JISC – Out with the old
This message has just been posted to the JISC Announce mailing list by Martyn Harrow, the new Chief Executive, and marks the end of an era for JISC, at least in terms of the way funding is distributed.
Below you will find one funding call, which represents the end of our funding programme for the 2011-2012 academic year. Given the significant changes now being geared up for JISC, I thought you would appreciate it if I set these final calls in context.
In the Wilson Review of JISC published in February 2011, our customers, communities and funders expressed their views very clearly about the kind of reshaped and impactful JISC they wanted us to become. Following that a Transition Group was set up with senior representatives from across the sectors we serve to produce a more developed blueprint for this new JISC.
I started as Executive Secretary on 1st February; and since that time we have been working very hard to mobilise all the necessary actions to make this transition to a ‘new JISC for new times’ happen in practice. This new JISC will have a more focused mandate, will be driven by the needs of those we serve and will work within a significantly tighter funding envelope. Among many other things, therefore, it will require a new ‘business/funding model’. Proposals for which, based on the recommendations accepted from the Wilson Review and Transition Group report, are being prepared for approval. Once finalised and agreed, I expect this to commence in the financial year 2013/14.
So a lot of work is in hand. The Invitation to Tender (ITT) below is therefore the last that will be undertaken in quite this way; and seeks to tie off existing commitments elegantly and obtain best value from the remaining funds allocated to JISC this year. For 2012/13 and beyond, it is my intention that increasingly the priorities for all JISC activity, including the allocation of any funds which can be made available for ‘pathfinding’ activity, will be arrived at in consultation with our customers, owners and funders – and agreed with our Board – in a more transparent and ‘co-invented’ process.
I hope the above is helpful. If I can provide any further information or clarification on these points specifically, please feel free to contact me at m.harrow@jisc.ac.uk. Otherwise, the contact details for the ITT are referenced below.
With best regards,
Martyn C Harrow
JISC Executive Secretary
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JISC, the UK’s leading expert on the information and digital technologies for education and research invites tenders for work as part of its Learning and Teaching Portfolio.
One tender is issued from the Learning and Teaching Portfolio:
- Coursedata demonstrators: The projects will demonstrate the value to both institutions and students of aggregated, standardised course data using the xcri-cap 1.2 feeds produced by the JISC #coursedata programme. The aim is to provide compelling examples of how standardised course advertising data can be used to improve recruitment, retention and the student experience. Please click this link for further information http://www.jisc.ac.uk/fundingopportunities.aspx .