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This interactive workshop will support participants to make the most of short periods of study, admin, teaching preparation or research time. Participants work together to create a personalised plan of action combining High Intensity Productivity (HIP) with focused goal setting. The session considers the biggest reasons for procrastination and participants learn how to break larger research, teaching, admin and study activities in to manageable and achievable tasks. The session benefits from integrated protected self-development time to trial the tools learned in the session.

There is also the opportunity to reflect on how participants will implement their learning in order to make the most of future opportunities and avoid procrastination.

“The whole course was useful, the delivery in terms of sharing with others and actually completing activities (productive work) made it a great experience. The practical as well as theoretical made you realise you can actually do better.”

PhD Researcher and Clinician, University of Leicester 2020

Have you heard about High Performance Computing, but are not sure what it is or whether it is relevant for your work? Would you like to use a HPC, but are not sure where to start? Are you using your personal computer to run computationally demanding tasks, which take long and slow down your work? Do you need to use software that runs on Linux, but don't have access to a Linux computer? If any of these questions apply to you, then this course might be for you!

Knowing how to work on a High Performance Computing system is an essential skill for applications such as bioinformatics, big-data analysis, image processing, machine learning, parallelising tasks, and other high-throughput applications.

In this course we will cover the basics of High Performance Computing, what it is and how you can use it in practice. This is a hands-on workshop, which should be accessible to researchers from a range of backgrounds and offering several opportunities to practice the skills we learn along the way.

As an optional session for those interested, we will also introduce the (free) HPC facilities available at Cambridge University (the course is not otherwise Cambridge-specific).

If you do not have a University of Cambridge Raven account please book or register your interest here.

• ♿ The training room is located on the first floor and there is currently no wheelchair or level access.
• Our courses are only free for registered University of Cambridge students. All other participants will be charged according to our charging policy.
• Attendance will be taken on all courses and a charge is applied for non-attendance, including for University of Cambridge students. After you have booked a place, if you are unable to attend any of the live sessions, please email the Bioinfo Team.
• Further details regarding eligibility criteria are available here.
• Guidance on visiting Cambridge and finding accommodation is available here.

High Performance Influencing Model: Bitesize

PPD bitesize resources are short and high impact; including videos, quick tips guides and interactive bitesize modules. Develop your skills and knowledge quickly, easily, when you need. They complement face to face events and more in-depth online modules.

Change is constant and inevitable, but how do we do change well? How do we embrace it and how do we get everyone on board? What does successful change look like and what pitfalls should we avoid. In this podcast, Emma Marron, the Head of HR Shared Services at the University joins Reshmin Haq (PPD) and shares her many experiences on change and discusses how to implement a successful change.

Find out more about the Kotter model mentioned in the podcast.

Access the recording of the How Do We Do Change Podcast.

How to book with Key Travel - Travelling for research or to undertake work on behalf of the University.

This training session, delivered by Key Travel, is open to new and experienced colleagues who are responsible for booking travel on behalf of the University. Key Travel is the University’s preferred supplier for travel management services and provides the following support for colleagues:

• Booking services (online and offline) for flights, accommodation and rail
• Group booking services
• 24/7 Traveller support
• 24/7 Emergency scanning and support
• Refund management

The primary purpose of the training session will be to walk you through the booking process using Key Travel’s online portal. However, the session will also provide you with hints and tips on how to identify the best travel options for your requirements.

How to Delegate: Bitesize

PPD bitesize resources are short and high impact; including videos, quick tips guides and interactive bitesize modules. Develop your skills and knowledge quickly, easily, when you need. They complement face to face events and more in-depth online modules.

This online interactive course will give you advice on how to survive your first year at Cambridge. Topics include introductions to note making, referencing, writing essays, and managing your time.

The course is aimed at Part IA students, with a Science focus. However, the course is open to anyone who wishes to use it, and will be useful for any discipline, or as a refresher for those wishing to learn some new tips and tricks.

How to make a group booking with Key Travel - Organising group travel for research or to undertake work on behalf of the University.

This training session, delivered by Key Travel, is open to new and experienced colleagues who are responsible for booking group travel (10 passengers or more) on behalf of the University. Key Travel’s Specialist Travel team will take you through the process of group bookings including:

• What is group travel?
• How to make a group booking with Key Travel (what information is required)
• Services available
• Benefits of booking with Key Travel

The primary purpose of the training session will be to walk you through the booking process, however, there will also be opportunities to ask questions and explore the services provided.

Do you feel like there are never enough hours in the day to complete your research project? Are you struggling to balance your work and personal life while still making progress towards your career goals? Look no further than this course on Effective Time and Project Management for Postgraduate Research Students.

This course aims to equip you with the tools and techniques required to effectively manage your time and research projects. Through interactive lectures and practical exercises, you will learn how to prioritize tasks, manage your workload, and develop effective time management strategies that can be applied to any research project.

With a focus on project management, this course will cover topics such as setting SMART goals, developing project timelines, and identifying and managing project risks. Additionally, you will learn how to identify time-wasters, manage interruptions, and optimize your work environment for maximum productivity.

A highly participative session including group and individual work. To help build your confidence when networking in-person; looking at preparation, who to approach, how to start and finish any conversations well and manage post event contact.

A participative online session including group and individual work, enabling you to feel more confident when online networking; looking at how if differs to in-person networking and what this means your approach and thoughts about it.

Introduction to using the open-source reference management program, Zotero.

Access the course by clicking here

Do you feel you often experience 'writer's block' where you can't seem to start or make good progress with your writing? In this session, we will discuss ways of mitigating and getting past writer's block, particularly through seeing blocks as opportunities for writing.

Through discussing certain myths about academic writing and healthy ways of conceptualising the writing process, you will become familiar with techniques for freeing up your writing and making steady progress on your dissertation and other writing projects.

Join us at these regular meetings (a mixture of online and in-person events) for members of the HR Transformation Programme Advocates Network as we work towards myHR, the new HR and Payroll system. As an Advocate, your contribution is vital to raise awareness of the programme and myHR, and to help manage the change within your area. These meetings will provide:

• An update on progress, including latest news and actions
• Guidance, learning and resources to support you in your role as Advocate in your area
• Time to discuss your ideas, plans and approach with other members

Visit HR Transformation Programme to read more about the aims of the programme and join us on HRTP Yammer for latest news and updates. Please continue to share Joining the Advocate network with others who may be interested.

Please Note: Once you have booked on the course, click on Add to Calendar to start the process to import the course appointment into your calendar, with the Teams link you will need on the day.

Thank you for joining the HRTP Advocates Network! This short session will introduce you to the Network, help you to meet other new members and start to think about what part you play in this change as we work towards myHR, the new HR and Payroll system, going live in the summer of 2024 and the second deployment of additional functionality in 2025.

Visit HR Transformation Programme to read more about the aims of the programme and join us on HRTP Yammer for latest news and updates. Please continue to share Joining the Advocate network with others who may be interested.

Please Note: Once you have booked on the course, click on Add to Calendar to start the process to import the course appointment into your calendar. This contains the link to the MS Teams course meeting under Joining Instructions that you will use to join on the day of the course.

This course is recommended for those responsible for the recruitment and selection of staff, particularly if you are new to the University but also for existing staff seeking a refresher.

In January 2021 the government launched a new immigration system applicable to new arrivals of EU and non-EU nationals on an equal basis. The new system is loosely based on the previous immigration system (Tier 2 etc.), but with some changes.

The course will outline the two key visa routes used by the University in its recruitment of international staff – the Skilled Worker Visa and the Global Talent Visa. The aim of this course is to help those involved with recruitment and selection to navigate the rules which regulate the recruitment of individuals via these two visa routes, whilst ensuring full compliance.

Access the recording of the immigration and recruitment webinar.

With ever developing complexities in the UK’s immigration system, Graeme Ross, the University’s Head of Immigration for staff matters, conducts termly briefing sessions for non-UK postdocs holding UK visas.

These commonly cover the ‘basic’ work visas, such as Skilled Worker and Global Talent, and how to switch into or extend these in order to remain in the UK.

However additional guidance on applications for dependents and Indefinite Leave to Remain/Settlement is also covered.

There will be an opportunity to ask questions about other immigration matters; not all of these may be answered on the day but would be followed up individually as needed.

Please note this session is held online via Teams.

Please note: it is important that when you book this course, on the booking confirmation page, select Add to Calendar to start importing the appointment to your calendar.

The Immigration Rules for visitors to the UK were updated on 31 January 2024, and introduce new concessions for visiting researchers/scientists/academics which will be beneficial to the University. This session will provide an overview of these changes, along with general guidance on the visitor visa/entry process. The session will also introduce and explain the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system, new will be a new requirement for non-UK visitors to the UK in 2024.

Access the recording of the Immigration Rules for Visitors from 31 January 2024 webinar.

This session will set the scene for those moving in to a role with professional responsibility for other members of staff at the University, supporting their work, behavior and development. As we all know from our personal and professional experience, leaders and managers play a critical role in ensuring a productive, motivating and inclusive working environment.

This interactive session will explore the responsibilities of a manager or leader at the University, introduce tools to support the performance of your team, and provide pointers to where to find important information and further development as needed.

It is aimed at staff across all areas, disciplines, staff groups and levels of responsibility, including staff who are:

• new to managing one or more others
• new to leading a service or research area
• new to Cambridge, either as a new manager or with previous experience

This online course welcomes new staff to the University. It provides key information to help staff settle into their new role quickly and achieve their full potential within their role as soon as possible. It will provide new staff with a summary of the induction process, an overview of the University's structure, and highlight essential information about some of the services available to staff during their employment.

This online course complements the local induction new staff will receive in their institution, department or faculty.

A Raven password is needed to access this online course. Further information about Raven.

This is a classroom version of the Budgeting 1: Introduction to Budgeting held at Greenwich House - All delegates will need to bring a laptop (docking stations, monitors, external keyboard and mice will be available in the room)

Please note - there is no parking available at Greenwich House. The Madingley Park and Ride is a 15-minute walk and the Universal Bus stops on Madingley Road.

This session introduces the theory and practice of budgeting, looking at why and how budgets can be set. Group exercises are used to prompt discussion around the types of costs that should be included in a budget and decision making when setting budgets.

The session will give an overview of the budgeting process in the university and then focus in more detail on practical tools for day-to-day budgeting.

Note: This session does not cover the detailed budgeting and rules relating to individual research grants.

This is a classroom version of the General Ledger 1 course held at Greenwich House - All delegates will need to bring a laptop (docking stations, monitors, external keyboard and mice will be available in the room)

Please note - there is no parking available at Greenwich House. The Madingley Park and Ride is a 15-minute walk and the Universal Bus stops on Madingley Road.

This course enables users to learn the basics of how the General Ledger module works, how to run online account enquiries and how to process journals.

If none of the dates are suitable then there are two on-demand packages which can be completed instead.

Chart of Accounts and Account Enquiry https://www.training.cam.ac.uk/fin/event/4716069

Journals https://www.training.cam.ac.uk/fin/event/4716067

This is an in person classroom course held at Greenwich House - All delegates will need to bring a laptop (docking stations, monitors, external keyboard and mice will be available in the room)

Please note - there is no parking available at Greenwich House. The Madingley Park and Ride is a 15-minute walk and the Universal Bus stops on Madingley Road.

Research in the 21st century is global, and research teams are intercultural. 35% of Cambridge research students are from outside the EU; and postdocs are the most diverse group by nationality, representing almost 100 countries. This diversity is one of the University’s biggest strengths. Yet intercultural communication is not without its pitfalls and misunderstandings. It takes conscious discipline to think about one’s own cultural assumptions and to try to make sense of others'.

This workshop will give you some tools to help identify where national culture might be having an influence on your professional and social interactions, where common misunderstandings can occur, and how to address potential challenges. The content of the session is informed by research form intercultural studies and refers to culture as a framework of shared values, attitudes and behaviours. It explores the nature of generalisations and the relationship between national culture, other layers of diversity (e g gender, professional, generational differences) and personal values.

Booking onto this course can only be done through your department Key Contact

• They will confirm the level of access which you will require
• The course booking request will be made by them via the UFS responsibility access form

Once this request has been submitted by your Key Contact, you should receive an email within 1-2 working days with links to the course/(s) that you need to complete.

iProcurement Courses Available

• Introduction to iProcurement (New for R12.2)
• iProcurement: Buyers Work Centre (New for R12.2)
• iProcurement: Approving (New for R12.2)
• iProcurement: Autocreating (New for R12.2)