The Recovery Programme

Two years in, how are we meeting the aims of the Recovery Programme – and what have we learnt about how to approach change at the University?

Summary report 2021/22

Three people chatting and looking at a screen around a table

West Hub (credit: Nick Saffell)

West Hub (credit: Nick Saffell)

Professor Andy Neely, Senior Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Enterprise and Business Relations and sponsor of the Recovery Programme, looks back on a busy year.

In October last year, the streets of Cambridge were coming alive with a once-familiar hum of eager students. After 18 months of pandemic-related disruption, staff and students were reunited in lecture theatres and dining halls across the city, looking forward to a term of in-person teaching. However, the arrival of the Omicron variant just before Christmas made it clear that that living with Covid would be a long-term challenge. 

In July 2020, General Board and Council approved the creation of the Recovery Programme, an ambitious programme of work to help turn that long-term challenge into an opportunity. To help the University recover from the pandemic, yes, but also ask: “how do we want to work in the future?”  

It has been a busy 12 months, with many projects achieving their original aims and ‘graduating’ from the programme. The Recovery Programme is now smaller, with a handful of important projects to focus on in the year ahead.  

Andy Neely standing outside a building

Professor Andy Neely, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Enterprise and Business Relations

Professor Andy Neely, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Enterprise and Business Relations

"The Recovery Programme is now smaller, with a handful of important projects to focus on in the year ahead"

Professor Andy Neely, Senior Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Enterprise and Business Relations

Progress

In line with the University’s priorities, the Supporting our Staff project aimed to enhance our employment policies and lay the foundation for improved employee wellbeing. In the last 12 months, the project has introduced a new redeployment policy and consulted with staff on new policies relating to hybrid working and dignity at work.

The Cambridge Advance Online project now offers 13 compelling online courses, while Cambridge Impact on Society has changed the way we communicate our impact on the world. The project has recently won a CASE award for its global impact map, which now features 167 case studies highlighting the extraordinary research that takes place here.

The Research Culture project has won £3.4m of funding to test and evaluate new approaches to improving research culture, while International Student Recruitment has reached 44,176 potential students in the last year through a range of marketing activities, including 432 events.

Supporting our Staff, Research Culture, Cambridge Advance Online, Cambridge International Infection Initiative and International Student Recruitment have 'graduated' from the Recovery Programme in the last 12 months, having achieved their initial aims.

Other projects like the West Cambridge Sharing project and Reshaping our Estate will leave the Recovery Programme soon and transition into 'business-as-usual' activities in the relevant teams. Reimagining Professional Services, Enhanced Financial Transparency and Strategic Procurement and Purchasing are longer term projects which will be a priority in the year ahead.

Embracing change

One of the aims of the Recovery Programme was to help us become more resilient in the face of future crises. This has become increasingly important as the UK and the world confronts other urgent challenges: war in Ukraine, climate change and rapidly rising inflation.  

As a University, we recognise the need to get better at change so that we can confidently improve the way we work. Standing still is not an option if we are to hold our place as one of the best universities in the world.  

In May 2022, we established a new subcommittee of General Board, the Change and Programme Management Board, to help us manage and coordinate University-wide change programmes. For now, these include the Recovery Programme and other significant change programmes, such as the Finance Transformation Programme, HR Transformation Programme and Transforming Research Support.  

In August 2022, we set up a new office to support this work. The Change and Programme Management Office includes specialists in areas such as portfolio management, organisational development, continuous improvement and communications. This team will work with colleagues across the University to help us make positive changes that bring real benefits to our people and our institution.  

At the end of 2023, The Recovery Programme will come to an end and the remaining projects will be managed by the new Change and Programme Management Office.

It is hard to predict the challenges and opportunities that the next few years will bring. Certainly, as we navigate the tides of economic uncertainty, we will need to focus on staff and student wellbeing, keep a close eye on our finances and make sure that Cambridge is an attractive place to work and study. 

Whatever comes next, our experience of the Recovery Programme so far should give us the confidence to embrace further change. By working together, across institutional boundaries, we can make meaningful changes that will help Cambridge and its people thrive in the future.  

Two people walking under a tree in a college
Three people talking around a table
A woman smiling and typing on her laptop

Projects that have already 'graduated' from the Recovery Programme 

Projects that will soon leave the Recovery Programme and transition into 'business-as-usual' activities in the relevant teams

Programmes that will be overseen by the new Change and Programme Management Board

 

The Recovery Programme in numbers Supporting our Staff: 3,552 staff responded to consultation on new hybrid working policy Cambridge Impact on Society: 167 case studies created for new global impact map Research Culture: £3.4m secured for research culture project Reimagining Professional Services: 766 staff members watched open meeting on Reimagining Professional Services Strategic Procurement and Purchasing : £979,000 saved on new approach to buying confocal microscopes Cambridge Advance Online: £600k in revenue generated by new online courses

Timeline

Recovery Programme timeline 2021/22 September 2021: The Recovery Programme publishes its first annual report. October 2021: Cambridge Advance Online launches first three courses. Supporting our Staff launches new Redeployment Framework. Cambridge Impact on Society launches new site to showcase research news. November 2021: Reimagining Professional Services holds open meeting watched by 766 staff members. Strategic Procurement and Purchasing launches pilot projects in Cancer Research UK Institute and Department of Physics. December 2021: Cambridge Advance Online graduates from the Recovery Programme. January 2022: General Board approves Reimagining Professional Services principles which will inform new operating models in professional services. February 2022: Research Culture secures £3.4m funding to test and evaluate proposed approaches to improve research culture in higher education. Supporting our Staff provides guidance to heads of institutions on returning to the workplace following Covid restrictions and managing hybrid working. Enhanced Financial Transparency produces the first prototype of a financial planning tool where income and expenditure are clear at both the local and strategic level for planning, budgeting and financial reporting. May 2022: Supporting our Staff launches staff consultation on new Mutual Respect and Grievance Policy. June 2022: Cambridge Impact on Society wins CASE award for Global Impact Map. The Planning and Resources Committee approves funding for pilot to trial new hybrid working spaces at Greenwich House (part of Reshaping our Estate). July 2022: Supporting our Staff launches staff consultation on new hybrid working policy. Supporting our Staff, Research Culture and International Student Recruitment graduate from the Recovery Programme. August 2022:Change at Cambridge SharePoint site created to support communication with staff about the Recovery Programme and other University-wide change programmes.

Case studies

Cambridge Impact on Society

The Cambridge Impact on Society project, led by the Office of External Affairs and Communications (OEAC), has reinvigorated the way we communicate Cambridge’s extraordinary impact on society to key audiences, including policymakers, business, alumni, funders, donors and researchers. Read article.

Research Culture

The Research Culture project has won £3.4m research funding to test and evaluate new approaches to improving research culture.

Liz Simmonds, Head of Research Culture and Steve Wooding, Head of Research on Research will lead a project to test how changes to the way we recruit, develop and retain researchers could improve research culture. 

The project will be carried out by the Human Resources Division, Research Strategy Office and the Bennett Institute for Public Policy, with funding from Research England, the Institutional Strategy Support Fund of the Wellcome Trust and the University of Cambridge.

Liz said: "Across the higher education sector, we know we are losing talented researchers due to problems with research culture, from poor leadership and management to a lack of job security.

 “This funding is a real opportunity to test which approaches really work when it comes to improving research culture. In time, the findings will help us develop relevant frameworks, policies and materials that can be embedded in higher education institutions and drive positive, long-term change.”

Read more

 

"This funding is a real opportunity to test which approaches really work when it comes to improving research culture."

Liz Simmonds, Head of Research Culture

Supporting our Staff

The Supporting our Staff initiative aims to provide the foundation for better employee wellbeing through enhanced employment policies that focus on appropriate workplace behaviour, new ways of working and supportive, timely responses to people management issues. 

Achievements 2021/22

  • Introduced new redeployment policy to support staff at risk of redundancy, including those on fixed-term contracts 
  • Carried out staff consultation on new policies that support a positive and thriving workplace, and make clear that discrimination and harassment will not be tolerated 
  • Provided guidance to heads of institutions on returning to the workplace following Covid restrictions and managing hybrid working 
  • Carried out all-staff consultation on a proposed new Hybrid Working Policy  

The Supporting our Staff project left the Recovery Programme in July 2022.  

Staff at a workshop

West Cambridge Sharing project

This project involves exploring opportunities for sharing research space, equipment and staff on the University’s West Cambridge site.  

Staff using an equipment sharing scheme

Achievements 2021/22

  • Working with the Research Operations Office, School finance heads and the central Finance Division to develop an automated process for ensuring that only users with validated, live funding can book shared equipment/services. This will significantly reduce the volume of queries received and reduce delays in processing bookings
  • Launching a pilot with Materials Science and Metallurgy to test the West Cambridge Campus facilities management platform, which will be used to manage the booking and charging of shared facilities and services
  • Working with Occupational Health and Safety Services to streamline access to shared equipment by providing online, on-demand training in generic risks associated with specific disciplines
  • Working with University Information Services (UIS) to harness user training records to streamline access to shared equipment
  • Appointing a project team to drive the project forward 

Reflections on the Recovery Programme

We asked some of the project leads about their experiences of being part of the programme

Two people talking to one another with laptops on their knee

The Recovery Programme is an ambitious portfolio of projects that has brought together colleagues from across the University to tackle shared problems and make the most of new opportunities.

A small project management office was established to provide support to projects.

When we asked project leads about their experiences of being part of the Recovery Programme, three clear benefits emerged.

Several spoke about how the status of being part of the Recovery Programme helped communicate that their project was of strategic importance to the University, which was helpful in securing support.

Others said that being part of the Recovery Programme helped them make valuable connections with colleagues across the University. 

Many of the project leads said that the support from the project management office helped them with developing business cases, setting up governance structures or communicating with stakeholders.

 

Status

"Being part of the Recovery Programme has really helped us to establish a presence in the online education sector"

Anna Wood, Managing Director of Cambridge Advance Online Education

"The status of being part of the Recovery Programme has helped us to raise awareness of, and build support for, the work we are doing on research culture. It has allowed us to demonstrate externally the value that Cambridge places on research culture."

Liz Simmonds, Head of Research Culture

Students working at laptops at a table
Graduates walking together outside a department
Two people having a discussion
Staff talking together at a workshop

Support

“The dedication, support and expertise of the Recovery Programme team has been essential to the progress we have made so far.”

Suzanne Fowler, Head of HR Policy and Strategic Projects (Supporting our Staff programme)

"Being a part of the Recovery Programme has helped us navigate internal governance processes and reach internal stakeholders. We have received support and guidance in how to measure impact and effectiveness, set baselines and access relevant data sources."

Roshan Walkerley, Deputy Head of Student Recruitment (International), operational lead for International Student Recruitment project

Connections

"Being part of the Recovery Programme helped us bring together expertise from across the University to develop a successful plan for industry engagement."

Dr Catherine Hasted, Head of Business Partnerships, operational lead for Rebalancing our Industrial Portfolio

People at a networking event

Initially published on 1 October 2022 (updated 30 November 22)

Text by Kate Waters and Cordelia Brown

Infographics by Alison Fair and Suvi Roberts

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