The UK higher education sector is actively sharing equipment and facilities, collaborating to produce better science, and developing the associated infrastructure to help universities discover and share their kit.
Sir Ian Diamond’s report on Efficiency, Effectiveness and Value for Money assesses work to scope asset-sharing activity and identifies the challenges and enablers of greater collaboration across the sector. The work to compile evidence for this area was led by the N8 Research Partnership and coordinated by UUK.
Here is a video of Sarah Jackson, the former N8 director, talking about this work:
See also
- About the efficiency in higher education agenda
- Subscribe to Efficiency Exchange to follow the efficiency agenda
Posts
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 an infrastructure problem which has led to the loss of scientific start-ups from the area, Unit DX went from idea to operational laboratory facility in 22 months. Director Harry Destecroix explains […]- 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. - 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. - 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. 
Deal improves access to cloud and high performance computing for scientists
Researchers are beginning to rely on cloud computing to drive breakthrough science at breakneck speeds. An agreement between Jisc and Amazon Web Services in the UK makes it possible for all scientists to have their very own supercomputers in the cloud.- Tell Jisc your equipment sharing needsJisc 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.
- 16 – 17 September: Supporting World Class Science conference: Leeds
Booking is now open for S-Lab's Supporting World Class Science conference, focusing on all aspects of laboratory design, management and use, which will appeal to managers, researchers and teachers, estates, facilities, procurement, technical and other support staff. Many of the sessions are drawn from the shortlisted entries for the 2015 S-Lab Awards. - 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. - The future for sharing
Professor Sir Ian Diamond’s report on efficiency in higher education highlighted universities’ achievements in asset sharing and called on them to build on this work. Rosie Niven rounds up the views of leading thinkers in the sector around the future of sharing and collaboration in research. - 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. - N8 highlights the impact of asset sharing across UK universitiesThe report, which reveals asset sharing's role in delivering innovation, increased productivity, and maximum value for public investment, helped to shape Thursday's Efficiency, Effectiveness and Value for Money report by Universities UK.
- Sharing made easy – Jisc support for equipment sharingFrom 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 – how do we do it?
In the final blogpost in our series on asset sharing, Sarah Jackson and Luke Georghiou say that despite the progress in this area, more work must be done to deliver full benefits. - 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. - 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.
- Developing and supporting a sharing culture
Collaboration has led to efficiencies in areas such as procurement and shared services, but it can be a challenge to embed this culture. The University of Nottingham’s Paul Greatrix shares his experiences of a successful collaboration with the University of Birmingham. - 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. - Making better use of spare lab capacity
An online tool that has been described as Airbnb for laboratories is enabling researchers for private sector firms in the USA to buy time in university laboratories with spare capacity, the Economist reports. - 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. - Portsmouth University investigates sharing IT facilities with city schools
Portsmouth University, together with Portsmouth City Council, has won funding from the Higher Education Funding Council (Hefce) to investigate ways of sharing resources. - Jisc’s shared data centre boosts research efficiencyJisc has developed a shared data centre for the UK’s academic research when others have tried unsuccessfully before. In this blog post, Jisc's Phil Richards explains the secret behind the project's success and shows how it is already boosting research efficiency for the founding members.
- Graphene innovation centre to boost portfolio of shared assets
A Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC) being developed at the University of Manchester will bolster the portfolio of shared assets supporting collaborative research, after it was awarded £15 million of funding from HEFCE. - Diamond report expected to inform 2015 spending review decisions, minister says
The final report of the Higher Education efficiency review can play an important role in informing decisions at the next Spending Review, the universities minister Greg Clark MP told the Universities UK conference. - UK research secures new national data centreA 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.
- S-Lab – time for consolidation and long-term planningS-Lab, the programme that aims to create more sustainable laboratories, has grown rapidly and now needs to consolidate, and become less dependent on a few individuals, and HEFCE funding.
- ‘Supporting World Class Science’ conference – final programmeThe final programme is now available for the S-Lab ‘Supporting World Class Science’ conference and awards dinner at King’s College, London on 1-3 September 2014.
- S-Lab Conference and Awards 2014: Supporting World Class ScienceThe HECFE funded S-Lab initiative is holding its Awards Dinner and ‘Supporting World Class Science’ conference at King’s College, London on 1-3 September 2014. The event provides a great opportunity to share experience and gain insight on ways of improving laboratory effectiveness and efficiency, and therefore freeing up more resource for actual science.
- Equipment sharing: how to make an impact (and evidence it)
Dr Hamish McAlpine from the University Bath and Dr Steve Trowell from the University of Exeter talk about the simple steps we can take to become more efficient in how we support equipment through its life. These steps are also very amenable to measurement, offering the opportunity to benchmark and improve over time. - What are the real efficiencies from sharing equipment?
If sharing is largely collaborating then are we collaborating as much as we can? Or are we focussed on the need to collaborate more when actually such activity is fully optimised? Therefore is the question we should really be asking ourselves: “How can we become more efficient?” We have always needed partnering for knowledge or resource reasons, and we will continue to have these needs, possibly procured in more efficient processes. However, the business processes and support for our research equipment is where there is a real potential for more efficient and effective practice. Read more of this article in the July equipment.data e-newsletter. - Effective Use of Laboratory Equipment and Resources: Inventory and Booking Systems – free workshop 30 AprilThis free workshop examines 'bottom up’ schemes being developed by scientists and technical staff to manage inventory and booking, including home grown software and commercial programmes, and how different systems can work with each other to mutual benefit. 12.30 for 1.00 - 4.15 pm, Wed 30 April 2014, University College London.
- 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. - Model letter of agreement – equipment loansModel letter of agreement for equipment loans between institutions, developed jointly by Cambridge University and the Association of University Practitioners.
- Managing research contracts: Report for Brunswick Group October 2013This report examines research contracts administration and includes benchmarking of resourcing levels and identifies best practice. Produced by Research Consulting for the Brunswick group of research intensive universities, October 2013.
- Brunswick agreementsTemplate agreements for use between institutions with reference to materials transfer, research collaboration and studentship. Produced by the Brunswick Group.
- CREST – Consortium for Research Excellence, Support and TrainingProvides an innovative model for how to further research excellence and promote institutional and interdisciplinary collaboration.
- Kit-Catalogue – making sharing easier
Kit-Catalogue is a online database that can help universities to keep track of equipment, internal and external technology gaps and also to identify equipment sharing opportunities. Developed by Loughborough University and funded by Jisc, promotes better use of assets within and between institutions and makes them available for public and commercial application. - Productive efficiencies in higher education – three case studiesThese 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.
- University labs: waste not, want notWith science funding in short supply, work on making your existing facilities as efficient as possible, says Peter James of S-Lab. Money for university science is in short supply. Yet university laboratories represent a great untapped resource. The benefits – financial and performance–based – of improving their efficiency are proven, most recently by a survey […]
