New research finance forums co-chairs announced

BUFDG has recently launched a dedicated Teams channel for members working in research finance, and will be starting regular meetings for the Research Finance community for the 24/25 academic year and beyond.

We are delighted to announce our co-chairs will be Helen Hammond (Head of Research Finance at University of Nottingham) and James Allman (Head of Research Accounting, Monitoring and Claims at Cranfield University).

Our 'Research Finance Forums' will be held online 2/3 times per year to enable BUFDG members working in research finance and related professional support roles to discuss the issues of the day, share thoughts and experiences, and network.

The Research Finance Forum aims to support finance professionals in their role facilitating research support activities within UK based Higher Education Providers (HEPs) by:

• Acting as a collaborative forum to navigate the changing governance, assurance and compliance landscape relating to relevant funding bodies
• Taking a challenge-led approach to inform, share and evolve best practice relating to finance related research activities
• Providing a space for those with research related roles to share their thoughts and ideas with fellow research staff across UK Higher Education Providers, and hear about research related topics, resources, and projects.
• Inviting relevant experts and bodies to speak to the research finance community
• Working collaboratively with relevant sector bodies, including ARMA, to ensure a joined-up approach
• Where appropriate, acting as a voice for the sector on key issues

 Helen Hammond (Head of Research Finance at University of Nottingham) said: 

"I am excited by the opportunity to be one of the co-chairs of the new BUFDG Research Finance Forum.  I am looking forward to facilitating conversations and working collaboratively with you to ensure that all voices are heard, best practice can be shared and to ensure, as a sector, we are best equipped to respond and challenge collectively and constructively using our combined operational research finance experience."

James Allman (Head of Research Accounting, Monitoring and Claims at Cranfield University) said:

"I am delighted to be involved in this new initiative. Above all else, I look forward to contributing to hopefully making lives a little bit easier for fellow finance professionals working in the challenging area of managing research funding."

The first Research Finance Forum will take place online Monday 18 November 2024, 2-4pm, register your attendance here. 

To ensure you continue to receive updates regarding future Research Finance Forums, and anything else related to research, please make sure you have selected the 'research finance' option in your dashboard interests. Please do share this information with colleagues working in research finance. 

New Teams channel

Earlier this year we asked BUFDG members to indicate their interest in trialling a new Teams channel for research finance, as a space to post instant message queries, share articles and documents, and support each other. There was a resoundingly positive response, so we are pleased to confirm that this has now been implemented, and over 150 members have already joined.

If you have not received an invitation and would like to, please complete this form. Any issues or questions, please let Joni know. 

A reminder that the new Team is a trial; we may need to change a few things as we go along, and we'll review in a few months to gauge how well it is being utilised... So, if this is a resource you want access to long-term get posting! 

Discussion boards will continue to be available. Clear any pre-existing filters and select research finance on the left-hand side of the discussion landing page to view only research related topics.