The biennial Higher Education Technicians Summit (HETS) has grown from strength-to-strength since it was established in 2015 by Midlands Innovation, in partnership with the Science Council and Technician Commitment.
Taking place at the University of Warwick, the one-day 2023 event will feature a range of keynote speakers, a host of workshops on topics impacting technicians and networking opportunities.
The national Papin Prizes will also be presented which celebrate the achievements of technicians and the very best technical talent across the UK. The award categories and nominations will be announced in autumn 2022.
Dr Helen Turner, Director for Midlands Innovation said: “We are proud to have championed the role of technicians for many years and this event is always very popular with technicians across the UK from as far as Scotland and Brighton.
“Planning is well underway for our fifth HETS conference which gives technicians who work in higher education and research the opportunity to share best practice, learn new skills, discover new ideas, meet other technical colleagues and get up to speed on the latest policies impacting them.
“The Papin Prizes will also be presented to individuals and teams who have delivered outstanding work in their field. HETS is all about recognising the achievements of technical staff and these awards are part of our ongoing commitment to increase the visibility and status of the workforce.”
Kelly Vere MBE, Programme Director for Technician Commitment and Director of Technical Skills and Strategy for University of Nottingham added: “The higher education and research landscape is changing rapidly with a major focus on diversity, skills, research and innovation. Technicians are central to that, so it’s a very exciting time to be a technician and an ideal time to engage with the new opportunities around learning and development.
“We have listened to delegate feedback from previous events and intend to put forward an event programme that technicians from every level, role and discipline will benefit from. We are expecting the 2023 event to be fully subscribed, so we encourage technicians to save the date and sign up to our HETS23 mailing list for more information.”
