Nominations now open for Jisc Community Champions 2024
Help celebrate the individuals and teams going above and beyond to support their communities and foster innovation.
Established in 2020, Jisc’s community champion programme brings together extraordinary individuals and unsung heroes.
Since then, Jisc’s communities of practice have grown to cover areas including extended reality (XR), cyber security and accessibility and assistive technology.
In 2023 fifteen community champions and seven finalists were announced from across UK education and research communities.
Nominations are now open for the 2024 community champions to recognise individuals and teams who are sharing learning, adding value and advocating for the good of communities.
The community champion categories are:
- Community advocate: an individual who is the beacon for their community, who publicly supports the cause
- Community tech guru: an individual with a high level of technical skills and knowledge who can break down complexities to help others
- Community unsung hero: an individual who is always working in the background, getting things done and supports others
- Community pioneer: an individual who is at the forefront of change, an early adopter who helps open new lines of activity or thought
- A whole community: are there too many people to mention? Instead, consider nominating a whole community to recognise the contributions to supporting staff and students
Natasha Veenendaal, head of community and engagement at Jisc, said:
“The community space across education and research has grown since the first champions were announced in 2020, and with good reason. Communities play a vital role in making voices heard, solving problems together and ensuring that best practices are shared for the benefit of all.
“This year we asked our 2023 community champion cohort what motivates them. Answers included strengthening collaboration, improving the student experience and using innovation to connect people and ideas – exactly what we would expect from this outstanding group.
“If you would like to nominate an individual or team that goes above and beyond in your community, we want to hear from you. Many of our community champions do not realise the impact they have on others, and it is our privilege to help them understand how much they are appreciated.”
The closing date for nominations is 17 December 2023 and the winners will be announced in February 2024.