INNOVATION CENTRE CORONAVIRUS POLICY UPDATE #4

Dear SETsquared Members and Colleagues,

As we move into phase 3 of the Government’s lockdown strategy, we are beginning to plan and prepare for a return to office-based working. With this in mind, I thought it might be helpful to outline our thinking on when an official return to the office might happen and what steps we will be taking to ensure the safety of our members, staff, visitors, suppliers and wider community, as restrictions are lifted.

We don’t as yet have a fixed date for re-opening the Innovation Centre reception. We are working towards Wednesday, July 1st as an earliest possible soft opening date although it is likely that businesses will be asked to stagger their return dates as plans develop and an actual reopening date will depend on Government advice and University policy. Members will need to complete a staff consultation and risk assessment ahead of returning and we will soon be in touch with details of this process. For now, though, the advice remains firmly that you should work from home if you can.

We’re endeavouring to move as much of our support as possible into online delivery as it’s unlikely we will be running in-house networking events such as First Tuesday for the foreseeable future. Look out for some new workshop opportunities that will be announced soon in response to the results of our recent survey (more on this later) and the complete revamp of our mentoring service delivery.

For now, though, we hope you are continuing to succeed and thrive in this uncertain time. 

Take care and keep safe!

Brian