An institute providing national leadership for technical skills, roles, and careers in higher education and research has successfully strengthened the future workforce and secured global recognition for the profession.
The UK Institute for Technical Skills & Strategy (UK ITSS) celebrated these milestones with the launch of its Three-Year Impact Report at a prestigious event in the House of Lords on 2 June 2026.
Established in August 2023 and underpinned by a £5.5 million grant from Research England (part of UK Research and Innovation), UK ITSS was created to advocate for the technical workforce.
The institute aims to broaden the evidence base on technical careers to inform skills policy, while driving development opportunities and collaboration across UK higher education and research.
Building on nearly a decade of groundwork laid by the Technician Commitment initiative and the Midlands Innovation TALENT Programme (2020–2025), the institute has rapidly delivered significant national and international impact.
Dame Chi Onwurah MP, Chair of the Science, Technology and Innovation Committee, welcomed the report at the parliamentary event. She praised the vital role technical professionals play within the UK’s science, technology, and innovation sectors, noting their direct impact on driving economic growth, and the work of the institute to support and develop this crucial community.
Dr Kelly Vere MBE and Dame Chi Onwurah MP
Other key sector leaders also praised the institute’s collaborative approach to strengthening the research ecosystem through policy influence, skills training, and career development.
Dame Professor Jessica Corner, Executive Chair for Research England said: “Research England is pleased to support the UK Institute for Technical Skills & Strategy and the work of the many institutions and individuals contributing to this growing community. The report demonstrates the value of sustained collaboration across the sector and provides a strong foundation for future work to strengthen technical careers and capabilities across the UK research and innovation system.”
Dr. Helen Pain MBE, Chief Executive for the Royal Society of Chemistry and Professor Jane Norman, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Nottingham also remarked on the success of the institute.
The report details achievements and progress to date, including:
- Influencing national education and skills policy; providing key evidence to the Higher Education Statistics Agency’s (HESA) staff data collection survey to re-introduce mandatory data collection for non-academic staff and highlighted a projected 120,000 technical skills gap in IS8 frontier industries.
- Upskilling the technical workforce at more UK universities and research institutes; delivered over 3,000 learning and development opportunities across 120 organisations and designed bespoke programmes that directly impacted 400 technical professionals.
- Empowering the technical community through development opportunities; facilitated nearly 200 knowledge exchange placements and launched a Showcase featuring 300 technician-led facilities to drive research collaboration and equipment sharing.
- Expanding the Technician Commitment: Championed positive workplace changes, growing the globally recognised Technician Commitment initiative to 150 participating organisations.
- Global Leadership: Positioned the UK as an international best practice for technical excellence, with institute practices recognised across Europe, Australia, and the Americas, amplified by a collaborative project with Universitas 21, and a $4.9m collaboration with Australian partners Microscopy Australia and the Academy for Collaborative Research Infrastructure (ACRI), to establish the Technician Commitment in Australia and support technical career development opportunities.
Dr Kelly Vere MBE, Director of UK ITSS and the Technician Commitment emphasised the momentum the institute has generated.
She said: “This report marks a significant milestone in our work to champion technical skills, roles and careers across the research and innovation landscape.
It showcases the breadth of activity delivered by the Institute in collaboration with our partners, funders, professional bodies, learned societies and the technical community.
We are incredibly proud of the progress and impact achieved to date and excited to be working with international partners to extend the reach of our activities and support technical professionals around the world.
The recent announcement of our successful collaboration with Microscopy Australia and ACRI is particularly exciting. This investment will support the implementation of the Technician Commitment in Australia, alongside coordinated professional development and fellowship programmes designed to strengthen career pathways, improve recognition, and help attract and retain the highly skilled workforce essential to Australia’s research and innovation system.
We are excited to work alongside our Australian partners to build on the success of the Technician Commitment, sharing expertise and good practice to help strengthen recognition, development and career opportunities for technical professionals internationally.
The impact highlighted in this report is a testament to the commitment and support of our community, including our Advisory Board, Steering Board, Technical Council, panels, networks and the many technical professionals who generously volunteer their time and expertise to help drive this work forward.”