UNIMAKER 2020

Due to the ongoing Covid-19 situation, UNIMAKER 2020 will not be running in its original format. 

We are aware that many makers are playing a key role in responding to the crisis, as well as coming up with innovative ways for students to engage with Making in the context of the current restrictions. We would like to capture these stories and be able to share them with one another, and continue to build this wonderful community.

We hope to do this through a mixture of live online sessions and pre-prepared material. We are aware of how busy universities have been over this period and hope this will allow you some flexibility to engage with the content around your other commitments.

The live sessions will run in the second week of September as originally intended – save the dates!

There will be no formal review process for contributions, so feel free to share with us what you have been doing or thinking in as much or as little detail as you like and in whatever format seems most appropriate – papers, short reports/blogs, pictures, videos or something else… if it involves Making we want to hear about it!

This invitation is open to anyone, from academic staff, students and alumni to technical and professional services staff, whether you are running an established makerspace or just starting out on your making journey.

Please send through your contributions here and as we collect these contributions, we will then endeavour to create a programme for the live sessions and a platform to share asynchronous content.

The UNIMAKER 2020 Team

Get Involved

We are really keen to engage with anyone with an interest in Making, from academic staff, students and alumni to technical and professional services staff, whether you are running an established makerspace or just starting out on your making journey.

Send me updates about UNIMAKER 2020

If you would like to contribute content for UNIMAKER 2020 and share what you’ve been working on with other makers, we’d love to hear from you about areas including (but not limited to):

The Response of Makers to Covid-19
  • Maker initiatives for PPE, medical devices, social distancing solutions and coping with lockdown
  • How Making can assist with global economic recovery
  • The #pivotonline – how Making in HE is changing as a result of online working
  • How student-led and co-curricular activities have adapted
Starting and Running Makerspaces
  • Access and supervision models
  • Student leadership and ownership
  • Funding and industry engagement
  • Technology for enabling student autonomy
  • Training and Health & Safety
The Impact of Making
  • Making for mental health and wellbeing
  • STEM and community outreach, widening participation
  • Influencing University culture
  • Sustainability
  • Knowledge exchange and industry collaboration
Supporting and Developing Students and Staff
  • Employability and enterprise skills
  • Developing staff from supervisors to mentors
  • Entrepreneurship and supporting start-ups
Building a Community of Makers
  • Initiatives to sustain community and facilitate making during lockdown
  • Creating a welcoming and inclusive space
  • Sharing good practice
  • Regional engagement and collaboration
  • Working across disciplines
Yeah, I could share something!

Important Dates

Conference dates: 7th & 8th September 2020

The Diamond

The Diamond – at £86 million the University of Sheffield’s largest ever investment in teaching and learning – opened its doors to students and staff on September 28th 2015.

Construction began on site in 2013 and the project was delivered on time and to budget.

The stunning building has already created a fantastic place for modern interdisciplinary teaching, generating interest from all over the world. It won the Design through Innovation award in the 2016 Yorkshire and Humber Region Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) awards, and was also shortlisted for the Yorkshire awards from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).

We hope to welcome back to The Diamond and to Sheffield in 2021.  

Get Involved

Get Involved

Contact Us

For any queries relating to this event please contact 
unimaker@sheffield.ac.uk