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PraxisUnico Annual Conference 2012: Impact through innovation

Registration is open for this year’s PraxisUnico conference which is being held on 14-15 June at the Grand Harbour Hotel, Southampton.

For the second year running we will be holding our conference back to back with the annual conference of ARMA, the UK’s professional association for research managers and administrators, which will take place in the same venue on 12-13 June.

A record breaking conference

Over 250 attendees representing more than 130 organisations are already registered. Will you be joining them?

Use the tabs on the left of the page for further information and a booking form.

Programme

This year’s conference theme will focus on impact through innovation – a shared aim for everyone involved in demonstrating social, economic or cultural impact outside academia.    The plenary sessions, parallel workshops and networking opportunities will provide both an update and plenty of food for thought.  The programme will include a choice of eight parallel sessions which have been structured into themes to appeal to all levels of a research commercialisation workforce – from new employees to senior directors.  The tracks will be: Essential Skills, Professional Development, External Relations, Marketing and Networking.

Confirmed Speakers

We are delighted to be able to confirm our plenary speakers as Professor David Delpy, Chief Executive of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council; Will Hutton, Principal of Hertford College, Oxford and Chair of the Big Innovation Centre, Professor Philip Nelson, Pro Vice-Chancellor of University of Southampton, Maggie Philbin, Co-founder and Director, TeenTech CIC and Tim Smit KBE, Chief Executive & Co-founder of the Eden Project.

Conference Venue

The conference is being held at the Grand Harbour Hotel in Southampton.  This iconic nautical themed modern hotel with its towering glass atrium is in a perfect location with magnificent views over the Southampton waterfront.  Extend your stay, perhaps over the weekend, to visit some great local attractions, from The New Forest or Maritime Museum to Marwell Zoo and the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard (the venue for this year’s gala dinner and The Impact Awards ceremony).  Hotel residents can use the gym which is equipped with state of the art cardiovascular and resistance equipment.  Alternatively you might like to indulge in some pampering in the hotel’s spa or relax in the Jacuzzi, sauna and swimming pool.   If you need to stay in touch with the office while you are away, complimentary access to Wi-Fi is available in all public areas.

Whether you are travelling by road, rail or plane, Grand Harbour is easy to find.  Southampton Rail Station is a five minute taxi journey and Southampton Airport is 20 minutes away.  By road, take the M3 South and leave at Junction 13 to the M27.  Exit at Junction 3 to the M271 and follow the signs to Southampton waterfront (Sat Nav Coordinates: Latitude: 50.8998, Longitude: -1.4077). Complimentary car parking is available at the hotel on a first come, first served basis.  Alternative car parking is available nearby.

Accommodation

Delegates are responsible for booking their own accommodation. Please note that all accommodation at the Grand Harbour hotel has now been sold. Alternative accommodation is available at the following hotels:-

Holiday Inn Southampton -Holiday Inn Southampton           

Ibis -Ibis Southampton                           

Mercure Dolphin Hotel -Dolphin Southampton                  

Novotel -Novotel Southampton                  

The Star -Star Hotel Southampton              

Jury’s Inn -Jury's Inn Southampton                               

For further information about these hotels and the preferential rates secured, please contact Destination Southampton, Tel. +44(0)845 226 9944 or email Hannah@destinationsouthampton.com, quoting ‘PraxisUnico conference’.

The Impact Awards '12

The Impact Awards, presented by Maggie Philbin, will be held at the conference gala dinner on 14 June at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.  In its fourth year, The Impact Awards is a scheme organised by PraxisUnico to recognise and celebrate the success of knowledge transfer.  Please see the website for further information. We’re delighted to announce that David Sweeney, Director of Research, Innovation and Skills at HEFCE will be our guest speaker at the dinner.

Conference Fees

Prices are held for the third year running.  Delegates from member organisations should register before midnight on 31 March to claim an early bird discount*.  If you are not a member and would like your organisation to join PraxisUnico, please see the website for further information.

Fees before 1 April 2012: members - £495 / non-members - £745

Fees from (and including) 1 April 2012: members - £545 / non-members - £745

* 2012 membership subscriptions must be fully paid in order to claim the discounted rate

For the first time, we are offering a discounted rate of £285 to students from PraxisUnico member institutions who would like to attend the conference.  To take up the offer, students should enter STUDENTRATE in the PO number field on the booking form.

Conference fee includes: attendance at the networking event, conference and parallel sessions, attendance at the gala dinner and The Impact Awards and refreshments and catering during both days.

20% Discount on Group Bookings

Make a 20% saving by registering five or more delegates from your organisation.  Register four people to attend the full conference and send a fifth person free of charge!  (NB: all group bookings must be registered by midnight on 31 March).

If you require any further information please do not hesitate to contact the PraxisUnico office.

conference@praxisunico.org.uk

Tel +44 (0)1223 659954

Follow event updates on LinkedIn and Twitter @praxisunico #PraxisUnico12

Main conference sponsor

The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) invests in world-class bioscience infrastructure, research and training in UK universities and institutes. Our aim is to further scientific knowledge, to promote economic growth, and to improve quality of life in the UK and beyond.

BBSRC mission aligns closely with the ethos of PraxisUnico, which is set up to support innovation and commercialisation of public sector and charity research for social and economic impact.  BBSRC is supporting the 2012 PraxisUnico Conference for the opportunity this provides to work with PraxisUnico and its member organisations to deliver innovation, and social and economic impact from research. 

Conference Sponsors