Sepnet

The South-East Physics Network, or SEPnet, is an association of physics departments at universities in the South-East of England.

In 2008 it received a grant of £12.5 million from the Higher Education Funding Council for England.^[1] and in 2013 received an additional grant of £2.75m ^[2]

The South East Physics Network is better known as SEPnet, a consortium of physics departments in nine universities.

Its partners are, alphabetically:

• The University of Hertfordshire (joined 2013)
• The University of Kent (Founding member)
• The Open University (joined 2013)
• The University of Portsmouth (joined 2010)
• Queen Mary, University of London (Founding member)
• Royal Holloway, University of London (Founding member)
• The University of Southampton (Founding member)
• The University of Surrey (Founding member)
• The University of Sussex (Founding member)

Its associates are:

• University of Oxford
• The University of Reading
• Rutherford Appleton Laboratory

History and Background

Until around 2005 there had been a long term decline in the numbers of students nationally enrolling on Undergraduate degree courses in Physics and Astronomy. As a result Physics departments and provision in universities was at risk with departments closing. Physics departments ran at a loss and required subsidies to maintain their undergraduate provision. Even universities in the UK's Russell Group were failing to attract enough students to be viable. The Universities in England's South East were felt to be particularly vulnerable and the decision by the University of Reading to close its Physics Department was a call to arms to these universities to take action to prevent closure and bolster their Physics departments. The result was a proposal from six universities to form a network of physics departments and seek funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for England to invest in sustaining Physics in the South East of England. Led by the University of Surrey, the network consisted of the Physics departments at Kent, QMUL, RHUL, Southampton, Surrey and Sussex and was granted a £12.5m grant in 2008 for five years.

SEPnet Phase Two from 2013 onwards is based on an expanded consortium of nine Physics Departments of Universities in the South East of England – with the founding SEPnet members Kent, Queen Mary, Royal Holloway, Southampton, Surrey and Sussex being joined by Portsmouth, Hertfordshire and the Open University with University of Reading joining as an associate. This phase of SEPnet is led by the Univeersity of Southampton.

In 2008 SEPnet received a £12.5m grant over five years from the Higher Education Funding Council for England, to support innovative research, a collaborative Graduate School, lectures using video conferencing, regional employer engagement and a schools outreach programme.

In 2013 it received a further £2.75m grant from the Higher Education Funding Council for England and £10.3m from its members to continue programmes from the first phase, to maintain and expand the network, to establish a dedicated regional graduate training programme for physics postgraduate students and address physics specific issues of student participation and diversity.

Research

SEPnet research ranges from investigations into the most fundamental physics (from the smallest matter to the origins of the universe), to the physics of new materials, quantum computing, low temperature physics, nuclear medicine and space science Its research collaboration integrates resources across the region for four main research themes: Atomic & Condensed Matter Physics, Particle Physics, Astrophysics, and Radiation Detection & Instrumentation LOFAR-UK, the first internationally significant new radio telescope in the UK for 40 years, would not have been possible without SEPnet funding and researchers.

References

External links

Official website