Discover and share good practice for smarter working universities

Productive efficiencies in higher education – three case studies

These case studies were selected from the report ‘Making the best better – efficiency and effectiveness in higher education’, produced by Sarah Jackson of the N8 Research Partnership on secondment to BIS.
Unit DX Bristol Large Lab

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...
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UK research secures new national data centre

A new Jisc shared data centre housing the data of six leading UK scientific and academic organisations will enable the sharing of high volumes of data. The facility represents a significant example of asset sharing in the sector with the potential to deliver cost savings and reduce the procurement needs of institutions.

Keeping quality equipment asset records – poster

To achieve the best results from an equipment database, the quality of titles, descriptions, location and contact information has to be correct and helpful. To support this need, the equipment.data team at the University of Southampton has published a poster providing advice on appropriate content for an equipment or facility record.
N8 logo

Northern 8 Universities (N8) equipment sharing toolkit launched

The N8 Equipment Sharing Toolkit (EST) was launched in February 2014 at the University of Manchester. Sarah Fulton from the University of Sheffield explains the open and collaborative process behind the project's success.
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Jisc secures networks to enable safe sharing of medical research data

Jisc is enabling researchers across the UK to safely and securely share health data for their collaborative research projects. The UK’s research and education network Janet, provided by Jisc, is providing an efficient solution that secures the networks linking participating institutions and eliminates the need for them to develop and manage their own authentication systems.

Tell Jisc your equipment sharing needs

Jisc is carrying out a survey to better understand the decision to share a piece of equipment and interact with equipment databases. This ten minute long survey aims to help the team behind equipment.data support institutions and to establish requirements for additional features or an improved user experience.

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.

CREST – Consortium for Research Excellence, Support and Training

Provides an innovative model for how to further research excellence and promote institutional and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Scientist using electron microscopy equipment

Sharing equipment – a welcome efficiency?

The dramatic cuts in capital funding in 2011 rocked academics working in scientific research. However as Lancaster University VC Mark Smith reports, this shock to the system has enabled the concept of equipment sharing to gain real ground.