X-CITED Events & Development Opportunities
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Coming in 2026 – scroll for all options
X-CITED Knowledge Exchange Placement (KEP) Fund
The GW4 X-CITED Knowledge Exchange Placement (KEP) Fund is available for Research Technical Professionals (RTPs) working within Engineering & Physical Science (EPS) across Bath, Bristol, Cardiff & Exeter Universities.
This fund of up to £600 should be used by RTPs to engage in knowledge sharing activities with colleagues from other GW4 institutions to develop connections, gain new knowledge and develop technical skills.
Activities may include but are not limited to:
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Hands-on experience using research equipment or software, either at GW4 premises or with a GW4 partner
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Visits to GW4 institutions housing bespoke equipment to obtain informal training
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Attendance at seminars within the technical remit (at GW4 institutes)
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Attendance at small hackathons, workshops or webinars (at GW4 institutes)
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Attendance at small technical community collaborations or events (at GW4 institutes)
This fund can be used to cover the costs of travel to & from GW4 institutions, accommodation (if required) and TRAC facility use (if required)
For more details and to apply, please complete the X-CITED KEP Fund Application Form and email this to x-cited@gw4.ac.uk
(Only staff in a technical role/pathway or aligned with a RTP role (for guidance on eligibility please contact x-cited@gw4.ac.uk) are eligible for this funding. PGRs and PDRAs are not eligible.)
X-CITED Technical Training Fund
The GW4 X-CITED Technical Training Fund is available for Research Technical Professionals (RTPs) working within Engineering & Physical Science (PSE) across Bath, Bristol, Cardiff & Exeter Universities.
This fund of up to £2000 per application could be used by RTPs to obtain training in use of shared, high-value or bespoke equipment or skill development, where the training does not exist within GW4 institutions; activities may include but are not limited to:
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Equipment manufacturer training courses
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Third party training courses
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Bespoke software courses or training
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Visits to institutions outside GW4 housing equipment to obtain training
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Certified training courses relating to research equipment use
This fund can be used to cover the costs of registration of training courses, travel to & from training courses and accommodation (if required).
For more details and to apply, please complete the X-CITED-Technical-Training-Fund-Application and email this to x-cited@gw4.ac.uk
(Only staff in a technical role/pathway or aligned with a RTP role (for guidance on eligibility please contact x-cited@gw4.ac.uk) are eligible for this funding. PGRs and PDRAs are not eligible.)
Industry Connection Programme: ‘Confidence in Industry Conversations’ Event
📅 When: |
📍Where: |
🕰️Time: |
Click below to register: |
23rd-24th Sept-26 |
The Marriott Hotel – Cardiff (in person) |
Day 1 – registration 10amDay 2 – close 4pm |
Click here to register for the ‘Confidence in Industry Conversations’ event |
All travel, meals and accommodation will be funded by X-CITED
The two days will include a day of bespoke training for our Research Technical Professionals (RTPs**) from world renowned facilitator – Sawan Khuri – known for providing expert training in industry conversations and professional skills development – followed by a second day when industry partners are invited into the conversations.
Open to RTPs across GW4 (Universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff & Exeter), it’s a great opportunity to grow your skills, make new connections and learn more about connecting with business outside of higher education.
This ICP event is aimed at GW4 RTPs who have some experience engaging with industrial colleagues and those with plenty of industrial experience and would like to build their networks. However, it is open to all GW4 RTPs with engineering and physical sciences links.
The Agenda includes:
Day 1:
- Learn the purpose of advertising and promoting your facility to industry
- Discover how to become more visible and gain new contracts
- Interactive work on ‘case studies’ defining customer needs, idea generation and facility solutions
- Build your knowledge on cross-sector collaboration
Day 2:
- Understand the power of networks
- Interactive work on scenarios between RTPs and industry clients
- Industry partner Business show
- Wrap up and prize giving
What will you get out of this?
- Increase confidence to engage with industry – Further develop the skills and self-assurance to initiate, lead and sustain meaningful conversations with industry partners.
- Gain practical communication tools – Learn how to articulate technical expertise, translate academic capability into industry‑relevant language, and navigate different professional expectations.
- Understand industry perspectives – Gain increased insight into industry drivers, priorities, and decision making—helping RTPs position themselves as valuable collaborators rather than support functions.
- Practise in a supported space – Build the skills you already have during a dedicated training day before putting them into practice with invited industry partners on day two.
- Grow professional networks – Form new connections with RTP peers across GW4 institutions and establish direct relationships with industry contacts.
- Enhance career development – Strengthen transferable skills that support career progression, visibility, and impact—both within academia and beyond.
If you are a GW4 RTP who hasn’t undertaken any industry work in the past, or feel a bit rusty, you might also benefit from our bitesize series coming up in October 2026.
X-CITED In-person Community Day
📅 When: |
📍Where: |
🕰️Time: |
Click below to register: |
29th Sept-26 |
The Marriott Hotel – Cardiff (in person) |
10am-4pm |
Click here to register – In Person Community Day |
Join us for a practical and engaging X-CITED Community Day focused on demystifying grant applications, developing high-quality grant applications and navigating funding opportunities.
This full-day event brings together expert speakers, experienced practitioners, and members of the X-CITED community to explore how to:
- Strengthen your grant proposals
- Understand expectations from major funders such as UKRI, EPSRC and BBSRC
- Identify suitable funding opportunities
- Navigate internal pre- and post-award processes
- Gain practical insights through interactive discussions and peer learning
The day includes a keynote session, a choice of focused parallel workshops, and opportunities to network with colleagues from across institutions.
Whether you are new to grant writing or looking to refine your approach, this session will provide valuable insights and actionable takeaways for the GW4 RTP community.
(Open to all Research Technical Professional (RTPs) within GW4 (Universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff & Exeter).
New members needed for the Advisory Group for Digital Research Infrastructure (DRI) – closes 7th August 2026
The DRI Advisory Group plays a key role in providing independent, expert strategic advice on the direction and priorities of the UKRI DRI Programme, including shaping investment priorities and the long-term development of the programme.
We are looking for individuals who bring:
- Broad experience in DRI (data, compute, software or federation), from a user, delivery or strategic perspective, and with a strong understanding of current and emerging opportunities and challenges
- The ability to work across organisations and think strategically at a system level, bringing a perspective beyond a single discipline or sector
We are particularly keen to hear from individuals with experience in:
- Running or operating DRI services or facilities
- Federation, interoperability and integration of DRI
- Cybersecurity and secure DRI
- Industry use or delivery of DRI
- International DRI programmes or collaborations, and cross-sector experience
- Users of DRI supporting areas such as the arts, humanities and social sciences, or health and life sciences
The full details and application link are available here: Digital Research Infrastructure Advisory Group member vacancies – UKRI
Focus Fortnight – Why is industry contact important?
📅 When: |
📍Where: |
🕰️Time: |
Click below to register: |
8th Oct-26 |
Online (via Teams) |
2pm-3.15pm |
Click here to register: Focus Fortnight Why is industry contact important? |
1st session of our Industry Connection Programme’s ‘Focus Fortnight’
Why Industry Contact Matters – What’s in It for You and What’s in It for Them?
This interactive session explores how technicians can build meaningful connections with industry partners, helping to strengthen collaboration, enhance skills, and create opportunities for innovation.
You’ll gain an understanding of what industry engagement means in a technical context, explore the benefits for both universities and external partners, and discover the many ways you can get involved.
Whether you’re new to industry engagement or looking to expand your existing connections, this session will provide practical ideas, real-world examples, and the confidence to take your first—or next—steps.
By the end of the session, you’ll:
- Understand what industry engagement means for technicians.
- Recognize the mutual benefits for universities and industry partners.
- Feel more confident initiating or participating in industry interactions.
- Explore different forms of industry engagement.
- Leave with practical ideas and actions to get started.
No prior experience is required—just bring your curiosity and a willingness to explore new opportunities for collaboration.
(Open to all Research Technical Professional (RTPs) within GW4 (Universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff & Exeter).
Focus Fortnight – Demystifying industry collaborations
📅 When: |
📍Where: |
🕰️Time: |
Click below to register: |
13th Oct-26 |
Online (via Teams) |
9.30am-12.30pm |
Click here to register: Focus Fortnight Demystifying industry collaborations |
2nd session of our Industry Connection Programme’s ‘Focus Fortnight’
This is an interactive online session where you will work in plenary and in breakout rooms over activities that will provide the following learnings:
- Understand what is in it for your industry partner
- Clarify what they need from you
- Manage expectations on what you can and will deliver, and by when
- Deliver within non-disclosure agreements and intellectual property constraints
- Build lasting relationships for further collaboration
Alongside these learnings there will be opportunities for you to meet peers from other institutions and exchange experiences. This workshop is designed with breaks and breathing spaces to enhance the learning.
No prior experience is required—just bring your curiosity and a willingness to explore new opportunities for collaboration.
(Open to all Research Technical Professional (RTPs) within GW4 (Universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff & Exeter).
Focus Fortnight – Cross-sector collaboration
📅 When: |
📍Where: |
🕰️Time: |
Click below to register: |
15th Oct-26 |
Online (via Teams) |
9.30am-11.30am |
Click here to register: Focus Fortnight Cross-sector collaboration |
3rd session of our Industry Connection Programme’s ‘Focus Fortnight’
This is an interactive online session where you will work in plenary and in breakout rooms over activities that will provide the following learnings:
- Define common vocabulary
- Contextualise your message
- Develop the win-win
No prior experience is required—just bring your curiosity and a willingness to explore new opportunities for collaboration.
(Open to all Research Technical Professional (RTPs) within GW4 (Universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff & Exeter).
Focus Fortnight – Collaboration from an Industry perspective
📅 When: |
📍Where: |
🕰️Time: |
Click below to register: |
20th Oct-26 |
Online (via Teams) |
9.30am-11am |
Click here to register: Focus Fortnight Collaboration from an Industry perspective |
4th session of our Industry Connection Programme’s ‘Focus Fortnight’
This session aims to provide Research Technical Professional (RTP) participants with an authentic industry perspective on how industry projects progress and how that might fit in to collaborations with higher education staff. We hope to demystify how industry organisations approach projects, as well as touching on how partnerships and engagement with academia might fit into those project timelines, highlighting both opportunities and practical considerations.
By the end of the session, participants should:
- Understand how industry defines and evaluates a “successful project”
- Gain insight into industry timelines, drivers, and constraints
- Recognise key differences between academic and industry approaches
- Feel more confident about initiating conversations with industry partners
- Be aware of what industry values in early engagement and collaboration
No prior experience is required—just bring your curiosity and a willingness to explore new opportunities for collaboration.
Speakers include: Nicola Kinsman, Project Engineering Manager, Leonardo UK Ltd
(Open to all Research Technical Professional (RTPs) within GW4 (Universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff & Exeter).
Focus Fortnight – The practical side of industry collaborations
📅 When: |
📍Where: |
🕰️Time: |
Click below to register: |
22nd Oct-26 |
Online (via Teams) |
9.30am-1.30pm |
Click here to register: Focus Fortnight The practical side of industry collaborations |
5th session of our Industry Connection Programme’s ‘Focus Fortnight’
So you have agreed to work with an industry partner. What happens next? This is an interactive online session where you will work in plenary and in breakout rooms over activities that will provide the following learnings:
- Define precise deliverables
- Gather the team
- Prepare a budget for the work and send a quote
- Negotiate the contract
- Draft a collaboration agreement that includes
- timelines,
- personnel,
- equipment and resources to be used,
- data handling and sharing protocols, and
- communication processes.
This session will include a speaker and case study examples. Alongside the learnings there will be opportunities for you to meet peers from other institutions and exchange experiences. This workshop is designed with breaks and breathing spaces to enhance the learning.
No prior experience is required—just bring your curiosity and a willingness to explore new opportunities for collaboration.
(Open to all Research Technical Professional (RTPs) within GW4 (Universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff & Exeter).
AI Skills for RTPs
📅 When: |
📍Where: |
🕰️Time: |
Click below to register: |
Nov-26 |
Online (via Teams) |
TBC |
Registration opens soon – watch this space |
Learn advanced AI tools used by researchers and how these can improve efficiency.
(Open to all Research Technical Professional (RTPs) within GW4 (Universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff & Exeter).
Coming in 2027
Managing a Facility
📅 When: |
📍Where: |
🕰️Time: |
Click below to register: |
Spring-27 |
Online (via Teams) |
TBC |
Registration opens soon – watch this space |
Understand the aspects of running a facility, from budget to staff management. They will also learn the skills required to successfully run a facility.
(Open to all Research Technical Professional (RTPs) within GW4 (Universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff & Exeter).
Available recordings
- What is Transparent Approach to Costing (TRAC)? webinar – email x-cited@gw4.ac.uk to be sent the recording
- X-CITED Digital Training Programme #1: An introduction to prompt engineering for coding – email x-cited@gw4.ac.uk to be sent the recording
