Detailed Draft Aston Objectives October 2015

Draft Aston objectives Delivering the budget: - A Surplus of £4 million: 3% of turnover Student Recruitment: - Grow by at least 200 new admissions - Develop ‘Learn while you earn’ programmes in both UG and PG - Without reducing entry requirements Research: funding, collaborations, industry engagement, PhDs - ≥ £22m research funding, £25m stretch target - Cash contribution from business/external organisations ≥ £6m - ≥10% growth in new PGR students to 112

Draft Aston objectives NSS: improve overall position with a focus on Learning and Teaching –All Schools at 90%+ for overall satisfaction. –90% for Q : ‘Teaching on my course’, ‘Feedback and Assessment’ and ‘Academic Engagement’ Rise in global rankings –To be ranked in the QS and THE Global rankings –In the top 35 of UK universities ranked Employability and Student success –Enhance graduate attainment by increasing progression by at least 10% –Placements: at least 75% take up –Positive destinations: at least 80% to be in further study or graduate level employment Aston Medical School – GMC submission and recruitment –GMC application submitted: January 2016 –Recruitment for Masters in Orthopaedic Surgery: July 2016 –Recruitment of undergraduate students for the MBChB: September 2016

Draft Aston objectives Internationalisation -International PGT student number growth by 5% achieved by sustaining the numbers of quality applicants who receive offers and improving conversion in all Schools to 20% -International collaborative teaching partnerships – 1 new European joint masters bid submitted and a pipeline of four programmes in development; 1 new TNE programme started and a pipeline of four programmes in development - Deeper, focussed international research collaborations in two thematic areas including Smart Cities DTC; International Entrepreneurship hub; and Biotechnology

Draft Aston objectives th Anniversary –To launch the “Pioneers for Change: Aston University, Transforming Lives” Campaign –To generate 800 donors, £1.2m new cash, £2m in cash and new pledges –Deliver an engaging Anniversary programme –Increase contactable alumni by 10% –April 2016 Birthday Weekend to attract ≥1,000 alumni and friends

Draft Aston objectives Managing and improving performance, diversity and Inclusion, satisfaction Managing and Improving Performance: –Revised PDR and Moderation panel process to bring attention to low and poor performance. Complete by launch of 2015/16 PDR round –Revise/strengthen Performance Management Guidance – by January 2016 Diversity & inclusion: –LHS - Silver Athena Swan – application April 2016 –EAS - Silver Athena Swan – application November 2016 –AU - Silver Athena Swan – application April 2016 –Launch mandatory unconscious bias training Prevent: Review University policies, procedures and training to integrate statutory duty to work against radicalisation on campus by January 2016 Staff Satisfaction –Devise a ‘support staff’ matrix that allows for career development and cross- University work - July 2016

Draft Aston objectives Agility: delivery of additional £5.5 million of contribution by 2017/18 –Increased revenue from entrepreneurial activity (see following slide) –Generate savings through more effective/less bureaucratic practices and structures Creating a continuous improvement culture –“Rapid improvement events” staff and/or departments working together to identify and resolve problems –“Process Improvement light” small, one-off projects with trained facilitators and appropriate process improvement tools and methodologies –“Major process improvement projects” using a robust methodology for complex processes –Suggestion scheme focussed entirely on inefficient processes launched Jan 2016

Draft Aston objectives Commercial income streams: research exploitation, companies and consultancy –Raise ABS Executive Education revenue volume by 50% to £1.8m –Raise another ≥£500,000 in new equity for Aston Eyetech, with prototype production run of at least 100 instruments –Launch at least two spin-off consulting businesses (current candidates being servitisation and forensic linguistics) –Work with EAS to create at least one high probability spin-off from Photonics and/or other areas