Future Ready: Skills, Systems and Stories – “You’ll Never Work Alone”
What an incredible day of collaboration, inspiration and celebration at the IST Technical Conference 2026, hosted by the University of Liverpool!
The Institute of Science and Technology (IST) was delighted to bring together technicians and technical professionals from across the UK to explore the skills, technologies and collaborations shaping the future of technical careers.
Terry Croft MBE, FIScT, CSci said
“The conference has been absolutely brilliant; I think it has been such a success. Over 300 delegates enjoyed the day, instantly engaging in all the varied presentations and workshops, as well as taking advantage of the many networking opportunities. The Sponsors and exhibitors were buzzing all day and adding to the inclusive atmosphere. The staff from Liverpool University that have been supporting our team have been absolutely terrific and have made the 2026 IST Conference such a success. The delegates went home on a high and the keynotes and presenters had been spot-on all day with their contributions. The day ended with a superb panel session and with a full auditorium meant that all had enjoyed another successful IST Conference. Once again, as an official Technician Commitment supporter, the IST has delivered another outstanding conference for the UK’s technical community.”
From thought-provoking keynotes and engaging workshops to meaningful conversations, new connections and shared experiences, the conference celebrated the expertise, creativity and dedication of our technical community.
A conference like this would not be possible without the commitment and support of so many people. We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to:
Our Key Sponsors, Exhibitors and Career Zone Supporters
Thank you for your invaluable support, for showcasing your work, sharing opportunities and helping to connect our technical community with the latest innovations, services and career pathways. Your contribution helped make the conference a truly enriching experience for our delegates.
Our Keynote Speakers
A very special thank you to Professor Fiona Clark OBE for her inspirational keynote, How Hard Can It Be? How to Survive and Thrive in the Ever-Changing World of STEMM, and to Jiteen Ahmed for sharing his powerful and inspiring story in Resilience and Collaboration – The Tale of a Technician’s Journey.
Your stories, insights and experiences reminded us of the resilience, passion and determination that define our technical professions.
Our Workshop Presenters
Thank you to everyone who delivered one of our 16 workshops. Your knowledge, enthusiasm and willingness to share made a valuable contribution to the day, sparking conversations and providing practical insights across AI and technology, careers, health and safety, sustainability, creative technologies and much more.
Congratulations To Our New IST Fellows
We are delighted to celebrate and congratulate Jiteen Ahmed and Dr Victoria Talbot on their recognition as IST Fellows. This is a wonderful acknowledgement of their contributions, commitment and dedication to the technical community.
Celebrating Our Image Competition Winners
A huge congratulations to our four Image Competition award recipients:
1st Place: Jennifer Ashton, University of York, with ‘Mapping the Mind in Technicolour’
2nd Place: Gina Zuniga, University of Edinburgh, with ‘Engineering in Technicolour’
3rd Place: Antonella Conte, University of Surrey, with ‘Chromatic Infinity’
Highly Commended: Christopher Green, University of Liverpool, with ‘The Sound Behind the Spotlight’
Thank you to everyone who entered and shared their creativity, perspective and passion for the work we do. Your images provided a wonderful visual celebration of technical expertise and innovation.
A Special Thank You to the University of Liverpool
We extend our sincere thanks to the University of Liverpool, its technical community, organising team and everyone who contributed to making this year’s conference such a success. Your hospitality, collaboration and commitment to the Technician Commitment helped create an event that truly reflected our theme: You’ll Never Work Alone.
Jan Brett, FIScT, CSci, Senior Safety Risk and Compliance Manager for the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences & IST Executive board member said
“The day was a huge success and there was a real buzz in the air! Our technicians have said they were inspired by the conference talks, workshops and exhibitors and have started to think of ideas of how they can collaborate more; which is what the whole day was about. It was a fantastic conference and I’m so proud of the UoL team that helped us to deliver it.”
To every delegate, speaker, presenter, sponsor, exhibitor, supporter, volunteer and member of the organising team – thank you.
Together, we continue to raise the visibility, recognition and value of technical professionals and to champion the vital role they play in research, education, innovation and beyond.
Here’s to our technical community, the connections we’ve made and the exciting future ahead!
Thank you for being part of IST Technical Conference 2026.
Announcement
We are excited to announce that we will be holding the IST Technical Conference 2027 at Manchester Metropolitan University!
Image (Left to right): Jiteen Ahmed FIScT, Professor Tracy Harwood, Helen Sharman CMG OBE FIScT,
Professor Fiona Clarke OBE, Michael Bayliss MIScT RPCIT.