Two of the leading social enterprises for technology in public services are to merge at the beginning of next year.
Jisc, which has focused on solutions for higher and further education, and Eduserv, which specialises in digital transformation in local government, public bodies, healthcare, charities, higher education and emergency services, will begin operating as one from 1 January 2019.
They will initially keep their individual identities and websites but in time come together under the Jisc brand.
Both will retain their existing staff and services. Jisc currently has 620 people spread between London, Manchester, Harwell and Bristol, while Eduserv has about 100 in Bristol
Jisc’s chief executive officer Paul Feldman (pictured) said: “This is an exciting step forward in how we support and enable the education and wider public sector, while taking advantage of the technologies driving Industry 4.0 (the trend of automation and data exchange in manufacturing technologies).
“Together, Jisc and Eduserv will have greater scope to co-create innovative products and services to meet the needs and expectations of students and citizens, without duplication of effort, time and money.
“Jisc is committed to making the UK the most digitally advanced education and research nation in the world, and this aim will be bolstered with the addition of Eduserv’s expertise.
“As a bigger social enterprise organisation, we can invest our income into developing digital services and products that empower colleges, universities and research centres to provide students with an outstanding education experience that will set them up for the needs of the modern workplace. This merger will also allow us to help lifelong learning and research be the best it can be.”
Greater impact
Eduserv’s chief executive officer Jude Sheeran, who will take up a position as trustee on the Jisc board in January, said: “As a combined entity, we believe that we can have a substantially greater impact and help develop the UK’s standing as a true powerhouse of digital technology.
“This merger will give the public and third sectors access to more, better and potentially lower cost technology services and digital knowledge transfer at scale, as well as a strong, ‘top-table’ advocate for digital progression.”
Image from Jisc
