JISC

This paper provides a background to the role and value of JISC. It is the second edition to a paper published in April 2005 to demonstrate the value of JISC to Higher and Further Education.

It is central to JISC's mission to deliver value for money through economies of scale, to provide research and development into how ICT can better support education and research, and to provide a range of services and resources that meet the needs of colleges and universities.

JISC is an organisation whose effectiveness is almost inversely proportional to its visibility - much of what JISC does is not obvious to its users. All the while Super JANET  works, hardly any of its 18 million users think of JISC.

Central to successful education and research sectors and therefore to a successful UK economy is an ICT infrastructure of the highest quality as well as innovative programmes to exploit the full potential of technology. Innovation, sustainability and working in partnership continue to be the cornerstones of JISC's new strategy (2007-2009) , part of a longer term ambition to support the enhancement of the UK's competitiveness and the contribution of HE and FE to society and the economy.

JISC is clear that the needs of teachers, learners, researchers and administrators in higher education (HE) and further education (FE) are its primary focus, and the funds it receives from the funding councils must continue to be used exclusively for this purpose, working in partnership where appropriate.

One crucial reason why JISC is widely respected is that it is still collegial: its work is still very largely directed and carried out by practitioners within higher and further education.

We have recently developed strategies to demonstrate the value JISC provides to the Higher and Further education community through a Value for Money report  focusing on JISC services. A similar report on JISC development activities will be published later in 2007.

Professor Sir Ron Cooke
JISC Chair

Download the full text of this paper below