Higher Education Technicians' Summit (HETS) 2019

The national Higher Education Technicians' Summit 2019 (#HETS2019) at the University of Birmingham, aims to share best practice and promote a professional identity for technical staff in higher education and research institutes in both the UK and Ireland. It is hosted by the Midlands Innovation Universities (Aston, Birmingham, Cranfield, Keele, Leicester, Loughborough, Nottingham & Warwick) in partnership with the Science Council.

Keynote speakers

We are delighted to announce that our first keynote speaker for the day is academic, writer and broadcaster, Professor Alice Roberts. Alice, who is Professor Public Engagement with Science at the University of Birmingham, has presented several television programmes and published seven popular science books. Her book 'The Incredible Unlikeliness of Being', was shortlisted for the Wellcome Book Prize in 2015.

About the conference

HETS 2019 will explore the broader issues around technical skills and education including the importance of technical skills in driving forward innovation. It will also look at some of the current initiatives to ensure the future provision of technical education to young people. The UK skills shortage, employability and the importance of collaborative industry partnerships are also on the agenda.

The conference will be the largest event held specifically for UK and Ireland technical staff from across higher education and research institutions. It follows on from highly successful summits held in 2015 and 2017 at Nottingham and Warwick universities respectively. Sessions will focus on professional development and networking opportunities with a range of “hot topics”.

A full programme for the day will be released in due course.

Papin Prizes

The conference will publicly celebrate the skills, talent and experience of technicians through the national Papin Prizes. These are prestigious awards to be made to technicians across the UK and Ireland who have demonstrated excellence in their field.