Annual InRA Congress

2026 Jamboree hosted by M-DICE (Heriot Watt) @ ICMS, Edinburgh

What: InRA Jamboree 2026 + Satellite Training
When: October 21st + 22nd 2026
Where: ICMS (International Centre for Mathematical Sciences), Bayes Centre, Edinburgh UK (EH8 9BT)
Registration Form: https://forms.office.com/e/uemqK4cPgB  

The 2026 edition of the annual MInDS InRA Jamboree, hosted by the Mathematics-Driven Innovation Centre (M-DICE) at Heriot-Watt University, will be held at ICMS in Edinburgh on Wednesday 21st October 2026, with a subsequent in-person satellite training session happening on Thursday 22nd October 2026.

The event is open to all who work in Innovation Research Associate (InRA) positions — or similar mathematical roles, we use InRA as a blanket term — and those who are involved in the management and support of InRAs.

The Jamboree will be focused around community building and fostering discussions on topics of interest relating to the InRA career path. There will be separate programmes for InRAs and those in InRA management and support roles, but everyone will come together for coffee breaks, lunch, and an optional (funded) dinner on the Wednesday evening. The satellite training will feature a morning session on writing bids and applying for grants and an afternoon session on science communication using improv skills. Both the Jamboree and the satellite training are full-day events.

Funding is available to cover travel costs, and single-occupancy accommodation can be provided. Participants are asked to please register their place by August 21st 2026. We cannot guarantee accommodation or travel reimbursements for registrations after this time. Please register using the following form: https://forms.office.com/e/uemqK4cPgB

 

We look forward to welcoming you to Edinburgh!

What is the InRA Jamboree?

One of the core MInDS activities is an annual InRA congress or ‘Jamboree’. This serves as a key event to showcase the work and impact of RTPs, provide training, promote career advancement, and strengthen the community.

Jamborees may feature project showcases, roundtable discussions on career progression, sessions on EDI, networking opportunities, and presentations from stakeholders in business, industry, government, and academia on the growth of impact opportunities within mathematical sciences. Venues will vary to allow for geographical inclusion, and our partnerships with the INI and the ICMS provides further access to national-level facilities for the hosting of the Jamborees.

A summary of key expectations and guidelines for hosts and attendees of jamborees can be found below.

Our 2025 Jamboree was held at the University of Warwick and our 2024 Jamboree (before the MInDs initiative existed) was held at the University of Bath.

Institutions are invited to express their interest in hosting an InRA Jamboree at their location via a short EOI form, which is available here
Background

As the Innovation Research landscape continues to grow, each institution takes a unique approach to the career delivery and pathway for its own Innovation Research Associates, as well as a unique approach to the support and delivery of its centres. The Jamboree acts as an annual gathering of the UK Network affiliated with MInDS (Mathematical Innovators in the Digital Space) and InRA dRTP (digital research technical professional) landscape to share their experiences, learn from each other, and network in a welcoming and supportive environment. In this regard, we don’t expect any talks at the Jamboree to be purely academic, as the focus is on career development, support, and networking.

Successful applications to host a Jamboree will be supported by a subset of the MInDS core management team to assist in the planning and delivery of the event.

 

Aims of the Jamboree
  • To provide a networking location for the Innovation Research Community (InRAs and management teams) to mix both independently and across careers
  • Sharing of skills and opportunities across the network
  • Focus on community events and issues, and planning for the upcoming year
  • Act as the cornerstone for the whole InRA DRTP community engagement
Suggested Methodology
  • One day event with follow-on one day satellite training
  • Full attendee discussions
  • Lightning talks
  • Career Group discussion spaces (InRAs/Management)
  • Plenty of networking time
  • Provocations – carefully moderated
  • Focused group discussions
  • Output a live document of discussions and topics covered over the day
Satellite Training

The MInDS Network aims to deliver key training to the growing InRA community on a roughly quarterly basis until the end of the MInDS grant. Jamboree organisers/hosts are expected to collaborate with the MInDS Management Team to design and support the delivery of a satellite training event either the day before or the day after the Jamboree that they are hosting.