In recent years it has become clear that creation of a more inclusive and equitable environment within higher education requires significant organisational change. While our universities and HEIs have made great progress in this area, offering many benefits and opportunities to students, some significant inequalities remain. It is no longer sufficient to confine widening participation and equity to one-off initiatives or activities delivered by separate departments. A whole-organisational approach is needed before meaningful change can take place that will prepare an increasingly diverse student body for the globalised world of the 21st Century. The NERUPI Convention 2024 will give participants the opportunity to explore this issue in-depth as well as providing practical tools to generate and evaluate positive change.

We will start the day with a panel of organisational change leaders Professor Nicola Ingram, University College Cork and NERUPI Chair, Dr Tamsin Bowers-Brown, Leeds Trinity University and Professor Tony Moss, London South Bank University, who will set out the challenges and opportunities for organisational change in the fields of research, EDI and Widening Participation. We will then hear from NERUPI members who will provide practice examples of activities designed to improve access, student success and progression, with English universities framing their work within the Intervention Strategies required by the OfS as part of their Access and Participation Plans.

The afternoon sessions will focus on practical strategies for generating and evaluating organisational change for those involved in widening participation, teaching, careers and equity initiatives keen to use insights from their work to inform wider change in their institutions. All participants will have the opportunity to find out more about the revised NERUPI Framework.

Please use the below Booking Form to book a place and you will be sent further details of how to make payment.

If you would like to present a poster or paper for the convention please express your interest using the below Poster/Paper Expression of Interest Form by 15 July. For more information please see our Poster/Paper information document here.

Guaranteed places - Each member organisation is eligible to send two participants. Please book your places by 15 July. If you wish to send more than two participants please use the booking form, however we cannot guarantee more than two places.

Fee - The Early Bird fee is £130 per participants for those who book and pay before 29 July. Later bookings will be charged at £160 per participant. This charge is to cover the cost of the venue and catering.

Cancellations - After 29 August your organisation will still be charged if NERUPI is unable to fill the place as we are still required to pay this cost to the venue.