Dear colleagues,
At a crucial moment for UK-EU relations we welcomed the UK Minister for EU Relations, the European Commissioner for Trade and the EU Ambassador to the UK to our South Kensington Campus this week. The visit showcased research projects supported by Horizon Europe and delivered in collaboration with our European partners. The visit coincided with the welcome news that UK researchers will now have access to EU space and quantum research funding.
This week I also visited our strategic partners at France’s National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) to discuss our strategic partnership, which now has seven major joint programmes, including the LhARA project which has grown to be a fantastic embodiment of European convergence science focused on cancer research.
At Wednesday’s In Conversation with the President event we also heard from Kathryn Al-Shemmeri, Chief People Officer, on the transformation of the HR division to the new People Team. The changes being made are designed to break down silos and provide a more personalised, higher-touch service offering, particularly in support of managers at Imperial. They will also deliver a more strategically aligned offering, clearly supporting Imperial to deliver its aims.
Robert Kerse, Chief Operating Officer, gave an update on the Great Environment pillar of the Enabling roadmap, covering the digital environment, physical environment and carbon commitments. We heard about projects to transform the Great Hall and Sherfield Building, as well as future phases of the South Kensington redevelopment. You can find out more about this at the next Professional Services Discussion on 15 May.
Our Q&A covered a wide range of issues, including the recent UK Supreme Court ruling on definitions in the Equality Act 2010. Thank you to everyone in our community for sharing your insights and questions. As I said during the session, the protection of our entire community is at the forefront of our minds. We are giving careful consideration to the implications of the Supreme Court’s judgment and will act to ensure that our policies and guidance protect the legal rights of all members of our community. This includes considering the appropriateness to Imperial of the EHRC’s interim guidance issued last week. Our University Management Board will review this in mid-May, and we will provide further updates.
I would like to thank all staff who asked questions during the session, as well as Consul Wisia Wedzicha for chairing the discussion. As usual, questions will be followed up in an upcoming edition of Staff Briefing.
Looking ahead, later this month I will travel to India to launch our new Global Hub. Situated in Bengaluru, a prominent research and innovation ecosystem, Imperial Global India will help scale up our collaborations with research and industry across the country, and strengthen our lifelong engagement with alumni.
This month we also have Mental Health Awareness Week, starting on Monday 12 May. There is an extensive programme of events open to staff and students throughout the week – please do take a look at what is on offer.
The next In Conversation staff event will be on Thursday 22 May, led by Provost Ian Walmsley. You may have seen the launch of the new Imperial Business School brand this week – you can hear more about this and plans for the future from Dean Professor Peter Todd at May’s event.
Best wishes,
Hugh
Professor Hugh Brady, President