16th September 2026, 10am - 4pm

University of Sheffield, UK

What is a Co-design day?

Training is more effective when the people who will be benefiting from it are included in the design, both the content and the delivery. This day is part of a number of Co-design days run by ACIT Hub to find out what training the community needs.

This Co-design day will build on the discussions and priorities identified in previous ACIT Hub Co-design events, where research infrastructure engineers (RIEs) highlighted key training topics and preferred formats (e-learning, hackathons, webinars, in person courses). The focus of this day is to move from “what we need” to “how we design it”; developing concrete training plans that ACIT Hub can take forward into course and event development.

The day will combine short, scene-setting talks and structured interactive sessions where participants will explore and develop RIE training ideas.

During the interactive sessions, participants will work in small groups to develop training plans on specific topics, including:

• Target audience and pre-requisites
• Learning objectives
• Format
• Topic description
• Learning activities

Participants will explore what skills RIEs need, discover what training is available and in development, and gain practical experience of developing training plans; plus, they will have the opportunity to meet other RIEs and directly impact the training developed by ACIT Hub.

Featured talks

Automating Block Storage Encryption for Trusted Research Environments using Kubernetes, CSI, and Vault - Babatunde Oyewo, University of Cambridge

Managing Security and CVEs on complex research platforms - Jon Wakelin, University of Birmingham

Single-Site to Cross-Site RoCE Network - Salih Ahmed, University of Birmingham

Slingshot RDMA on Kubernetes: Serving LLMs with KServe on Isambard-AI - David John, University of Brisol

Designing our cluster deployment using fluxCD - Jake Watson, University of Bristol

Who is it for?

The day is suitable for RIEs of any level to attend.

Event Logistics

The event will take place at the University of Sheffield. The programme will start at 10am with registrations and refreshments available from 9:30am. Lunch will be provided and the hub is able to assist with travel costs for those coming from UKRI eligible institutions. The day will wrap up by 4pm.

Further dates for co-design days in other locations will be announced soon.

 

Registration

Please complete the registration form. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis, with a review of registrants to ensure suitability.

All ACIT hub events are covered by our code of conduct by registering and attending you agree to support us in making our events professional, comfortable, safe and accessible for all participants.