In 2022, the universities of York and Leeds secured funding through the Technician Commitment Collaboration Fund to initiate the Yorkshire Technical Exchange Partnership (YoTEP). Aimed at fostering a supportive and informative network among the technical communities of Yorkshire, the group started with the University of York and the University of Leeds with the plan to expand to higher education institutions across the region.

With high level support from both universities, we facilitated 27 exchanges. These exchanges allowed technicians to learn new techniques, share valuable knowledge, and collaborate across various disciplines, blending science and the arts. Often sparking broader discussions, this lead to reciprocal visits and further collaborations.

We are delighted to announce after a recent successful bid to the White Rose Community Fund, YoTEP is to be expanded to include the University of Sheffield, with a one day event to celebrate and launch the expanded network planned at Leeds in January 2026.

Join us on 13 January 2026 at the University of Leeds, with arrival from 10:00–10:30am and the day concluding at 3:30pm

This workshop will be:

• Informal and conversational – providing plenty of opportunities for technicians to chat with peers.
• Practical and purposeful – there will be presentations of successful past exchanges and an update from the Technician Commitment HQ.
• Supportive and collaborative – giving technicians the opportunity for creating more
  offers and requests for exchanges.

For more information and to sign up, contact yotep@leeds.ac.uk

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Contact: Lucy Hudson, Head of Technical Operations, Technical Lead for the Technician Commitment, University of York (lucy.hudson@york.ac.uk), Jennie Hibbard, Lead Technician – School of Biology, Technician Lead for the Technician Commitment, University of Leeds (J.K.Hibbard@leeds.ac.uk), Melanie Hannah, School Technical Manager, University of Sheffield (m.hannah@sheffield.ac.uk)