UEB 3 June 2015

• Professor Price noted that the recent Routes into Languages Cymru event hosted by the School of Modern Languages had showcased outreach projects and been very well attended. Attention was also drawn to the British Council’s Language Trends Wales survey of modern foreign language teaching in Welsh secondary schools and the worrying trends.
• The publication of the report from Viewforth Consulting Ltd was noted and the headline statements of Cardiff being worth over £1billion to the UK economy, creating more than 13,000 jobs in Wales.
• The response to the Welsh Government consultation on the changes to disabled students’ allowance was noted and approved subject to some minor amendments. It was agreed that it was appropriate for a robust and detailed response to be made to the consultation given the changes will adversely impact this group of students and the tendency for this particular group of students to under-achieve.
• The two Innovation System building business cases on the new Innovation Campus were presented to UEB. The Innovation Centre and SPARK would be housed in one building and the Translational Research Facility for Catalysis and Semiconductors in the other.  Subject to some amendments and clarifications to the business cases both were endorsed by UEB and would now be presented to Policy and Resources Committee for scrutiny and endorsement before being progressed to Council.
• UEB received the high level risk register. The register was agreed and this will now go to Policy and Resources Committee and Council to note.
• The Way Forward: progress against targets paper was presented to UEB. The changes were noted and this will now go to Policy and Resources Committee and Council to note.
• The Business Case Plan for May 2015 was noted and will now go to Policy and Resources Committee and Council to note.
• The UUK Efficiency, Effectiveness and Value for Money report and Cardiff’s preparedness was noted.

UEB received the following regular reports:

• Innovation System Update. The report noted that the Innovation System Strategic Oversight Board met on 28 April 2015 and received a presentation from Professor Graham Hutchings on Cardiff Catalysis Institute and Dr Phil Buckle on the Compound Semiconductor Institute.
• Director of Communications & Marketing Monthly Report and Forward Plan. The report updated on current media relations and campaigns.  A round-up of the media coverage can be found at: https://flipboard.com/@cardiffuni/cardiff-university-in-the-media—may-2015-v6k4tm0ay.
• Monthly Activity Report on Research and Innovation. The report noted the appointment of Professor Diane Huffaker who has been appointed as Chair in Advanced Engineering and Materials. Her appointment will build on existing strengths at Cardiff University in expanding areas of optoelectronics, semiconductor devices and materials.  The report updated on the MRC Translational Funding visit, ESRC Chief Executive visit and the NERC visit.  The paper also updated on the research awards to 30 April 2015 and noted that the current trajectory should enable the University achieve its target total awards for 2014/15.