The opening plenary also featured a welcome from Heidi Fraser-Krauss, CEO of Jisc, TNC25’s host NREN. Heidi celebrated the fact that we are third-time lucky getting TNC to Brighton, the perfect venue for our diverse, inclusive community.
Keynote speaker Jess Auerbach Jahajeeah of the Graduate School of Business, University of Cape Town, took usthrough a fascinating and thought-provoking presentation around ‘Networks and Knowledge Futures: the architecture of imagination’, discussing how contemporary knowledge infrastructure shapes imagination and possibilities, illustrated by many of the experiences aboard the cable ship Leon Thevenin.
Then followed the presentation by GCC Chair Charlie van Genuchten of the annual GÉANT Community Award for outstanding contributions to collaborative work and the development of services and technologies with the GÉANT community. This year’s deserving awardees were HEAnet’s Ronan Byrne and GÉANT’s Nicole Harris.
Finally, the presentation of the Annual Vietsch Award by John Dyer. The Medal of the Vietsch Foundation honours people whose initiatives led to a lasting organisational setup or a service that is of great value to the research and education community. This year the award was presented to GÉANT’s Chief Communications Officer, Cathrin Stӧver who delivered an emotional acceptance speech thanking her colleagues and family, including her two children who were watching on live stream.
With a record number of registrations and exhibiting partners, TNC is going from strength to strength and our week together in vibrant, diverse Brighton looks set to truly demonstrate the commitment of this global community to the bright future of research, education, and innovation.
If you’re unable to join us in Brighton, you can register for a free online pass to access the TNC25 Online Platform, where you can see most of the sessions live, but also access them on demand.
