now the norm’
The N8 group of northern universities has a new director, Dr Peter Simpson. We caught up with the former AstraZeneca department head who nurtured collaborative projects at the pharmaceutical giant to find out his plans to encourage collaboration in higher education.
Sharing research equipment: how can we do it better?
Last year staff from Jisc set out to better understand institutional and researchers' needs around sharing research equipment. Senior co-designer Daniela Duca reveals the team's findings.
Do you speak laboratory?
The S-Lab: Supporting World Class Science programme aims to improve laboratory efficiency and effectiveness in all dimensions, including scientific value, resource efficiency and staff well-being. S-Lab director Peter James discusses the crucial role of estates and facilities in supporting these objectives.
Sir Ian Diamond: ‘We can improve… by sharing best practice’.
In an interview with Efficiency Exchange, Professor Sir Ian Diamond reflects on how universities have adapted to become more efficient.
Unit DX – a leaner approach to creating bio incubation centres
Unit DX opens its doors this month in the centre of Bristol, providing evidence of how universities' expertise is benefiting local economies. Created to solve...
Sharing made easy – Jisc support for equipment sharing
From anechoic chambers to wind tunnels, mass spectrometers to supercomputers, institutions are increasingly looking to share high value items of research equipment. Martin Hamilton outlines how Jisc is working with a variety of partners to help embed and accelerate asset sharing.
Raising the return: the benefits and opportunities from equipment sharing
Sharing equipment will be a key theme in Professor Sir Ian Diamond’s forthcoming report on efficiency in higher education. Sarah Jackson and Luke Georgiou introduce findings from the study of this activity which show that it is helping to advance scientific research while delivering value to the public purse.
N8 Research Partnership: making it easier to share equipment
Sarah Jackson, Director of the N8 Research Partnership, published her report on efficiencies in higher education earlier this year. We thought we’d catch up with her now that she’s gone back to her day job.
