With sixteen other riders I cycled Sustrans ‘Lochs and Glens’ last weekend. It was the final cycling challenge of the final Nottingham Life Cycle. It began in Inverness; 200 miles later and rather fittingly from my standpoint, it ended in Glasgow.

Life Cycle 7 has now raised £450,000 towards a target of £500,000 in support of the Children’s Brain Tumour Research Centre. We still have a number of major (non-cycling) events to come, including the Robin Hood Half Marathon on September 24^th (where 400+ organised by Kevin Shakesheff will be running for LC7); the Superheroes Walk on University Park on October 1^st; and the 70s/80s disco organised by Steve Wright at Kings Meadow Campus on December 16^th. I am confident we will exceed the £500k target.

Nottingham Life Cycle began with a one off, has lasted seven years and raised more than £3 million in the process.

A good time then for some final reflections.

It all began when we were preparing to launch the Impact Campaign in autumn 2011. I did the obvious and made a substantial donation to help get things going. But I still felt I should somehow do more. I came up with the idea of cycling from John O’Groats to Land’s End to raise funds for research on palliative and end of life care.

Once those around me realised this was not a delayed mid-life crisis but a serious proposition, I persuaded ten others they could also do it and we set about planning.

To put the challenge in perspective, I had not been on a road bike since my teens, when I was (literally) run over by an articulated lorry on Trent Bridge. (Fortunately the wheels went over my pelvis, which cracked in several places; a foot higher and I would not be writing this now).

And I was not the only one who had not been on a bike for decades. Yet we all completed the 1,000 miles+ challenge, raising £232,000 in the process.

It was genuinely intended to be a one off. But I was so taken by the extent of engagement in our University community more broadly that I began thinking about a second challenge, even as we were departing from Land’s End.

Six more have now followed, on increasingly demanding routes across the UK and Ireland, stretching to almost 1,400 miles in 15 days on two occasions. Importantly they involved an ever increasing number of cyclists (more than 600 on the LC6 Community Day last September). Even more importantly they involved an ever increasing number of non-cycling challenges and activities. These have included: (competitive) bake offs and cake sales across Schools and Departments; sponsored walks and runs; kayak challenges; auctions; gala balls and discos; magic shows. The level of commitment and engagement has been amazing. For me, it has been a source of pride to see so many of our staff, students and University partners support Life Cycle causes in such a diverse variety of ways.

Spontaneous generosity whilst on the road has been another memorable feature of the Life Cycles. More or less every time we stopped, on every day of every Life Cycle, we were engaged by someone who had been affected by stroke, or breast cancer, or a brain tumour. That invariably resulted in a donation there and then. There are so many encounters I could pick out. My most memorable was in a pub in Holsworthy in Devon on day 2 of LC6, when an elderly gentlemen saw our shirts, thanked us for what we were doing, opened his purse (which did not have much in it) and gave me £1. That donation meant as much as the biggest single donation I received that year (of £30,000).

The rides themselves have been physically and mentally demanding. Day after day in the saddle, and a sense of always being ‘on the clock’ when out of the saddle take their toll. It is exhausting, and sometimes painful. So much so that I can’t imagine that I would ever have been able to do it on my own. The shared nature of the endeavours made it possible. Cycling with people who have put their life on hold and their bodies on the line to make a difference for others is inspiring, and the shared laughter and tears ‘in the bubble’ the perfect analgesic.

Then there are the marvellous Support Teams who give up their time to plan, manage, console and lift riders, whilst at the same time keeping bikes roadworthy and safe. They too have been inspiring.

In addition to cycling, I had another day job, the daily blog. In a sense it was an unnecessary pressure. I could have just phoned in a report each day and have someone else ghost write it, or I could have just not bothered. Aside from the fact I always write my own blogs, it is clear to me from the number of comments and responses we received, and the reaction of the other riders that it added something. It was a way of sharing the experience more broadly, it was also a daily outlet for riders and the Support Team. For that alone it was worth all the late nights, early mornings, late departures, and late finishes.

It also means I have a permanent record of these journeys, and before too long the time to read them and reflect on what passed.

Finally, the research causes we cycled and raised £3 million for: palliative and end of life care; widening access to higher education; stroke rehabilitation; dementia; breast cancer; and children’s brain tumour research (twice) were highly motivating. They also became quite personal. For example on LC4 each cyclist rode in honour of a particular child, some of whom had survived a brain tumour, some had not, and one has not since then. We did something similar again on LC6 for many affected by breast cancer. And their families became directly involved in many different ways.

The impact of this on the Cycling Team and Support Team was palpable, motivating, but also very humbling.

The entire experience has been truly extraordinary. I and others have done things we would never have thought possible. I have discovered an activity I enjoy (most of the time!) and will continue doing; I have uncovered new frontiers of body and mind; and I have been enriched by many new companions and friends, friendships that will endure.

To everyone who has been part of this great project, thank you.

You have helped change the lives of many people for the better, in the process you have enriched our University, and you have changed my life.

Professor Sir David Greenaway

Vice-Chancellor

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Graduations are always special occasions, very meaningful manifestations of why our University exists.

This summer’s ceremonies have been extra meaningful as they were my last at Nottingham.

For me they began at the start of July, at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC) with four ceremonies over a weekend. This was the first occasion I had experienced a ceremony in the new DH Lawrence Auditorium, a 1,000 multi-purpose venue, with superb sight lines and state of the art audiovisual equipment. It is an outstanding venue.

1,394 students graduated from UNNC’s three Faculties (Business, Humanities and Social Sciences, Science and Engineering). In addition, a number of Li Dak Sum Distinguished Professors were inaugurated, Lord Dearing Awards presented, and an Honorary Degree conferred on Oliver Wang of Ping An Good Doctor.

Of those 1,394 graduates, 951 were holding offers for graduate study, and of those 80% were holding offers from QS Top 100 Universities globally. Given that UNNC only recruited its first students in 2004 that is quite remarkable; a testimony to the quality of students we recruit, and the quality of their education at UNNC.

Then it was back to the UK, where we had 22 ceremonies here in Nottingham with almost 9,000 students graduating across our five Faculties.

These were the first summer ceremonies held in the David Ross Sports Village. We know this is an amazing asset for sport and recreation. It is also a great graduation venue, not just because of the scale and layout of the hall we use, but the excellent support facilities adjacent to that hall.

As in Ningbo, we took the opportunity to present Lord Dearing Awards, and confer a number of Honorary Doctorates including to: screen and stage star, Ruth Wilson; local Michelin starred Chef Sat Bains; and Nottingham University Hospitals Trust CEO Peter Homa. They, and others delivered inspiring acceptance speeches.

My final set of graduations were at the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus (UNMC). There we had 10 ceremonies, graduating almost 1,000 students from the three Faculties (Arts and Social Sciences, Engineering, Science).

For the first time we held our summer graduations in the Great Hall on Campus, rather than off site. Several Vice-Chancellor’s Medals were presented, and an Honorary Degree awardee to HRH Raja Zarith Sofiah, Permaisuri of Johor.

A new feature this year was that every ceremony had a member of the Class of 2017 make a speech. The thought that had gone in to the preparation and delivery of those addresses spoke volumes for the quality of our students. They were consistently superb.

So, in total we had 36 graduations in three countries, and in the process added 11,000 to our alumni community (taking it beyond 280,000).

Many teams in all three places ensured these were the memorable occasions they must be for our students, their families and their friends. I am extremely grateful to them for (and very proud of) the consistently high quality of these key events. They were marvelous experiences to be part of, and the attention to detail and professionalism in delivery was admirable.

Finally, two personal reflections.

First, there was a ‘final’ ceremony for me at each of the three places and in different ways it was made into a very special experience.

At UNNC Provost Chris Rudd gave a warm address and two students presented me with gifts; at UNUK Professor Sarah O’Hara interrupted my closing address to speak of my teaching in the School of Economics (including reporting recent SET results!) and presented me with a Lord Dearing Award; and at UNMC Provost Graham Kendall had the last word with a speech focused on 30 years at Nottingham.

Those were very special moments. It was enormously thoughtful and generous on the part of all three.

Second, I estimate that I have been involved in at least 350 graduation ceremonies across our three Campuses in my time at Nottingham. And I think I have shaken the hands of around 75,000 graduates, or more than a quarter of the total alumni community!

It has been a privilege.

Professor Sir David Greenaway

Vice-Chancellor

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Highfields Swimming Bath.
circa 1925
Courtesy of Nottingham City Council and www.picturethepast.org.uk

In 1924 Britain’s largest outdoor swimming pool opened, on what is now University Park. It was 330 feet long, 75 feet wide (or 100 by 23 metres) twice the length of an Olympic pool. It was commissioned by Sir Jesse Boot, and functioned until 1980.

On a personal note, I actually swam in Highfields Lido (as well as the other outdoor Lidos in Nottingham: Bulwell, Carrington, and Papplewick). I remember it being a very bracing experience.

In 1989 the University launched its first modern day Campaign, the Arts Centre Appeal. Its target was £5 million to build a new Arts Centre on the by now derelict Lido site. It was successful, and in 1992 the Sir Harry and Lady Carol Djanogly Gallery opened, as did the Angear Visitor Centre.

In its early years, under the stewardship of Joanne Wright these new Galleries allowed us to host major shows like Rubens Drawing on Italy, a step change in the quality of what could be curated, as well as the level of our public engagement.

In 1994 the Department of Music relocated to be adjacent to the new Djanogly Recital Hall. This added a further suite of activities, building on a long tradition of concerts previously delivered in the Great Hall and Hugh Stewart Hall. That programme has only grown stronger and more ambitious under the direction of Dr Catherine Hocking.

Then, in 2001, with support from the Jubilee Campaign, the DH Lawrence Pavillion was added. This gave us a theatre, which supports a rich menu of performing arts. It also provided further exhibition space: the Weston Gallery, as a shop window for our University’s Manuscripts and Special Collections; and the Wallner Gallery, a white box space for regional artists.

At this time Shona Powell OBE was appointed to create Nottingham Lakeside Arts, build audiences, and promote public and community engagement. This has happened in many ways since then, with the development of an inventive and strong schools programme, and support for many diverse community festivals and celebrations.

Nottingham Lakeside Arts as we know it now, was completed in 2011 when the Djanogly Gallery was effectively doubled in size. This changed our level of ambition dramatically, and the opening exhibition in the new galleries was LOWRY, which attracted almost 50,000 visitors. Since then Neil Walker and his team have curated major nationally acclaimed shows like Pop Art to Britart, Elizabeth Frink : The Presence of Sculpture, and Victor Pasmore : Towards a New Reality.

In 2011 we also relocated the University Museum to Lakeside, and this autumn it will support its biggest ever exhibition Viking : Rediscover the Legend, led by Clare Pickersgill, in partnership with the British Museum and Jorvick Centre in York, also platforming the expertise of Professor Judith Jesch, Centre for Viking Studies, in a complementary Weston Gallery exhibition Bringing The Vikings Back to the East Midlands.

The newly opened Chinese Feathered Dinosaurs exhibition in the Angear Visitor Centre is testament to many partnerships with major Chinese academic institutions and museums brokered through Asia Business Centre and Dr Wang Qi, Faculty of Engineering, and led on behalf of Lakeside by James Parkinson. It is already attracting record numbers of families through the doors of the Djanogly Gallery.

There are several threads which run through these last 25 years of development.

First, building excellence in a sustainable way, enriching the spectrum of offers, and broadening the audience which can enjoy Nottingham Lakeside Arts.

Second, the vision, dedication and ingenuity of a wonderful team led by Shona Powell OBE.

Third, great partnerships. Some are local, like Nottingham Contemporary, New Art Exchange and Dance4; some are national like Tate Britain, the British Museum, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Sadlers Wells and MOKO Dance.

Fourth, extraordinary support from extraordinary people: Sir Harry and Lady Carol Djanogly, Tom and Pat Angear, David Ross, Edgar and Judith Wallner and the Garfield Weston Foundation. That support is not just financial. LOWRY and Elizabeth Frink would not have been possible had Sir Harry and Lady Djanogly not been so generous in allowing us to access their private collections.

And the 68 exhibits in Pop Art to Brit Art all came from the private collection of David Ross. Extraordinary generosity and extraordinary trust.

Finally, back to where I started.

To celebrate Lakeside’s first 25 years, and acknowledge the heritage of its site, Barret Hodgson used digital technology to create an inventive, interactive installation recreating Highfields Lido in the main Djanogly Gallery. It was quite something.

Professor Sir David Greenaway

Vice-Chancellor

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We are well advanced on our ‘Beyond 2020’ programme, with core strategies being updated, refreshed or reframed to reflect changes in the environment over the period since Global Strategy 2020 was signed off by the University Council.

So, for example, on June 22^nd we will launch our new Research Strategy, led by Dame Jessica Corner, at the Royal Society; and with the closing of the Impact Campaign on July 31^st, we will immediately activate plans progressed through our ‘Beyond Impact’ thinking.

Underpinning all we do is our people. We cannot succeed without a diverse, talented and committed community. Another major platform of work has therefore been a comprehensive review and rethink of our People Strategy, led by Jaspal Kaur. This has focused on leadership, culture, career development, reward, and so on. It has also included Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI).

We affirmed our core values regarding EDI as part of Global Strategy 2020, including: valuing diversity and promoting equality; valuing all staff and supporting them to excel; developing a culture and working environment that encourages people to challenge themselves and others – openly, constructively, and with respect – to raise the quality of all we do together.

 EDI activity specifically relating to staff is managed locally but is at the heart of our People Strategy. This programme began in late 2015 with new staff resources in place from April 2016.

As part of our strategy to embed a broader spectrum of EDI activity at local and institutional level, we have developed new EDI structures to create opportunity for a greater breadth of sharing of ideas, knowledge and feedback, whilst also providing mechanisms to deliver real change from institutional level programmes of work.

Central to this structure is our new EDI Board chaired by Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Karen Cox. This is overseeing strategy and resolving barriers to progress. We have also provided new and dedicated leadership through the creation of an Associate PVC role for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. I am delighted the first holder of this role is Professor Marion Walker MBE.

Since its inception, our University has been an enthusiastic supporter of the Athena SWAN initiative, and we have committed to its revised Charter Principles. These have expanded to include recognition of work undertaken in arts, humanities, social sciences, business and law, and in professional and support roles; as well as recognising the experience of trans staff and students.

The new Charter now recognises work undertaken to address gender equality more broadly, including men and people of other genders, and not just barriers to progression that affect women. We are therefore putting in place stronger frameworks to support Schools and Faculties with their gender equality agendas, with the intention that all Schools/Faculties will have submitted for an Athena SWAN award by 2020. We are also aiming for a new institutional Silver Award by 2018.

This is an ambitious agenda, and we want to ensure we fully understand what it is like to work at the University of Nottingham, and how we can broker partnerships to progress this essential work.  We will therefore be inviting colleagues to support the agenda in two main ways.

First, we would like everyone to assess how they can further advance gender equality in their own areas of work, and share this information with their School Athena SWAN team or with the central institutional team through: peopleandculture@nottingham.ac.uk

Second, having undertaken an EDI Survey, and complementary Staff Engagement Survey, we are currently preparing specific feedback on the former. This will be distributed to Faculties, Schools and Services to help them shape their EDI action plans.

Alongside all of this, a Race Equality Steering Group has been created and presented initial findings for building greater race equality at the University to the EDI Board. This includes a recommendation that the University makes a submission to the Equality Challenge Unit’s new Race Equality Charter mark in early 2019.

Finally, a new collaboration with the University of Birmingham has been established where good practice is shared and joint initiatives progressed. EDI has been identified as an area of strategic significance for both universities that will be explored over an initial two year period. The collaboration will focus on learning together (activities based on developing knowledge exchange and sharing best practice) and co-creation (activities based on specific outcomes like new programmes, or guidance that can be used by both universities together or independently).

Alongside this ongoing People Strategy programme, we will continue to support and promote key engagement events.  Over the last year we have celebrated LGBT History Month and Black History Month. In addition we had our inaugural Month of the Mind, focusing especially on mental health, dementia and wellbeing; and our first Disability December programme which helped raise awareness of living with disability and showcased the richness and diversity of disabled cultures.  All were really well supported across our University.

Under the excellent leadership of Professor Marion Walker, many are contributing time, energy and ingenuity to these essential activities. I am very grateful for that and look forward to sustained and sustainable change.

Professor Sir David Greenaway

Vice-Chancellor

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Almost all the first six Nottingham Life Cycles involved endurance challenges. Last year it was 1,350 miles around the four points of the compass in Great Britain, which raised £700,000 for breast cancer research.

There is no endurance ride this year, partly because I retire at the end of September, partly because we wanted to promote a broader range of activities.

But we still wanted to build on the Life Cycle ‘brand’ which has come to signify more than just endurance cycling, and has been an excellent vehicle for broader community engagement around a cause.

So, we decided on two weekend cycling challenges, but a Community Day (on October 1^st) focused on walking rather than cycling. And we have added a range of other activities including (300 so far) running the Robin Hood Half Marathon; School and Departmental Bake-Offs; and a seasonal party at KMC.

All of this is aimed at raising funds to support the Children’s Brain Tumour Research Centre, and we have set a target of £500,000.

The first cycling challenge was ‘The Way of the Roses’ (http://www.wayoftheroses.co.uk/way-of-the-roses-route.php). This is a 170 mile ride from Bridlington to Morecambe, and we had 31 cyclists. These included members of staff, representatives of local partners, and three of last year’s Student Union Executive.

It got off to an unusual start. Just before we were due to get on the coach to Bridlington, I was interviewed by John Humphreys on Radio 4’s ‘Today’ programme, being broadcast from the Trent Building. Fortunately it was radio, I was in lycra.

When it came to the team pic, I asked Mr Humphreys if he would join us. Not only did he leave his producer and his headphones, but sportingly jumped on a bike for what was a great picture.

Then we were off, in the rain.

It was still raining when we arrived in Bridlington. So a wet start to the challenge for all. Our first task on day one was to get to York. I rode with Karen Cox and Nick Miles and we went via Driffield and Pocklington, through the Wolds. Despite the rain, it was a nice ride, for the most part on roads with little traffic, and therefore not too much surface water being washed up.

We were first in at the Travelodge on Hull Rd, where we were staying overnight. Everyone else was in by 1800. For those who were taking on a weekend ride for the first time, there was a sense of relief. It became evident through the evening that there was also a confidence boost.

I thought Saturday’s breakfast was available from 0700, and was all set to go, only to be told it was 0800. It was obvious that, with 31 cyclists there would be serious congestion at 0800, so Susan Anderson, Karen Cox, Nick Miles and I skipped breakfast, grabbed a banana and a couple of Hob Nobs and set off.

It was a good call, breakfast evidently took a while.

Conditions were good, dry and bright. Since were passing through the Ouse flood plain, it was flat. It is also a very scenic route, wide vistas, lovely villages, and even a wooden toll bridge (free for cyclists). We covered the 23 miles from York to Boroughbridge in pretty sharp time, before enjoying a breakfast in Café Chez Nous. Highly recommended. As we were leaving David Walker and Steve Davenport arrived.

From Boroughbridge to Pateley Bridge in Nidderdale, it is not flat. There are some really steep climbs. And despite the fact that I told new riders before we left Bridlington that ‘the Way of the Roses is so well signposted, it is almost impossible to get lost’, I now know it is possible. When we could see Harrogate on the horizon, we realized we had gone wrong.

Anyway, we recovered, found our way back and were first to land at Pateley Bridge. We decided to take a rest and some refreshment ahead of the famous climb up Greenhow. We paid a price for that. By the time we got on the hill, it was raining heavily.

This is a tough climb, about 4 miles and with a series of ramps of 15% to 20%. I got through the first couple then had to get off for some recovery time. We all got to the top in one way or another and regrouped for a fast descent into Burnsall, where we were staying at the Red Lion. All 31 riders and our Support Team of four (Gavin Scott, Paul Barrett, Ian Clifton and Louise Shaw) enjoyed a great evening.

The final day of Way of the Roses has a brutal start. You have no time to get warmed up before hitting a steep, narrow and winding climb. To avoid congestion on the first (of many) hills I set off before the pack with Karen, Nick, Chris, Susan and Kate. It was a good move and gave us the space to negotiate not only the first climb, but the many that followed all the way through to Settle, without worrying about traffic around us.

That said, we did run into a Sportiv at Airton which swarmed around us at various points, oblivious to everything but their own personal times. Fortunately they had gone their own way by the time we climbed to the descent to, then on, Settle Hill. The latter can be pretty scary, even with your brakes more or less fully engaged.

At Settle we picked up everyone else and enjoyed excellent sausage cobs at the Old Naked Man Café.

The remainder of the final day was split into two stretches. First, a wonderful rolling ride through the Forest of Bowland. This is my favourite stretch of Way of the Roses; very scenic, but with the joy of freewheeling up lots of hills. Then, after a lunch stop at Wray, a flat run mostly on a well surfaced cycle track all the way through to Morecambe.

Much to the disappointment of two of last year’s Student Union Officers (Elliott Denham and James Bramley) who skipped lunch at Wray to get a shot at glory, we were first in at Morecambe; a case of experience trumping youth – we knew a short cut!

We were in Morecambe by 1415, everyone was in safe, sound and happy by 1545. Then it was on the coach and back to Nottingham.

The 2017 Way of the Roses was a highly successful event. The mix of riders included experienced Life Cyclers alongside many for whom this was the biggest challenge they had taken on two wheels. The make-up was diverse, not only from across the University community, but also in the range of friends and partners involved, and all had ambitious fundraising targets. As always, even with a squad of 31 riders and our Support Team of four, the team gelled very quickly to ensure a shared endeavor was also an enjoyable experience.

Nottingham Life Cycle 7 is proving to be another successful series of events and activities, and thus far has raised £350,000 for the Children’s Brain Tumour Research Centre. That is tremendous, and we still have so much more to come to build on this.

A big thank you from me to the riders who took on Way of the Roses, and a big thank you to all who are supporting Nottingham Life Cycle 7, in whatever way.

Professor Sir David Greenaway

Vice-Chancellor

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Universitas 21 (U21) was established in 1997, with Nottingham as one of the founding Members. Twenty years on it is still going strong, with 25 research intensive Universities from 17 different countries.

This month Nottingham was host for the 2017 Annual Meetings, just the second occasion these meetings have been held in the United Kingdom. All 25 Members brought delegations, with 16 being led by their President / Vice-Chancellor.

As there should be, there is always formal business to be conducted; agreeing budgets, network plans, reports from the Chair and Provost, as well as the formal admission of two new Members: Waseda University, and the University of Zurich. But the real value comes from the annual symposium, discussion of network activities, and peer to peer networking.

The theme for this year’s symposium was ‘Universities as Anchor Institutions’.

The economic value of Universities as drivers of growth is increasingly recognized the world over; so too is their role in building social capital and creating cultural capital.

But are we doing enough?

That was essentially the challenge posed by the keynote speaker Sir Andrew Witty, our Chancellor. In a rich, expansive and penetrating analysis he laid out a call to action to our Universities to do more to enrich the communities in which we are embedded.

Sir Andrew’s presentation was complemented by a series of case studies of University partnerships.

The University of Amsterdam focused on its connected campuses and their impact on the City; Glasgow University set out its role in the redevelopment of Kelvin Hall, a major civic asset; the University of Maryland told the story of how it had driven the regeneration of College Park; the University of Queensland’s case study was its important work with the Port of Brisbane; the University of Johannesburg focused on its contribution to school improvement in Soweto; and Tec de Monterrey on how it was building social and cultural capital with its city leaders.

These case studies not only brought to life the rich and varied ways in which our Universities add value to their cities and regions, but showcased genuinely inspiring initiatives.

‘Peer to Peer’ sessions ran both for Presidents / Vice-Chancellors, and Senior Leaders. The agenda for the former was the rise of economic populism and the challenges it poses to University communities; the latter on how we get even greater value from the core programmes that underpin student and researcher mobility across the network.

At each Annual Meeting a number of awards are formally presented. The most prestigious is the Gilbert Medal, named in honour of the late Professor Alan Gilbert, inaugural Chair of the network whilst he was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Melbourne. The 2017 medal was awarded to Professor Tan Sri Dato’ Dzulkifli Abdul Razak, former Vice-Chancellor of Universiti Sains Malaysia, and President of the International Association of Universities (IAU).

Three U21 Awards were made to individuals who had made a significant impact on the activities of the network. This year they went to Professor Cora Burnett-Louw (University of Johannesburg), Professor Joseph Lo-Bianco (University of Melbourne), and Ms Jane Usherwood (former Secretary General of U21).

Pleasingly, all recipients came to Nottingham to receive their awards in person.

Every host finds a way of putting their own mark on the meetings. Ours took the form of inaugurating ‘Universitas 21 Avenue’. This is an avenue of 25 newly planted native trees (weeping silver limes) located in front of the David Ross Sports Village, with each individual tree dedicated to one of the U21 Members. Not only does this provide a stand of new trees for the arboretum being created on University Park, it also provides a permanent presence on the Campus for the network.

Being host clearly offers an opportunity to showcase our University. Since meetings were dispersed across University Park and Jubilee Campus, our wonderful physical assets were forever on display, and fortunately the weather smiled on us.

But even more important, the qualities of our people were forever on display: the symposium and other elements were superbly well supported by staff and students; and our events, hospitality, and estates teams did an exemplary job. That was a source of great pride to me and others.

Finally, there are a wide range of ongoing activities and events throughout the year, details of which can be accessed here: http://www.universitas21.com/ Many are keyed to the core programmes of Educational Innovation, Researcher Engagement, and Student Experience; others are discipline based, or targeted at particular Professional Services.

In addition to what is available from the U21 website, any colleague interested in greater engagement should contact our U21 Coordinator PVC Professor Nick Miles OBE (nick.miles@nottingham.ac.uk).

Professor Sir David Greenaway

Vice-Chancellor

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As you will have seen in the news recently, the government is preparing to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty – the formal two-year mechanism by which we will leave the EU.

What does that mean for us, as a university? What does it mean for our staff and students, for our international partnerships, for our role as a global institution?

It goes without saying that our relationship with Europe will change in the months and years after Article 50 is triggered. Some of those changes are yet to be determined.

But equally, there is much that has not changed.

Our University remains a global institution with an international outlook, an excellent reputation and significant ambition for the future. Our international community of students and staff remain at the very heart of the University. With students from more than 150 countries, we have a global alumni community that has been built up over many decades. With campuses in three countries and extensive experience of working with international partners we are in a strong position to deal with new challenges.

Preparing for the future

We have already done a great deal of work to prepare for our new relationship with the EU, to put support in place for colleagues who may be affected by changes and ensure we secure the best possible outcome for The University of Nottingham and UK higher education more broadly.

Following the outcome of the referendum vote in June 2016, an EU Task Force chaired by Professor Karen Cox, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, has been leading our strategy to deal with all potential issues related to Brexit and the EU.

As well as intelligence-gathering and lobbying activity, the EU Task Force has overseen a programme of communications with staff, current students and prospective students, and the creation of web resources to guide and inform all our stakeholders. A number of events and open forums have been delivered to offer advice to staff and researchers, and seminars and workshops have been held to provide guidance on HR, legal and immigration issues with more planned this spring.

In addition to the Task Force, an EU Referendum Expert Advisory Group has been established under the leadership of Professor Dame Jessica Corner, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange. We have a reservoir of EU-related expertise among our academic and APM staff, and the Advisory Group is ensuring we make full use of that knowledge and experience.

Underlying all of this activity is a flexible, agile approach to a changing world; an approach that encourages us to look outwards, extend our horizons, and forge new relationships with the international community.

The impact of Brexit

This approach will help us mitigate the impact of Brexit.

Through the EU Task Force, we have established a system of monitoring and assessing the impact of the Referendum result on different parts of the University. From what we can tell so far, student applications from the EU have decreased – in line with the rest of the UK HE sector – with roughly a 7% drop in undergraduate  applications as of the 23 January UCAS data release. We will continue to monitor this and are stepping-up our efforts across the board to attract applicants from across the EU (and internationally) at both UG and PG level.

In terms of EU research applications and success rates, however, there has actually been an increase in both the proposals we lead, and are involved in – within the ‘Excellent Science’ funding portfolio.

Where our staff are concerned, while there was an initial dip in applications from non-UK EEA nationals in the immediate aftermath of the Referendum result, this recovered quickly in the following months.

We continue to monitor the situation carefully, and encourage all staff to let the Task Force know of any examples of the impact of the Referendum result affecting them by emailing eu-support@nottingham.ac.uk.

Next steps

We now know that the UK Government have included science and innovation as one of twelve objectives for Brexit – with the Prime Minister’s Lancaster House speech citing the role of universities in supporting the ‘breadth and depth of our academic and scientific communities’. We know the voices of the scientific and university community are being heard by the Government’s most senior politicians and officials – indeed, in my role as Russell Group Chair, I have been personally involved in many of these discussions.

We know our partners in industry, business and local government are powerfully making the case for the economic, social and cultural benefits of a Britain open to talented students, staff and partners.

But we also know that ending freedom of movement is a Government priority in the forthcoming negotiations, and that management of immigration is still an overriding policy objective for this Prime Minister.

So what is that we, at the University of Nottingham, can do to chart a course through this uncertainty, mitigate the risks emerging from the Brexit process and seize the opportunities that lie ahead?

• For our international staff, we continue to offer support, advice and guidance, with HR EU Referendum pages that are regularly updated.
• For our research community and partners, we are unwavering in our dedication to international collaboration, delivering world-class research and supporting those who carry it out. Our EU and Research webpages outline the support available.
• For our current and future students, we believe opportunities for international student mobility is an essential part of being a student at Nottingham and we will take whatever steps necessary to ensure current opportunities are protected.
• We will continue to lobby the policy community in the UK and Europe for the University’s interests to be protected throughout the Brexit negotiation period and beyond.
• We will continue to monitor, and model the projected impacts of Brexit on University business – acting quickly and decisively to mitigate risk and seize opportunities.
• We will expand our teaching and research partnerships in Europe – demonstrating our commitment to European collaboration will continue, regardless of the outcomes of the Brexit negotiations

The challenge ahead

Over the next few years and probably beyond, the University will be operating in a turbulent, complex and uncertain environment that will directly affect all of us that work, study, learn and teach at Nottingham.

I remain optimistic that we at the University of Nottingham can overcome whatever issues arise, and continue to grow and thrive in the future.

I am optimistic because, for me, at the heart of what defines the identity of our staff and students is a genuine sense of community, inclusion and collegiality that connect us all. Regardless of what challenges lie ahead, it is through maintaining this sense of shared identity and community that will allow the University of Nottingham to remain strong, positive and resilient as we move forward together.

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Last week we saw the passing of Sir Peter Mansfield; the loss of a great scientist, a visionary leader, and a very fine person.

Sir Peter is what these days we would describe as a WP student: born in Camberwell; brought up in a family of modest means; left school at 15 (with the advice that science was not really for him); and A levels at evening class.

Who could have guessed at the astonishing career to follow?

Sir Peter completed undergraduate studies and his PhD (in Physics) at Queen Mary College, London then went on to a Post Doc position at the University of Illinois. He joined the University of Nottingham in September 1964 and completed an entire academic career with our University, including as a very active Emeritus Professor. More than half a century in total.

When he arrived at Nottingham, Sir Peter was already working on nuclear magnetic resonance. By the mid-1970s his work was being backed by the Medical Research Council, industry, and the University. And he famously offered himself up as the subject for the very first whole body scan, on a prototype magnetic resonance imaging scanner. Archive footage on ‘Tomorrow’s World’ memorably captures the experiment.

In its obituary to Sir Peter, The Times reported there are now 22,000 MRI machines in use around the world, completing 60 million plus scans a year.

For his fundamental work on MRI, Sir Peter (with the late Professor Paul Lauterbur) was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 2003. A little more than 200 scientists have received this prize since it was created in 1901.

Sir Peter had many other scientific and civil honours, including election as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1987, and conferment of a Knighthood in 1993. For all this and more Peter remained a modest individual, devoted to this family, and generous to his University.

On a personal level, I had the pleasure to vicariously share a few of Sir Peter’s honours. First in 2009, when the then CEO of the Medical Research Council Sir Leszek Borysiewicz came to Nottingham for a special ceremony to award Sir Peter with the MRC’s Millennium Medal. Second in 2013 when I had the honour of delivering the oration when he became just the 39^th person since 1895 to be granted Freedom of the City of Nottingham. And third, last year, when I accompanied Sir Peter and Lady Jean for the naming of one of the City’s new trams in his honour.

Fittingly Sir Peter’s last visit to the University was for a Symposium to mark 25 years since the establishment of the Sir Peter Mansfield Magnetic Resonance Centre, just a matter of weeks ago. He spent the entire day here engaging with colleagues past and present, and with a great many of his former PhD students.

Very few people can claim to have changed the world. Peter Mansfield has done just that and millions worldwide have benefited and will continue to benefit from his discoveries in MRI.

He bequeaths a rich legacy in the ongoing work of the Sir Peter Mansfield Imaging Centre at our University, led until recently by Professor Peter Morris CBE, who has spent his entire career with Sir Peter. That legacy will continue to change the world.

Professor Sir David Greenaway

Vice-Chancellor

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I stood looking over the House of Commons Terrace at 2200 on Tuesday evening after the final event of Nottingham in Parliament Day feeling enormous pride in what had just unfolded, and wondering, ‘how on earth did we pull that off’?

The day had started the day before, with a radio interview when I was explaining what a good idea it was to take over Parliament, and was asked ‘well if it is such a good idea, how come no one else has done it?’.

And that’s the great thing about great ideas, once you have had them they can seem so obvious.

This idea began with Alex Miles, Deputy Director of External Relations. All I had to do was say yes or no. It was not without risk, but ‘yes’ it was. Easy really.

Then came the hard yards: building partnerships to ensure that whilst we led, it was not just about our University; energising our University community to underpin events; persuading Parliamentarians to commit time; persuading the Sergeant at Arms that Robin Hood’s costume and arrows should be allowed into the House because they weren’t simply “fancy dress”; and convincing The Speaker that Parliament was safe in our hands.

The resulting day was simply astounding.

I was there for the first event – a live experiment on coral degradation led by Sir Martyn Poliakoff and Universities Minister Jo Johnson – with the Japanese Ambassador and BBC1 dropping in to see it take place; to the last, a Westminster reception for 200 alumni and friends with keynote contributions from Sir Andrew Witty (Chief Executive of GSK) and Sir John Sawers (former Chief of MI6) both distinguished Nottingham graduates.

In between there were another 43 events themed under: Business, Talent and Enterprise; City of Science and Healthcare Innovation; Culture Heritage and Society; Global Connections; Home of Sport; and Nottingham Research Futures.

At the serious end of things these included: a breakfast discussion focused on how the Midlands Engine can drive growth; a forum on ending slavery; anti-FGM discussions; a debate on how we promote exports in a post-Brexit world; a symposium on the future of food – with a double-Michelin starred chef working with our academics to outline Nottingham solutions to global food security challenges… all through one risotto.

At the more light hearted end of the spectrum we had: 3D printing MPs’ heads with pupils from Nottingham University Academy of Science and Technology; table-tennis, cricket, archery and football on New Palace Yard and Speaker’s Green; and a special edition University Challenge between Parliamentarians and University staff (the best bit of which was the setting in the Speakers Chambers – we were thumped, and as the Universities and Science Minister captained the Commons’ Team, he’s unlikely to let me forget it).

Overall we had more than 2,500 guests across these 45 events. Over 250 parliamentarians, 6 Ministers and the Speakers of both Houses took part in the day in one form or another (I confess to not expecting to see Alec Salmond MP and Dennis Skinner MP playing “parliamentary ping-pong” with Robin Hood).

Astounding.

So what?

This is the first time a University and a City has taken over Parliament. But if that was the be all and end all, it makes it just a media relations exercise, albeit a creative and very impactful one. It was more, much more.

It brought together more than 100 partners from business, education, health, sport and civil society behind a common agenda; it showcased the best that Nottingham has to offer as a place to live, work and build communities; it galvanised our own community; and it highlighted our University’s civic leadership in a totemic way. We were, for this day, “Nottingham Together” – and the combined power of the message was such that this “hashtag” was even out-trending the Heathrow announcement across the UK for large swathes of the day.

We now have to build on the success of Nottingham in Parliament Day to ensure its legacy is not just great memories of an amazing day. And we will be working with all who were involved from the University, and our partners to do just that.

Many individuals and groups deserve thanks for the planning and delivery of this initiative. Alex Miles and his team led the University effort; Chris Leslie MP, Lilian Greenwood MP, Anna Soubry MP and Vernon Coaker MP and their offices led the Parliamentarians who turned out in force.

Finally, special thanks must go to The Speaker of the House of Commons, the Rt Hon John Bercow MP. Nothing like this had ever been done before. He trusted us to deliver, granted access to many areas of the House of Commons reserved for Parliamentary business, including his own Chambers, and turned out as a great Quiz Master for our version of University Challenge.

Professor Sir David Greenaway
Vice-Chancellor

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Today the Universities Minister, Rt Hon Jo Johnson MP opened our new Ingenuity Centre on Jubilee Campus. This new signature building, designed to echo the industrial heritage of the site, became possible when we were selected as one of four University Enterprise Zones, by the then Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (now BEIS).

That brought with it funding for the Ingenuity Centre, which will be the hub for Enterprise at Nottingham, a new partnership between The Haydn Green Institute, IP and Commercialisation Office and Careers and Employability Service.

The work we already do has a significant impact on our city, our region and on the UK as whole: 1 in 24 jobs in Nottingham are reliant in some part on the University of Nottingham. These figures are underpinned by our support for a thriving innovation and enterprise ecosystem through work with entrepreneurial students, alumni and academic staff, and with local SMEs.

The Ingenuity Centre will be home to a host of high value start-ups, investors, industry innovators, leaders and University staff at the frontier of supporting and developing enterprise.

The Centre will support a wealth of development programmes, networking events, competitions and will inspire the next generation of University entrepreneurs.

Vignettes of our different support programmes are highlighted below with weblinks.

Ingenuity student and alumni entrepreneurship competition 

Ingenuity16 established the Ingenuity brand as one of the biggest entrepreneurship competitions in the UK and took over 450 entrepreneurs through an intensive development programme of workshops, seminars and boot camps in the UK and China.

Businesses benefitting include: One Third Stories who developed the Clockwork Methodology® and are working with major publishers to make it easier for children to learn new languages; Fanbytes are redefining online marketing to millennials with global brands and opinion makers ; and Porterlight design cargo bicycles for inner city use having recently signed a major deal with Deliveroo.

Entrepreneurship Education and Research  

The Haydn Green Institute provides world class entrepreneurial education to over 4000 students each year in the UK, Malaysia and China to develop the next generation of business leaders and innovators. The Institute also supports leading entrepreneurship and innovation scholars whose award-winning work impacts on policy and practice globally.

Young Entrepreneurs Scheme

The Young Entrepreneurs Scheme is a family of business plan competitions for early career researchers, built on research pioneered by the Haydn Green Institute, delivered as a unique partnership with 4 Research Councils and industry sponsors including GSK, Unilever and Syngenta. Since 1995 over 5000 researchers have taken part and subsequently realised significant personal and societal benefits. Beginning with bioscience researchers, the scheme has grown to cater for environmental scientists, engineers, medical researchers, chemists and digital researchers.

 Spin Outs    

We currently have 27 successful spin-out companies in operation, employing 145 people and with more than £90 million in investment raised in the last 10 years.   Our companies span a wide variety of sectors having high value impact.

Monica Healthcare has developed a novel foetal and maternal heartrate monitoring system and recently signed a deal with GE Healthcare as their exclusive distribution partner in North America;

and Oncimmune has developed a technique for the early detection of cancer and recently floated on the London Stock Exchange.

Licensing  

We also license new technologies arising from research to industry with over 100 deals concluded in recent years. Examples include the licensing of soda-lo, a salt substitute, to Tate and Lyle.

Investment  

In addition to the University‘s £350k per annum Innovation Investment Fund, we have a new Nottingham Ingenuity Fund, supported by alumni and friends of the University. To date this has amassed support of £1 million over the next 5 years to launch student and alumni opportunities on the path to success.

International Entrepreneurship  

The Ingenuity Lab runs one of the UK’s largest Tier 1 Entrepreneurship Visa programme and currently has over 70 active businesses. This has created a dynamic and truly international culture of entrepreneurship at UoN.

Business Engagement 

The Aspire to Grow Programme is a free business growth programme available to high growth business owners/senior decision makers from small and medium size enterprises. It was designed and launched using HEIF support and brings together student and academic enterprises with ambitious local small businesses.

Developing the next generation of entrepreneurs

A wide range of activities nurture and develop new talent. These include: practical skills for market assessment and forecasting, price setting, financial modelling; professional advice for financial, IP and legal matters, and coaching in other specialist market segments; strategic advice from many areas; space to work; and expert guidance from high value mentors selected from University’s alumni network of industry leaders

For more information about the entrepreneurial work that the Ingenuity Lab are doing, please contact the team on ingenuitylab@nottingham.ac.uk.

You can follow The Ingenuity Lab on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and on the Inside the Ingenuity Lab blog.

The Enterprise at Nottingham partnership is a unique offer to provide our budding and seasoned entrepreneurs with the support, guidance, skills and networks to be able to bring their ideas to fruition. The new Ingenuity Centre will provide the perfect location to help our distinctive entrepreneurial ecosystem to innovate and grow.

Professor Sir David Greenaway

Vice-Chancellor

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