Experts and senior leaders will explore creating world-class research and development in the UK and how the community can increase collaboration and reduce bureaucracy.

Jisc’s annual event, Digifest, will feature sessions, keynote speakers and panel discussions for the research community, creating a space to debate and promote digital innovation within higher education, reflecting its increasingly pivotal role.  

Digifest will feature a series of sessions celebrating and exploring the innovation and impact of research in the UK today. Focussing on topics vital to the research and higher education communities, the programme aims to bring these topics to the fore, share important knowledge and inspire debate.

Keynote speakers on the first day of the event will feature Professor Will Drury, interim executive director at InnovateUK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), discussing how research can inspire world-class research and development growth across the UK.  

Day one will also feature the launch of a report that outlines how the UK’s university research assets can be leveraged in more innovative ways to encourage collaboration, enhance sustainability and reduce bureaucracy. These assets include equipment, facilities, instruments and research laboratories.

A discussion group will explore the implications of the report. It will be led by Jisc’s director of higher education and research, Victoria Moody, and feature Willoughby Werner, sustainability lead at UKRI; Lewis Dean, director at the Wales Innovation Network; and Luke Davis, joint head of research infrastructure, EPSRC.

Joshua Mitchum, CEO and co-founder of audio research platform Audemic, will give a presentation on day two discussing how AI and the innovative use of open research can make research more accessible and easier to use.

Across Digifest’s two days, there will also be a showcase of Jisc’s new research products and services that have been developed with the community, a case study from the University of Manchester outlining how it used software prototyping for research proposals, and presentations on Jisc’s work enabling the digital humanities. 

Victoria Moody said:

“We are delighted to be bringing research sessions to Digifest. Research creates opportunities for institutions, students and businesses to collaborate for the benefit of our economy and communities, in the UK and internationally. It is wonderful to be at this event where experts from our sector come to share knowledge and be inspired by their peers.”

Digifest aims to outline how technology can help the education sector and will be held in Birmingham’s ICC on March 7 and 8. Many of the sessions will be live-streamed, and registrations are open now.

Book your ticket for Digifest to attend either in person or online.