Shaping our priorities for Wales – key takeaways from our Welsh engagement forum

Strategic leaders from across the tertiary education and research sectors in Wales gathered for our annual engagement forum in July. Rhys Daniels, our director of Wales, reflects on the event that brought education leaders together in Cardiff to discuss cost pressures, bilingual needs and the growing role of AI.

The forum feeds directly into our annual priorities for Wales, making sure they reflect the real needs of the sector. Here’s how the day went and what we learned together.

A quick look back

We opened the forum with a recap of our 2024–25 priorities for Wales, which included strengthening relationships with key stakeholders and partners, and supporting our members and the wider sector with a seamless transition to Medr, the new tertiary education funding body for Wales.

We also shared insights from Welsh respondents to our HE and FE leadership survey 2025, which identified AI, cyber security and IT infrastructure as their biggest headaches.

Rising costs and technology challenges

An interactive workshop led by Bella Abrams, our group technology officer, focused on members’ most pressing technology-related challenges.

The rising costs of software licensing, cloud migration and cyber security were seen as a major strategic threat, with attendees recognising that national vendor negotiations and solutions shared between institutions were ways to ease the pressure.

There was cautious optimism in the room regarding AI’s potential, but a feeling that budget constraints and cultural challenges are holding back investment. It’s clear that members are ready to act with the right support, evidence and guidance.

Collaborative efficiencies – working smarter together

At Jisc, we see collaboration and shared services as key to a sustainable digital future for higher and further education. It was heartening to hear members embracing this approach, while also being honest about how difficult it can be. There is a clear appetite in Wales for collaborative pilots, shared services and data-driven innovation, much of it driven by financial pressures. As one delegate put it: “Value for money needs to be grounded in impact.” Our work on making the case for collaboration and collaboration for a sustainable future shows how shared approaches can deliver exactly that.

Navigating political uncertainty

I was impressed by forum members’ honesty about the difficulties faced by the sector in Wales and about the work of Jisc. Forums are about listening as much as talking, and hearing perspectives on the unique factors at play in Wales was valuable.

Members shared their concerns about the upcoming Senedd elections, which means they are operating in an uncertain political landscape, and were keen for Jisc to work with all parties to help secure continuity, whatever the outcome.

Supporting a bilingual nation

Institutions are proud of their role in delivering education bilingually, but that can bring challenges that are unique to Wales. For example, members are restricted in what platforms they can license because of bilingualism requirements, meaning they are often tied to a small number of providers. They would value our ability to influence vendors to offer more Welsh-language products, widening choice and making vendors more competitive on cost.

What members value and where we can improve

Engagement forums provide us with a chance to hear what members think about Jisc - what we do well and, importantly, where we could improve. From the session, it was positive to learn how much members value our convening power, cyber security expertise, licensing work and Welsh policy relationships, especially with Medr.

There were also some clear learning points for us, particularly around the visibility of Welsh-specific communities and a request for better communications. One attendee memorably commented, “I bloody love Jisc, but they don’t know how to tell a story.” Point taken – you’ll be hearing much more from us!

There was a lot to cram into the time, and many asked for a longer day, especially as some travel from North Wales – so we are looking to add more time at next year’s event.

Looking ahead – our priorities for Wales

You’ve spoken and we listened. Part of my role is to define our priorities for Wales for the coming year, and these have been heavily shaped by the forum and by other discussions with Welsh stakeholders.

For example, in line with members’ concerns about political uncertainty, we are implementing a Wales public affairs plan to engage political parties ahead of the Senedd elections.

We’ll continue to deliver strategic leadership and advocacy, deepening our role as a sector advocate with Medr, enabling collaboration and shared services between institutions, and keeping the sector talking in our role as a convenor.

With members’ cautious optimism about emerging technologies in mind, we will provide them with advice and support on the safe and effective adoption of AI. Just like our members in Wales, we are committed to the Welsh Language Standards, and AI has an interesting potential role in supporting bilingual learning.

Finally, we’ll continue to help institutions address cost challenges through collaborative models, and by using the power of collective negotiations and policy discussions to protect member budgets.

Read our priorities for Wales 2025-26/Ein blaenoriaethau ar gyfer Cymru 2025-26.

Stay up to date with our work in Wales

• Be the first to hear about our 2026 Wales engagement forum.
• Visit our Wales and Cymru web pages.