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As the first phase of the FORGE project, built using Microsoft Dynamics 365, the system has been designed to capture and manage all International Partnerships activity across the University, providing a single, shared source of truth for information that has not previously been visible in one place.

Developed through extensive collaboration and consultation across the University, FORGE holds key information on partners, agreements, contacts, events, applications and enrolments, as well as pipeline activities and initiatives. This will support improved oversight, reporting and strategic planning across our international partnerships portfolio.

Following two weeks of dedicated training, more than 150 users are now onboarded, with security access levels ranging from read-only to basic and advanced, depending on role requirements. Designated users have been appointed within each School, Faculty, and relevant Professional Services units to support engagement and ensure consistent use of the system.

All designated users are now encouraged to actively use FORGE as the system of record for International Partnerships activity.

• Further information, including guidance and support materials, is available here.

The draft strategy represents an important step forward in strengthening how equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are embedded across all areas of university life.

Your feedback will help shape a Strategy that meaningfully reflects the experiences, priorities, and needs of our university community.

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• The consultation will close at 5.00pm on Thursday 19 March 2026.
• If you have any questions or experience difficulties in accessing the feedback form, please contact the Diversity and Inclusion Team by email: eqdiv@qub.ac.uk.
• Further information is available on the EDI webpages.

Please contact the Relocation team with any queries.

If you anticipate any issues meeting this deadline, please reach out to the Research Finance Team as soon as possible.

Timely submission is essential to support accurate reporting and ensure smooth processing around this busy time of year.

Any requests received after the deadline will be processed after the Research Finance Team returns from the Easter leave period in April.

Queen’s pension schemes provide staff with long-term financial security and stability.

Key benefits include:

• Financial security: a guaranteed monthly income upon retirement;
• Provision for loved ones: support for your family should circumstances change;
• Long-term value: assisting staff with confident planning and future financial wellbeing.

Learn more here about the University's Pension Schemes and how they can support future planning.

* Please note that the information you provide is strictly confidential and cannot be traced back to you individually.

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The REF is the UK’s comprehensive system for evaluating the quality, impact, and significance of research produced by universities, helping to ensure that public investment in research at Queen’s delivers meaningful and lasting impact.

The University’s REF Code of Practice sets out the University’s proposed approach to fulfilling its REF 2029 requirements and provides guidance on key areas, including:

• identifying staff with significant responsibility for research;
• determining research independence;
• selecting outputs for submission;
• embedding equality and diversity consideration throughout the process.

Further information and support

• If you have any questions or experience difficulties accessing the consultation form, please contact the REF Team at ref@qub.ac.uk.
• Further information, ​including FAQs, is available here​.

The event will include:

• The exclusive launch and first screening of the University’s new Green Dot promotional video;
• The opportunity to learn more about the Green Dot Bystander Training Programme and how to recognise and safely challenge inappropriate comments, attitudes, or behaviours related to unwanted experiences, gender-based violence, and harassment;
• A Green Dot Training Workshop will be delivered from 11.00am to 12.00pm in the CUBE, One Elmwood. Please register here: Green Dot Bystander Training.
• Information stands with internal partners, including the Neighbourhood Engagement team, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team, staff and student Wellbeing teams, and external partners; Spectrum.Life (EAP), Police Service of Northern Ireland, SOS Bus NI, and Women’s Aid;
• Free donuts, tea, and coffee (available on a first-come, first-served basis);
• Opportunities to ask questions and share feedback.

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Green Dot is an active bystander training programme focusing on sexual abuse, domestic abuse and harassment. It equips students and colleagues with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to identify, intervene and report inappropriate attitudes and unwanted behaviours.

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Developed by the International Staff Support Team, this guide brings together practical information about relocating to Belfast and starting work at Queen’s, including guidance on immigration, accommodation, healthcare, banking, schools, and a wide range of matters relating to everyday life in Northern Ireland.

The guide is now shared with all newly appointed international staff as part of their onboarding and is also provided to all visiting scholars and sponsored Visiting Research Titles.

The guide can also be very helpful for colleagues supporting international recruitment or answering questions from prospective candidates considering a move to Queen’s.

For further information, contact internationalstaff@qub.ac.uk. 

Relay-Ready Workshop: This session will cover how the relay works, including changeover points, an overview of each leg, and baton timing. We’ll also discuss race-day logistics (getting to and from your leg), pacing guidance, and practical tips on running attire. There will be time for questions, and we hope to involve members of the University Athletics Club and experienced Queen’s runners to share advice and insights.

Virtual Couch to Relay programme: As part of the University's 180th anniversary celebrations, Queen’s has proudly sponsored 36 teams to take part in the Belfast Marathon. This virtual programme is designed to support those signed up for the relay.

Week 3 Training Tips:

1. Jog for three minutes, then walk for one minute for recovery (x5).
2. Repeat this run three times over the week.
3. Top Tip: To keep a straight posture while running, bring your shoulders back and imagine a balloon is on the top of your head to keep your chest up.

For further information, please contact the Staff Wellbeing team at staffwellbeing@qub.ac.uk.

If you would like to showcase a display of traditional attire, artefacts, storytelling, customs or performance from various Eid-celebrating cultures, including providing educational insights and promoting cultural exchange, please contact Victoria Gilroy on v.gilroy@qub.ac.uk.

This event is organised by the Student Engagement Team (One Elmwood), with the Staff Diversity and Inclusion Team, iRise staff network and student societies.

What's included?

• Clothing repairs
• Small electrical fixes
• Free bike check‑ups
• Sewing skills workshop
• Free tea/coffee (BYO cup)

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There are now more public transport options across NI with park and rides appearing at strategic locations to encourage drivers to not contribute to city congestion.

• Translink's park and ride services.
• All Northern Ireland park and ride options.  

Download the Queen’s Online mobile app: Staff and students can also now receive live updates on bus and rail travel via the Queen’s Online mobile app.

Spring into Action Programme – Save the Dates:

• W/c 16 March – Get Active Week
• W/c 23 March – E-bike Demo Week

Explore sustainable commuting benefits

• QUB Net Zero Bikers
• QUB Staff Liftshare
• Sustainable Travel at Queen's.

To find out more, or for any queries, contact the Sustainability Team at sustainability@qub.ac.uk.

Queen’s University proudly sponsors the Company Programme, which supports 15-19 year-olds as they start their own businesses.

Award Categories

• Individual Achievement Award
• Best Student-Led Activity
• Best New Club or Society
• Society of the Year
• Sporting Club of the Year

Shortlisted nominees will be invited along to a glitzy awards night in Mandela Hall where the winners will be revealed.

• AI Lightning Talks (open to all staff). Tuesday 31 March, 10.00am to 12.00pm, online.
• Webinar: What's new in AI in 2026 (webinar recording). Staff can also view the session resources here.
• AI for Educators Course: Self-paced Canvas course for student-facing staff to build confidence using AI in education. Explore four modules (Basics, Teaching & Learning, Assessment & Feedback, and Research), with practical AI Skills Build activities and discussion. Complete what’s most relevant to you, or finish all four to earn a Digital Certificate of Completion, signed by Professor Judy Williams (PVC Education and Students).

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AI Lightning Talks: A morning of insight, ideas, and conversation about the future of AI in education, featuring a series of short, engaging talks showcasing how colleagues across the University are already putting AI into practice.

Webinar: What's new in AI in 2026. The Digital Learning Institute recently hosted a webinar exploring new developments and trends in AI in 2026, facilitated by Joe Houghton, unpacking how AI is changing how we design, deliver and manage learning.

Please contact the team at AI-Hub@qub.ac.uk with any queries.

To contribute an article to Queen's Policy Engagement, please email Kevin at qpol@qub.ac.uk.

• Could joining the state sector be an option for private schools? by Dr Tilly Clough
• Ukraine: after four years of war, exhaustion on both sides is the main hope for peace, by Dr Alexander Titov

• Queen’s first on island of Ireland to receive accreditation for drug and alcohol support
• Transcript: Digital Transformation – University Admissions
• Celebrating minds and music at Queen's
• In Pictures: 2026 Sustainability Student Summit
• Queen’s launches free late-night shuttle service for students
• In Pictures: Queen’s launches free late-night shuttle service for students
• Professor Christopher McCrudden Awarded 2026 RIA Gold Medal in the Social Sciences
• Queen’s Secures Race Equality Charter Bronze Award

• Lecture: Civil War, Foreign Intervention, and International Law: The (Uncertain) Relevance of a Democratic Norm, Wednesday 18 March, 12.00pm to 1.30pm.
• Lecture: Innocent Victims, Heroic Survivors, and Monstrous Perpetrators: The visual politics of memorials commemorating sexual violence, Wednesday 18 March, 5.00pm to 6.30pm.
• Workshop: PeaceTech: Setting the Scene for a Potential PeaceTech Context for Great Britain and Ireland, Friday 20 March, 12.00pm to 1.30pm.
• * Public consultation: Positive Peace in Northern Ireland, Tuesday 24 March to Thursday 26 March, Belfast and Derry/Londonderry (various locations).

More information

The School of MDBS invites women with lived experience of gestational diabetes or weight changes during or after pregnancy to this event. This is a relaxed, small-group discussion where your insights will directly inform upcoming research. No preparation or research experience is needed. Lunch and reimbursement for time will be provided.

This event will include:

• discussion of experiences of gestational diabetes and weight after pregnancy;
• exploring what questions future research should focus on and what approaches would work best;
• identifying what outcomes matter the most to women;
• sharing ideas in a relaxed environment.

Please feel free to share with anyone who may be interested.

• Walled Cities 8
• Exhibition on Screen: Turner & Constable
• NT Live: The Audience
• Baby Pictures: The Bride!
• The Bride!
• Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2026
• Cinemagic On the Pulse
• Wiseman X VoE: La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet

Staff tickets are priced at £8.50. Staff and students aged 26 and under can join LUMI to get tickets for £6.00 every day, all year round.

Oliver Jeffers is well known for his award-winning picture books. Beyond his literary success, he is an internationally recognised painter and sculptor. Jeffers’ work, with its distinctive simplicity, beauty, and humour, invites people to engage with big ideas, offering fresh context, hope, and a renewed sense of purpose in these rapidly shifting times.

The Gallery is open daily from 11.00am to 4.00pm.

Under the guidance of goldsmith Diane Lyness, each participant will be taught traditional jewellery-making techniques such as piercing, soldering, shaping, texturing, and polishing, to create a beautiful knotted silver ring to take home.

Spectrum.Life Wellbeing Series

Spectrum.Life, Queen's new EAP provider, has a range of wellbeing webinars and eLearning modules on their wellbeing hub. Access Spectrum.Life courses here using the Organisation Code QUBSTAFF.

Available courses

• Women's Health: What the Research Says. Wednesday 11 March, 1.15pm to 2.00pm.
• University Mental Health Day – Student Mental Health. Thursday 12 March, 10.00am to 11.00am.
• It's Just Period Pain...Or is it? Wednesday 25 March, 1.15pm to 2.00pm
• Understanding, support and resources for domestic violence – eLearning programme.
• The Impact of AI on your Mental Wellbeing – eLearning programme.

In Case You Missed It

• Body Image - Letting go of labels
• Dermot Whelan's Practical Tools for Smart Living
• Raising Kids in an AI World
• Simple Practices for Gratitude and Self
• How We Break the Cycle: Stress

Pure is the system that is used to upload and make visible online your research articles, note any prizes you have won, record any prestigious activities, and upload your datasets.

This 30-minute session will provide you with a practical workshop on how to use Pure, what to update on your personal profile, how to create records in Pure, and an overview of open access.

Please feel free to contact the University Safety Service at safety@qub.ac.uk or 028 9097 4613 should you have any queries or training requirements.