Applications are now open for the 2021 Papin Prizes – the UK’s only awards entirely focused on recognising technical excellence in higher education and research.

This year’s prizes include the Lifetime Achievement Award, which is given in honour of Professor Lord Bhattacharyya, founder Chairman of WMG at the University of Warwick, who was a passionate champion of the work of technicians.

The Papin Prizes recognise the outstanding work that higher education technicians do, often behind the scenes, to ensure that the highest possible quality of teaching and research can be delivered. Since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic the technical community has gone to huge lengths to be at the forefront of swiftly transitioning academic teaching online, and in undertaking all of the requirements in making university campuses COVID-19 secure for the start of the academic year.

Academic technicians are also playing a crucial role in supporting world-leading COVID-19 research being undertaken by universities. This research is helping the UK fight the coronavirus, and in recognition of this, a special Papin Prize category is being launched this year to recognise the efforts of a technical team or an individual colleague during the pandemic.

Nominations for the prizes are invited from universities and research institutes for technicians across all disciplines with awards being issued across a range of categories, including:

· COVID-19 Recognition

· Research

· Teaching

· Newcomer

· Core Research Facility

· Infrastructure

· Outreach

· Technical Team

· The Professor Lord Bhattacharyya Lifetime Achievement Award

To nomination someone for a Papin Prize, click here.

The prizes will be presented at a special award ceremony at the UK Higher Education Technician Summit (HETS), which is set to be held on the 10^th November at the East Midlands Conference Centre and is hosted by Midlands Innovation, a partnership of eight universities - Aston, Birmingham, Cranfield, Keele, Leicester, Loughborough, Nottingham & Warwick, in partnership with the Science Council.

Professor Pam Thomas, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) at the University of Warwick, commented: “Our technical colleagues are essential for underpinning both excellent teaching and research at the University of Warwick. We are committed to our technical staff, who have worked incredibly hard to keep operations on campus working through a difficult year, and having also been key in adapting and implementing Covid-secure laboratories. It is excellent this work can be celebrated through the Papin Prizes, which Warwick is proud to have helped promote since inception in 2015, with key involvement from the late Professor Lord Bhattacharyya.”

Kelly Vere MBE, Technician Commitment lead for the Science Council, and Director of Technical Skills and Strategy, at Nottingham, said: “Technical colleagues across the sector have been at the forefront of the response to Covid-19, supporting critical research, the national testing programme and aiding the civic response to the pandemic. Technicians have also had to act swiftly in response to new government guidance – including opening up testing sites on campuses and transitioning learning online, and so we look forward to receiving and reading nominations for this extra special COVID Recognition award.”

Dr Helen Turner, Director of the Midlands Innovation university partnership – a collaboration of the region’s eight most research-intensive universities, which founded the UK’s Higher Education Technical Summit and Papin Prizes, said: “Midlands Innovation was at the forefront of recognising the important role that the higher education and research technical community make to academic research and discovery. As the partnership making the UK’s largest investment in the career development of technical colleagues in the sector, we are delighted to be hosting the 4th UK Higher Education Technicians Summit.”

2 February

Contact:

Tom Frew - Senior Press and Media Relations Manager:

E: a.t.frew@warwick.ac.uk
T: +44(0)7785433155