President's Weekly Update

28 April 2016

Our Global Leadership Board (GLB) met in Manchester this week. The Board comprises very senior supporters of the University, mostly based in the UK but also with representatives of our North American and Hong Kong Foundations. Their main purposes are to help us in raising philanthropic funds and to make introductions to senior individuals who may wish to work with the University, but GLB also has an important role as ‘a critical friend’ on our strategy and plans.

The meeting was on The Christie site with lunch and a tour of our new Manchester Cancer Research Centre building. It included a general update from me on the progress, successes and challenges facing the University, an update on our Manchester Access programme (MAP) which is ten years old - including great presentations from some of our current MAP students, and a wide ranging discussion on philanthropy. The GLB members had dinner in the National Graphene Institute after a tour of the facilities.

At Capital Planning Sub-Committee, we received a presentation on the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC), which looks very impressive, and a summary of the Sir Henry Royce Institute for Advanced Materials building. We also discussed the big national increases in construction costs which are putting major pressures on our budgets and how we address this to deliver priorities.

Similar pressures were the key topic of discussion at a meeting to consider our budgets for the next year and beyond. We have lost significant income from various government sources and are facing rising pressures on costs (most of which are beyond our control), so we will now review all targets and costs, while insisting on continuing investment, which is essential.

This week, Professors Andre Geim and Luke Georghiou (Vice-President for Research and Innovation) appeared before a House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee to discuss the commercialisation of graphene and related products.

In a visit to the School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, the students were lively and positive. They debated the relative importance of coursework and exams (with several different views), told us about how much some of them valued our Foundation Year and lecture recording and how their decision to study in Manchester was based on the reputation of the School and the University. Staff asked about our plans to improve racial diversity, and we discussed ways to increase the amount of time staff have for core activities such as research and teaching.

During a visit to the Institute of Brain Behaviour and Mental Health with staff and PhD students, we discussed the new Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, of which they will all be part, and the opportunities presented by devolution of the health budget to Greater Manchester. We also talked about the importance of quality over quantity in research publications, while recognising that some PhD students feel under pressure to publish a certain number of papers.

Professor Clive Agnew (Vice-President for Teaching, Learning and Students) and I visited the student officer cadets and their instructors. Our students from many different disciplines attend as volunteers alongside students from Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Salford. They learn about leadership and, as described by the Commanding Officer, communication, confidence and character. The students were extremely impressive and had opportunities to take part in a wide range of activities including sport, volunteering and travel in the UK and overseas, as well as social events. About a fifth of those taking part eventually sign up to further officer training in one of the Forces.

I gave a presentation at the Institute of Directors’ North West Women Directors’ Forum on ‘Impact and influence’. The talks were all ‘TED’ style, ie 18 minutes maximum. I talked about influences and impacts on me and who I might have influenced.

Shortly after this I gave a welcome to an ‘Introduction to news media’ event for nuclear scientists, which took place in the Sackville Street Building, organised by the Science Media Centre and led by my friend Fiona Fox. I stressed the importance of our staff and students’ engaging with the media because we are often the leading experts and can give evidence and well-founded arguments on complex and sensitive subjects. This is often helped by media training which we can offer to anyone who plans to get involved with the media.

I was interviewed for a review on behalf the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) which is seeking feedback from its stakeholders. The University is one of the largest grant holders of BBSRC funding, so I fed back the views of some of our current grant holder.

I met Dr Belinda Quinn, the recently appointed CEO of the Precision Medicine Catapult (PMC), with Professor Tony Whetton, who has led on this area. Manchester is one of the partners in PMC, so we discussed our plans and how these fit into evolution of healthcare to Greater Manchester.

It was great to meet up with my scientific collaborators to chat about our future plans for research, followed by a curry!

Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor

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