15 May 2024

The Technician Commitment Signatory Event was held in Cardiff on Wednesday 15 May, the first time the event has been brought to Wales. Hosted at Techniquest Science Discovery Centre, the event gathered institutional leads from across 115 signatory organisations to share industry best practice, hear sector updates and network with technical colleagues from across the UK.

The event included an evening reception co-hosted by the Technician Commitment and Wales Innovation Network (WIN), in which WIN shared a video to celebrate the indispensable technical workforce within higher education and research in Wales. The evening reception featured the following speakers:

  • Dr Lewis Dean and David Noakes, Head of Wales Innovation Network and Chair of WIN Technicians’ Network 
  • Abigail Phillips, Head of Innovation Welsh Government  
  • Professor Wendy Larner, President and Vice-Chancellor, Cardiff University 
  • Mark Dabee Saltmarsh, Technician Demonstrator, Cardiff Metropolitan University 

The Technician Commitment is a university and research institution initiative hosted by the UK Institute for Technical Skills & Strategy. The Commitment aims to ensure visibility, recognition, career development and sustainability for technicians working in higher education and research, across all disciplines.

Dr Lewis Dean, head of the Wales Innovation Network, spoke at the event about the WIN Technicians’ Network and the vital contribution of technicians in Welsh higher education. He said:

“The Wales Innovation network facilitates collaboration across Welsh universities, seeking to build research and innovation partnerships. Technicians are integral to that work and we’re delighted to be able to celebrate the work that they do across all of our universities.”

Professor Helen Griffiths, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation at Swansea University, said:

“We are so incredibly fortunate in Wales to have such talented technicians who support the breadth of higher education activity.

“Technicians play such a critical role in research and innovation. They support student learning, they support research both from formal education and in doctoral study, and our technicians play central roles in supporting outreach and civic mission.

“I am delighted that we're recognising the vital contribution of our technical community through these celebrations today.”