Technician Week
Technician Week is a celebration of the vital role technicians play across Scotland. Throughout the week, we shine a spotlight on the skills, dedication, and innovation that technicians bring to teaching, research, and the day‑to‑day running of our various institutions and organisations.
Coordinated by TechNet Scotland, Technician Week brings together institutions from across the country to recognise achievements, share best practice, and highlight the diverse contributions of technical staff. From events and workshops to stories from technical teams, the week is designed to showcase the impact technicians make every day.
Whether you’re taking part in activities at your institution or joining the conversation online, Technician Week is an opportunity to celebrate our community, strengthen connections, and champion the essential work of technicians across Scotland.
Everyone is welcome to hold an event during the week, please get in touch for more information.
Sponsored by:
Graphics and templates to help promote Technician Week events and activities
Programme
Events/activities open to everyone
| When | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Mon 7 Sept | Launch of the new TechNet Scotland newsletter | Via email |
| Mon 7 Sept pm | Engineering Technicians' Showcase - Fabrication & Manufacturing Tour - Student Project & Innovation Group Facilities Tour | Sanderson Building, King's Buildings, Edinburgh |
| Mon 7 Sept 14:00-15:00 | Technicians Driving a Sustainable Laboratory Culture through LEAF Accreditation (more details and booking via Eventbrite) | WP1.07, HWU Edinburgh campus |
| Tues 8 Sept 10:00-11:00 | Inspiring Women in Technical Leadership Through the Herschel Programme | On Teams (Click to register) |
| Tue 8 Sept from 10:30 | IST Professional Registration Sprint, with Michelle Jackson | Online (Zoom meeting link) |
| Tue 8 Sept 09:30-10:30 | IST Professional Registation Creative Arts and AI registers, with John-Paul Ashton-Kinlin | Online (Zoom meeting link) |
| Wed 9 Sept 12:00- 13:00 | Sustainable Labs; how to build your own toolkit (lunch-and-learn with Elisa Garcia-Wilson, Environmental Sustainability Network) | On Teams (click to add the event to your calendar) |
| Thu 10 Sept 13:00-14:00 | How to Influence a Sustainable Lab: practical behaviour change tools for the bench (an online session delivered by Sustainable Steps) | On Teams (click to add the event to your calendar) |
| Weds 9 Sept 14:00-15:00 | Part‑Time PhDs in Higher Education: A Technician’s Perspective (more information and registration) | Online (Teams) |
| Thu 10 Sept 14:00-15:00 | Early Careers Technicians Network | On Teams (Click to register) |
| Any time | Virtual Tour - 7T MRI Scanner (QEUH) led by Kristin Flegal | YouTube |
| When | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Mon 7 Sept 10:30-12:00 | Institute of Neurological & Cardiovascular Research/BioQuarter Technician Gathering | Fyffe Room, QMRI, BioQuarter, Edinburgh |
| Tue 8 Sept 13:00-14:00 | UoE Technician action plan update and renewal (have your say) | Online |
| Wed 9 Sept 09:30-12:30 | SRS Biodiversity Literacy Training (search in MyEd) | King's Buildings, Edinburgh |
| Wed 9 Sept 10:30 | Institute of Genetics & Cancer Technicians' Coffee Morning | Soft-seated area, The Nucleus, Western General |
| Wed 9 Sept 13:30-16:30 | SRS Carbon Literacy Training (search in MyEd) | King's Buildings, Edinburgh |
| Wed 9 Sept 14:00-15:00 | MentorED session with the Talent & Development team | Online (book via MyEd) |
| Thu 10 Sept 10:30-12:00 | UoE Raising your research profile workshop for technical staff | Online (search in PaM) |
| Thu 10 Sept 14:00-15:00 | Tour of Main Library Heritage Collections Technical Facilities | George Square, Edinburgh |
| When | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 9 Sept 10:30-12:30 | Technician Commitment update and networking | H5 (Check emails for registration link) |
| When | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| All week | Social media campaign (posts per day!) | - Instagram: uofg_technicians - LinkedIn: UofG Technicians |
| Mo-Fr 7-9 Sept 11:00-12:00 | MVLS SRF Integrated Protein Analysis Facility drop in tours. Led by Susan Kitson | Labs B413 and B420 Joseph Black Building |
| Mon 7 Sept 11:00-12:00 | Physics tour of teaching, mechanical workshop and research facilities led by Kyle Kelly and Leo Combs | Kelvin Building, meet in the main foyer |
| Mon 7 Sept 12:00-14:00 | Clinical Skills Facility drop-in sessions led by Sapna Singh and Laura Haddow | Wolfson Medical School Building, Gilmorehill Campus |
| Tues 8 Sept 14:00-15:00 | CAD Graphics & Rapid Prototyping tours led by Bruce Gregg | James Watt School of Engineering (JWS), meet in foyer |
| Wed 9 Sept 10:30-11:30 | Botany Tour led by Naomi Donald | Bower Building, Gilmorehill Campus |
| Wed 9 Sept 11:00 or 14:00 | Anatomy Museum Tours led by David Russell and Ianto Jocks (book your place via Forms) | Thomson Building, Gilmorehill Campus |
| Wed 9 Sept All-day | SUERC Visit to Gilmorehill (full-day of visits to different areas) | Gilmorehill Campus (various) |
| Wed 9 Sept 14:00-15:00 | CAD Graphics & Rapid Prototyping tours led by Bruce Gregg | James Watt School of Engineering (JWS), meet in foyer |
| Wed 9 Sept TBC | Water + Environment and Centre for Cellular Microenvironment (CeMI) tour led by Suzie Glattbach | The ARC |
| Thu 10 Sept 14:00-16:00 | Technician Commitment Action Plan Focus Group (registration form will be circulated separately) | Room 313 Sir James Black Building and online |
| Thu 10 Sept 14:00-15:00 | CAD Graphics & Rapid Prototyping tours led by Bruce Gregg | James Watt School of Engineering (JWS), meet in foyer |
| Fri 11 Sept | UoG Technician Newsletter | Email to UoG technicians |
| When | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Wed 9 Sept 09:30 and 10:45 | Come and visit the National Robotarium, organised by Sarah Furniss | The National Robotarium (Edinburgh campus) |
| Fri 11 Sept 09:30 and 10:45 | Come and visit the Hydraulics, Structures and Acoustics Labs led by Michael Flynn (EGIS) | Heriot-Watt Edinburgh campus |
| When | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Mon 7 Sept 11:45-12:45 | Campus tour and Extreme Environments Session | Bdg 3, Faculty of CSE, Lanarkshire Campus |
| Tues 8 Sept 11:45-12:45; 13:45-14:45 | Campus tour and Extreme Environments Session | Bdg 3, Faculy of CSE, Lanarkshire Campus |
| Wed 9 Sept TBC | Sustainability and LEAF Accreditation at UWS! | Online via Teams |
| Fri 11 Sept 10:45-11:45; 11:45-12:45 | Campus tour and Extreme Environments Session - Climbing Kilimanjaro experience and discussion from technicians recent expedition! | Bdg 3, Faculty of CSE, Lanarkshire Campus |
| Fri 11 Sept TBC | Technicians activity - Go Karting! |
| When | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| When | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| When | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
Other events available to all, not coordinated by TechNet Scotland
| When | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Mo-Fr 7-11 Sept Various | UK ITSS Autumn Fest online learning festival (book via Eventbrite) | Online |
| Tu-We 8-9 Sept all day | Vitae International Researcher Development Conference (External event, not coordinated by TechNet Scotland) | Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh |
| Thu 10 Sept 11:30-16:00 | Innovations in Semiconductor Technologies at UoE (External event, not coordinated by TechNet Scotland) | King's Buildings, Edinburgh |
| Thu 10 Sept 14:00-16:00 | Introduction to Professional Registration (Science Council) (External event, not coordinated by TechNet Scotland) | Online |
Technician Week Image Gallery
Coming Soon!
PAST TECHNET SCOTLAND EVENTS
The TechNet Scotland group work together to put on events which cross institutional boundaries, supporting community building across Scotland, and giving technicians the chance to meet new colleagues, share best practice and discover something new.
Sustainability conference 2026
Edinburgh hosted a Scotland-wide technician conference on Thursday 23 April 2026 at the iconic McEwan Hall.
The conference’s theme was Sustainability and the event was a platform for technical staff to share knowledge, best practice and lessons learned in relation to sustainability, as well as shining a light on the vital contributions that they make to ensuring laboratories and workshops in higher education institutions and research organisations operate in a sustainable way.
The conference was developed collaboratively by colleagues at the universities of Edinburgh (Sally Morgan, Susie Cook), Aberdeen (Lynne Lumsden), Stirling (Charli Corcoran) and West of Scotland (Marie Anne Pringle). Participants from 16 Scottish HEIs and research organisations, and 5 English HEIs attended the event.
The conference programme included a combination of talks and workshops, a podcast mini-series on sustainability, as well as opportunity to network with suppliers, sponsors, speakers and colleagues from across the sector. The poster competition was won by Thomas McGravie of the National Robotarium, who presented his work on 3D printer filament recycling.
The event wouldn't have been possible without generous sponsorship from: SISO; Starlab; Eppendorf; Filamentive Ltd.; PHC Europe B.V.; UniGreenScheme; Greiner Bio-One Ltd.; Unite the Union; BE Uniforms; UoE College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences; UoE College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine; UoE College of Science & Engineering; UoE Information Services Group; UoE Social Responsibility & Sustainability; UoE Corporate Services Group
Scottish technical conference 2025
The Scottish Technical Conference was held at the University of Glasgow on Tuesday 10 June. The conference saw over 250 Technicians from across Scotland come together for a day full of Sector updates, success stories and networking opportunities. The event was organised by six Scottish Universities: University of Glasgow, University of Edinburgh, University of Strathclyde, University of Aberdeen, University of Aberdeen and University of West of Scotland.
The conference was opened by Professor Frank Coton and the welcome address was given by Daniel Johnson, MSP. In the session chaired by Janet Milne from the University of Strathclyde, the organising member institutions presented their success stories, which ranged from establishing Technician Network Communities and holding to events, to work on the Technical Career Pathways at various institutions, to including technical staff on awards pannels, creating regular newsletters and developing Technician SharePoints. Neil Guthrie, from Heriot Watt University and the NTDC spoke about his involvement as a specialist advisor to NTDC in developing a Career pathway for Education Technical Professionals. InFrame project Community Knowledge Analysts Charmain Lim and Zain Ul Abidin presented on the Inframe project and Technical involvement in the funded projects from the Culture Catalyst Fund. Frances Medenay spoke about her role in research culture and Ed Bowerman from UKITSS gave the keynote speech with Sector updates from the Technician Commitment and UKITSS. After the panel discussion, Professor Nicolas Forsyth gave the closing remarks and announced the winners of the Poster Competition and Image Competition.