President's weekly update

14 January 2021

COVID-19 infection rates are very high in the Greater Manchester (GM) region and hospital admissions and deaths are increasing. It is estimated that infection rates in GM are likely to peak in the next two to three weeks, so we need to be especially diligent over the next month in deciding if any University activities can be deferred, and we must adhere rigorously to all safety measures. A number of our staff in the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health are being called on to deliver frontline health services as pressures on the NHS grow.  I am pleased that we are supporting the COVID-19 community vaccination programme by hosting a vaccination centre at the former Chancellors Hotel site in Fallowfield.

Many of our students have been told by government not to return to university unless they are studying on a small number of exempt programmes or have clear personal reasons for returning. We have informed students living in our own residences that they will not have to pay rent for the period of lockdown when they cannot return to their University accommodation. This is in addition to the 30% rent rebate we have given for the whole of semester 1, ie: up to the end of January. These exemptions from paying rent are fair given the restrictions on our students, but are likely to cost us up to an additional £15 million, which we will have to save from other budgets.

This is a challenging time for staff who are juggling work commitments with caring and home schooling.  The Department for Education (DfE) has confirmed that university staff required to deliver or to support delivery of teaching or research and the provision of appropriate university facilities, are considered as critical workers for the purposes of their children accessing education, however many schools may be unable to take additional students, largely due to staff absences.  A range of support and wellbeing resources is available for staff to help them during this latest lockdown.

Equality, diversity and inclusion are core to our University and whilst we have made progress, including our Race Matters report which makes important recommendations that we are implementing, we recognise that we need to do more.  We are taking further actions and changing the way EDI is structured and reports into our senior management and governance groups. 

At a meeting with about 70 leaders from across our University, I updated on recent events and our financial position, as we continue to face a number of financial challenges and uncertainties. I also summarised the recent Annual Performance Review process and the key issues that were discussed, notable successes and plans.  This process has been streamlined this year and focussed more on future aims in line with delivering the priorities in Our future.  Patrick Hackett, our Registrar, Secretary and Chief Operating Officer, and Dr Andrew Walsh, Director of Research and Business Engagement, spoke about managing international security risks which are of increasing importance to government.

We held an additional meeting of Senate at which I gave a brief update on the most recent developments affecting the sector including our University. The meeting was to debate a motion to establish a ‘task and finish’ sub-group of Senate concerned with the impact of the pandemic. The motion was not supported in a vote by members but we agreed to continue regular updates.

We held the formal launch of our Christabel Pankhurst Institute for Health Technology Research and Innovation led by Professor Chris Taylor as Interim Director. The event was attended by more than 300 people on a webinar, including Helen Pankhurst, Sylvia’s granddaughter and Emmeline Pankhurst’s great-granddaughter. We heard from Chris and others involved in digital, AI, new materials and technologies, and were joined by the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham.

I also had several discussions about our Henry Royce Institute for Advanced Material Research and Innovation with the Chair, Baroness Brown, the Director, David Knowles and the Chief Scientist, Professor Phil Withers. The Institute is progressing well, and we are considering the formal launch.

I met the Chief Scientific Advisor to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), Professor Paul Monks, to discuss the key priorities of net zero, post-COVID-19 economic recovery and ‘levelling-up’. I am co-chairing a sub-group of the Council for Science and Technology on levelling-up with Andy Haldane, Chair of the Industrial Strategy Council and Chief Economist at the Bank of England.

At the Board of our Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) we heard that the competition for bidding for the next round of BRC funding is slightly delayed but will begin soon. Our BRC has made great progress and we are hopeful that we will be able to secure an increase in the level of funding in the next round.

Professor April McMahon, Vice-President for Teaching, Learning and Students and I met with Kwame Kwarteng, General Secretary of our Students’ Union. Kwame and his colleagues have been very helpful in engaging with our wider student body and particularly with students in our residences over recent months.

Since Christmas we have held several meetings of Russell Group members to compare how we are managing lockdown, teaching and learning, research and wider operations. All are facing the same challenges as us and are concerned about impacts of the pandemic.

Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor

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