Sharing knowledge, contacts and best practice

The Science Park's Special Interest Groups are invitation-only meetings. Starting in March, the aim of the SIGs is to bring together people with similiar roles in order to facilitate the sharing of best practice, experience and contacts, and to promote education and training. Discussions between members of the SIGs outside the formal meetings will be enabled via the Park's new intranet.  We are starting with the SIGs listed below but we are always open to new ideas:

• Human Resources
• Facilities Management
• Finance
• Executive Assistants
• Business Development
• IT Management

Human Resources

The ability to attract and retain staff at all levels of seniority is critical for  all the companies on the Park. The aim of this SIG is to provide a platform for people performing an HR function to discuss the issues they face, and to share experience, contacts and best practice. The first meeting of this SIG will be held in March. Possible topics for discussion include:

• Recruitment
• Retention
• Training
• Mentoring
• Agile working
• Schools outreach
• CSR
• Apprenticeships
• Health & wellbeing
• Employee benefits
• Employment law
• Language classes
• Housing
• Immigration
• Staff relocation

Facilities Management

The first meeting of the FM SIG is scheduled for 6 March. The plan is to  review and agree the topics this SIG should cover in the future as well as the frequency and format of the meetings.  The focus for this first meeting will be site-wide safety and security. For anyone unable to attend, the minutes will be circulated after the meeting.

• Business resilience/security
• Waste management
• Health & safety
• Lab equipment - maintenance and sharing
• Energy consumption

Finance

A priority topic for this SIG is access to regional, national and international grants. Knowing what grants are available, how to apply for them, and hearing practical advice and tips from others who have been successful (or otherwise) in securing grant funding will form the basis for the first meeting.

• Best practice
• Purchasing
• Grants

Executive Assistants

Many of the smaller companies on the Park do not employ Executive Assistants whilst others may only have one person performing this important function. We hope this SIG will provide a vaulable platform for  EAs to get to know one another, to exchange views, contacts and methods of working.

• Best practice
• Knowledge sharing

Business Development

This SIG is likely to be the least formal of all the SIGs and may also incorporate an element of marketing and social media.

• Best practice
• Events
• Training

IT Management

A number of IT managers on the Park have requested that we organise this SIG.

• Best practice