Our colleagues in IDG (Information & Digital Group) have been bringing the University's digital strategy to life, aiming to inspire the Executive Board and Council, and proving the team has the expertise to help deliver the institution's bold "Excellence with Purpose" vision for 2030.

In the realm of technology, our IDG colleagues have been designing a new Digital Strategy for the University, exploring how technology can support future student education, expedite the admissions process and enhance student support during their studies. The team is also working with other Professional Services functions to identify opportunities for technology to reduce administrative tasks and improve operational efficiency, as part of the Warwick Transformation Programme.

The team staged an immersive Digital Showcase in University House, transporting attendees five years into the future technological landscape. From AI history graphics in the atrium to hands-on demos of cutting-edge virtual reality, augmented reality and data capabilities across various stalls, the showcase illustrated how strategic investment in digital innovation can revolutionise education and research.

One powerful example showed how technology can enable us to provide our students with a single platform to track their journey with us, from being a prospective student through to graduating and becoming an alumni, using AI to provide an enhanced user experience.

As Raja Javaid, Chief Information and Transformation Officer Information & Digital Group, said:

"As leaders of the University's digital transformation journey, we stand at the forefront of digital innovation, steering toward a future where technology empowers every facet of our institution. The immersive showcase vividly illustrates our commitment to excellence and purpose, showcasing how strategic investments in digital innovation can reshape education, research and our global impact.

“Together with our partners, we're pioneering a path towards a digitally enabled future, where boundaries are transcended and possibilities are limitless. This showcase reaffirms our resolve to harness the power of technology to shape a brighter tomorrow for our University and beyond."

The immersive digital experiences resonated particularly well with academic leaders like Lorenzo Frigerio, Education Professor and Pro Vice Chancellor:

"Fantastic demo - absolute winner is the AI-assisted student portal. We need one now! It will enable us to tackle some of the long-standing issues we are facing around providing students with a seamless digital experience."

The Showcase also met with a significant amount of interest and excitement from the University’s Council members. Jen Leibbrand, Business Engagement Director Information & Digital Group commented afterwards:

“We received a huge amount of support from Council Members who seemed to be energised about the vision we shared with them for our digital future.Why wouldn’t you do this?seemed to be a common reaction on the evening, so we couldn’t have asked for a better response from Council members.”

Embarking on a comprehensive digital transformation is a strategic imperative for our University, as we strive to elevate our global standing and deliver exceptional technology-enabled experiences.

Larger or more specialised print projects such as exam papers, promotional items and bound publications will be handled through the University's vetted print suppliers. Many offer advanced capabilities beyond Warwick Print's services as well as environmentally sustainable printing options.

Until the end of this academic year, the Warwick Print website will provide full details on which vendor to use for your specific printing need, along with instructions on how to place orders. After that, visit the Procurement web pages and click ‘Approved Suppliers’; and for brand guidance, visit the Brand web pages. Anything that previously went through Warwick Print's in-house services will now need to be requested through these new channels.

Friday 28th June is the last date for placing orders with Warwick Print and the team has asked people to be patient as turnaround times are likely to be longer than normal, so please give the team as much notice as possible.

We recognise that the closure of Warwick Print's in-house operation is difficult for those accustomed to their familiar service and that we will all need to adopt a new way to buy printed goods.

We appreciate your understanding and flexibility as we complete this transition. By working together to embrace these changes, we can continue building on the University's legacy of world-class education and research for many years to come.

To deliver on the IDG vision, we've been creating service changes and over the course of February, a number of these changes will be implemented including:  

• New organisational structure– a new organisational structure will be implemented from 1 February 2024 for all IDG services except the Library, which will follow separately in due course. The structure can be found hereLink opens in a new window (also accessible from the IDG website homepage). 
• Business Engagement– a new capability that will ensure our student and staff communities are at the heart of all our interactions, solutions and services. As part of this new capability, we are recruiting Digital Business Partners (DBPs) who will act as an interface between IDG and the wider University, with 3 DBPs already in post within the faculties. Business Engagement will ensure alignment between your needs and our services, ensuring we deliver quality and effective services and solutions. 
• Warwick Print –as previously communicatedLink opens in a new window, Warwick Print will be closing from July 2024 and to support the transition to closure, a guided self-service model will be in place with the support of two staff members.
• Service Desk –the way in which the Service Desk is operating will be changing from 1 February, enabling the team to deliver faster resolution times and allow service users to track progress. More information can be found here.

As we implement new ways of working and continue to recruit for the new roles in IDG, we are working hard to minimise any disruptions to service. Our service changes will be implemented over time and there will be ongoing communications to share key updates and the progress made.  

Please continue to work with us and log a Service Request via the portal for any requests. This will enable us to accurately capture and monitor, which means we can accurately report back to you on service volumes and timing. Please note that the Service Desk is available for critical incidents over the phone on 0247 657 3737 or ext. 73737 (internally), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The IDG transformation has been both productive and challenging as they have delved into new ways of working, reviewed processes, and proposed changes to our structure. These changes are aimed at realising the IDG vision to become the trusted partner that delivers innovative and effective digital services and solutions, empowering our students, academics, research communities, and staff to maximize their potential and achieve excellence. During this period of change, the commitment and active engagement from IDG colleagues has been significant and has been critical to reaching this point.

The individual consultation process has now come to an end. This has led some colleagues to embrace new roles within IDG, explore opportunities in other areas of the University, or opt for the Enhanced Voluntary Exit Scheme. Changes to the structure will take place in the coming months. A recruitment campaign to seek additional skills to support delivery will be open both internally and externally soon.

IDG will continue to review existing processes, working with external partners to explore new ways of working that will allow IDG to be a trusted partner that delivers digitally focussed and innovative solutions to colleagues and students across the University.

The first area of the organisation to begin its transformation journey was IDG. The design review, known as Project Rewire, started in January 2023 to design a Target Operating Model - a model for how the services in IDG will operate and work across people, process, data and technology.

We engaged with over 200 members of our staff community who shared their insights and feedback on the opportunities and challenges for IDG, this valuable feedback helped shape the future design that has been tested and approved by a dedicated group of senior user representatives and leaders in IDG and the University Executive Board.

This proposed model has been designed to achieve the IDG mission to become a 'trusted partner delivering innovative and effective digital service and solutions that empower our students, academics, research communities and staff to maximise their potential and achieve excellence'.