ÌÇÐÄTV

School Updates (David Towers)

• Professor James Covington will be appointed as Head of Department commencing on 1st August 2026, with an initial tenure of 2 years.
• The University’s total income has grown by £11 million, with the SoE on track to achieve an additional savings target of £400k in Q2.
• Research grants and contracts income at £147.5 million across the university.
• ≈11 academic vacancies to be filled across the coming years.
• Three new academic hires have been completed (Liam Weaver, Jiaqi Yan, Adam Khonat). 5 more positions have been approved to start onwards of 1 August.
• Professor Caroline Meyer is the new Provost at the University of ÌÇÐÄTV and will be supporting the Vice-Chancellor in the academic leadership of the University.

Research Updates (James Covington)

• The Research Support Repository is currently under construction by the Research & Impact Office (RIO).
• The RIO have also put together a new Research Funding Database to be updated regularly by Chris Stokes.
• Symplectic Elements is now live. All staff are encouraged to set up their profiles.
• Wider research and cluster pages will be updated over the coming year with up-to-date information.
• Between April 2025 and Jan 2026, the SoE has secured 40+ project funding with combined funding over £12 million.
• Academics who are planning to or are interested in applying for funding for the Horizon Europe Seed Fund should follow timelines and guidance from Research & Impact Services (RIS) to ensure ample time for submission. Applications should be made at least 3 weeks before the external deadline.
• UKRI / funding updates (see later page).
• REF2029: no further guidance will be published until Autumn 2026. Currently, the RIO are developing a process for output collection and ranking. The University Impact Deep Dive has been scheduled for 8 July 2026.
• Export controls. Those who invite visitors to the university for extended periods of time (1-12 months) will be expected to monitor visitor information, e.g. visiting nation and potential risks of technology or information export. Questions or concerns should be directed to Charlottee Passingham, Trusted Research Manager, at ResearchCompliance@warwick.ac.uk
• PGR Success. Out of 75 applications, SoE secured 4 Chancellor’s Scholarships and 2 interdisciplinary awards. The SoE has received outstanding applicants and is pleased to have secure 5 out of 8 EPSRC DLA Collaborative scholarships with industry partners.
• Knowledge Transfer Partnerships. Dr. Louise Morgan presented on the requirements and benefits of KTPS; a collaboration between graduate or postgraduate, UK-based business, and a UK-based university. These partnerships (12-36 months in length) bring teams together to address strategic business challenges through knowledge exchange. Those who are interested in learning more can reach out to Louise.Morgan.1@warwick.ac.uk

People Updates (Joanna Collingwood)

• Promotion applications from autumn 2025 have been reviewed and provided with feedback. All revised applications were received in January and will be notified of the outcome by the University. Staff considering applying for promotion are encouraged to look at the criteria and discuss with line managers.
• The University has not yet announced the process for Personal Development Review (PDR) for summer 2026.
• Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion. University policies concerning Compassionate Leave, Miscarriage, and Fertility Treatment have been updated. The Self-Assessment Team (SAT) under the Athena Swan Gold Chartermark will be re-formed later this year to support Action Plan delivery. Sam Parr and the EDI committee met to discuss issues and support measures for LGBTQUIA+ staff and students. The University is developing a Reasonable Adjustments in Labs project to plan for more accessible labs in future.

Teaching Updates

• National Student Survey (NSS) response is currently 2nd in Faculty at 68%, just behind Physics (69%). The survey will close on the 30th April.
• Applications to Engineering and Technology course are up by 15.5%. For the 26/27 academic year, UG Year 1 targets are 480 and 440 with and without CSE respectively.
• On the other hand, PGT applications are down by 31% on average across fields.
• A new UG curriculum is being rolled out to meet latest accreditation standards (AHEP4). Those who with to update their modules for the 26/27 year should get in touch with their Director of Studies ASAP.
• The department is looking to introduce a new tutorial model for the 26/27 year, where all 1st years will be allocated to a personal tutor with maths exercises to be covered in groups of 30. This new model has received positive feedback from the SSLC. Further information will be provided in the Teaching Meeting 28th April.

STEM Connect Updates

• Teaching space updates: Phase I now only has two types of specialist teaching spaces (Civil + Mechanical & Electrical). Phase II now has a Design Studio, as well as EBS and Computer Rooms.
• Capacities for STEM Connect are consistent with growth in Engineering UG numbers.