People

We deliver world-class research that impacts the people living in our communities.

People

People are at the heart of research and innovation. Our people are delivering world-class research which, in turn, impacts people in our communities. 

Empowered Community,
Innovative Research

We aim to cultivate a vibrant and inclusive research ecosystem and entrepreneurial culture by developing the skills of our people whilst empowering and celebrating our diverse community.

We benefit our region’s population by better understanding the challenges they face and improving citizen engagement in our activity.

People

Developing Our People, 
Accelerating Research

Midlands Innovation delivers initiatives to develop the skills of our people, from Early Career Researchers (ECRs), PostDocs, to technicians and research enablers. Through research and training the workforce of tomorrow, our universities improve the social, economic, environmental and cultural wellbeing of people in the Midlands, the UK and globally.

We have a rich and diverse workforce. Our partners collectively employ 7% of the UK’s academic workforce and 10% of the UK’s postgraduates (16,125 academics and 11,310 research students). There are 33,978 people employed across our eight universities and our university partners support 6% of all UK undergraduate students. (2021-22 HESA).

We tackle systemic challenges through collaboration (e.g. to improve research culture, support Early Career Researchers, develop research leaders) by securing new project investment and piloting novel approaches.

Championing Technicians

Since 2015 Midlands Innovation has helped to increase the visibility of our technical workforce, to recognise its excellence and support career development. Our eight universities were founding signatories of the Technician Commitment initiative and the UK Higher Education Technicians Summit (HETS), a biennial conference for the technical community featuring the prestigious Papin Prizes.

MI TALENT Programme

The transformational TALENT Programme, launched in 2020 and concluding in 2025, aimed to advance the status and opportunities for technicians in UK higher education and research. The TALENT Commission report (published in February 2022) gathered new strategic insights into the UK’s technical workforce, resulting in 16 national recommendations. Midlands Innovation universities collectively committed to implementing these recommendations, improving future technical skills, roles, and careers for the 2,100 technicians in the MI community. The programme’s impact is highlighted in the TALENT Programme: Interventions and Impact report, which showcases the transformative changes achieved both within the partnership and throughout the UK.

The TALENT Programme will conclude on 28 February 2025. The UK Institute for Technical Skills and Strategy (UK ITSS) is now home to the Technician Commitment and continues to champion technicians, building on the TALENT legacy and expanding efforts to create a sustainable and skilled technical workforce for the future. Training materials, publications, and resources delivered by the TALENT Programme remain available here.

Read this case study to find out more about the ground-breaking TALENT initiative.

Collaborative postdoctoral development programme C-DICE

C-DICE aims to build and sustain the advanced skills base required to create a pipeline of world-class talent for the Infrastructure, Cities and Energy (IC&E) sectors, and accelerate progress towards a net-zero society by 2050. The programme brings together the collective expertise of the UKCRIC universities with the partners of the Energy Research Accelerator, working alongside research associations, institutes, and many leading industrial partners. Learn more at https://www.cdice.ac.uk/ @CentreDice

Future Energy Leaders ERA Skills

ERA Skills provides a holistic energy-related skills provision to develop high-quality energy workforce; to create a diverse talent pipeline to secure the UK’s position as a leader in energy research and innovation; and to facilitate knowledge transfer between researchers and industry to help accelerate the downstream impact of ERA-related research. Learn more https://www.era.ac.uk/skills/

Latest News

Frequently Asked Questions

Collectively there are 16,125 academics (7% of the UK’s academic workforce) ,11,310 research students (10% of the UK’s postgraduates) and a technical community of around 2,100. Our eight universities support 121,190 undergraduate students (6% of the UK’s undergrads) and employ 33,978 (2021-22 data).

Our eight university partners are Technician Commitment signatories. They were founding signatories of the Technician Commitment, along with several other university partners, when the initiative launched in 2015.

Read our Case Studies

Learn More About Our Research Priorities