PyCon UK will be held in Manchester for the first time this year. The University of Manchester will have a booth at the conference, organised by members of the eScience Lab, Software Sustainability Institute and Research IT. Find out how you can get involved!

If you are one of the many NVivo users at the University you can now update to versions 14 or 15. NVivo 12 codes will not be published next year so all users are strongly encouraged to update.

The Computation and Data In Research (CaDiR) community continues to grow! This is a new space for University staff and researchers who work with C++, whether they are experienced systems programmers or beginners. The group aims to create an inclusive community of practice for those involved in simulation codes, high-performance libraries, or object-oriented design.

Get a quick introduction to containerisation with Docker from one of our Research Software Engineers (RSE). Docker packages apps and their dependencies and are an ideal way to solve the "works on my machine" problem. Learn about Docker's main perks: consistency, portability, isolation, and scalability and there are links to extra resources if you want to learn more.

If you are one of the many University researchers who use SPSS, you may want to consider updating to the latest version - SPSS 30 is available to you now!

Donal Fellows, Research Software Engineer, has curated a collection of GitHub Actions that we are making freely available for use across the University. Comprised of a collection of basic automation tasks that he has found useful across multiple projects, he also gives an example of how this can be applied in a simple Python project.

We recap on the GISMEO Community’s second in-person event, the Humanitarian Mapathon, held on 7th May. The event brought together 20 participants from diverse disciplines to explore the power of geospatial tools in humanitarian contexts. It contained practical sessions on humanitarian mapping and served as a valuable networking opportunity, fostering meaningful connections among attendees.

Meet Dr. James Bird, a driving force behind the University's Electronic Research Notebook (ERN) initiative and ERN community leader. As a researcher turned technical specialist, James shares his journey, his commitment to research data management, and his vision for building a vibrant ERN community.

Research IT has played a key role in the Turing Innovation Catalyst programme which aims to accelerate Greater Manchester's growth into a global AI superpower.  The programme recently won Tech Hub of the year at the 2024 Prolific North Tech Awards.

Need to request Research Data Storage (RDS)? It’s a crucial step for managing your research data securely and efficiently! Here are some key factors to consider before submitting your request to Research IT.

We’re excited to announce the launch of a new CaDiR group, serving as a hub for all things related to Electronic Research Notebooks (ERNs). Whether you’re curious about ERNs, directly involved in the Research Lifecycle Programme’s ERN project, or just want to stay informed, this group is the place to be!

The extensive range of centralised IT services now available to the University's research community might be easy to take for granted, but a brief reflection on the history of IT for research at the University reveals a remarkable journey.