Merged Futures 8 was held at the University of Northampton on Friday 26 June 2026.
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dbfb Telecomms - Showcasing technology enabled care, AI solutions for public safety and wellbeing. As well as VR sports coaching delivered with the University of Bedfordshire and University of Northampton.
Dell - A global technology company that designs and supplies computers, servers, data storage, and IT infrastructure solutions.
Dystopia Games and Lotus Flower Games - Independent game studios focused on creating engaging digital games that blend creativity, storytelling, and interactive design.
Elsby & Co - A professional services firm providing expert advice and support, often specialising in business, finance, or consultancy services.
Explorable Games - A games studio and creative organisation that designs educational and interactive games to explore complex ideas through play.
Fuse CS AI and Cloud - A digital solutions company specialising in AI-powered collaboration tools and cloud-based business services.
FsB - Offering support, advocacy and resources to small businesses.
Giant Journeys - A creative organisation developing immersive experiences, often using storytelling and digital technology to inspire learning and exploration.
Kaltura AI Video Solutions - A video technology platform that uses AI to create, manage, and deliver interactive video content for education and organisations.
Magic Notes and West Northamptonshire Council Digital Service - A partnership using digital innovation to improve public services, accessibility, and user experience for local communities.
MBD Limited - A business that creates immersive storytelling at the intersection of art, culture, and technology.
Microsoft - A global technology company developing software, cloud services, AI tools, and digital platforms used by individuals, businesses, and educators worldwide.
Northamptonshire Libraries - From free Wi‑Fi and public computers to digital learning, online resources, creative technology and community projects, our libraries are trusted spaces where people connect, learn, create and explore.
North Northants Council Virtual House - Explore a virtual house to discover occupational therapy, assistive technology, and sensory aids and equipment designed to support you with everyday activities at home.
Quintessence - The use of AI to "test your balance" and produce corrective exercises as part of a pioneering Human Balance Sport and Wellbeing project.
South Midlands Growth Hub - A regional service supporting businesses with advice, funding, and resources to help them start, grow, and innovate.
Spokes Education - An education provider offering training, guidance, and career pathways focused on skills, employability, and progression.
S-SA Digital - A trusted recruitment partner, helping organisations attract technology talent in a competitive market.
Streamline Labs - A digital innovation studio that designs and builds software, apps, and technology solutions to improve processes and user experiences.
Toru Digital - A creative technology partner specializing in AI solutions. We design and build custom AI tools to unlock value for your business.
University of Bedford - Demonstration of the use of AI in Elite Sports withan Agentic AI VR Cricket Coach that the University have developed.
University of Northampton Degree Apprenticeships - Programmes that combine full-time work with higher education degrees, enabling learners to gain qualifications while earning.
University of Northampton Digital Marketing - An academic area focused on teaching and researching online marketing, social media, analytics, and digital strategy.
University of Northampton Esports - A specialist programme and activity area exploring competitive gaming, production, and the esports industry.
University of Northampton Fuelling Innovation - An initiative connecting students, researchers, and businesses to support innovation, enterprise, and real-world problem solving.
University of Northampton Games Design - A course area teaching game development, design, and interactive media using industry-standard tools and practices.
University of Northampton Media and Culture - A subject area exploring media production, communication, and cultural analysis across digital and traditional platforms.
University of Northampton Virtual Reality Experience for Emotional Wellbeing - An immersive VR project designed to support emotional wellbeing, reduce anxiety, and promote positive experiences.
Main Space
10.00 - 10.10
Welcome - Alexandra Vujcich (Director of IT, University of Northampton)
10.10 - 10.45
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Education is evolving and so must the way we prepare young people for their futures.
Merged Futures explores how digital innovation, creativity and social action can intersect to create meaningful, employable and ethical pathways for students. Drawing on live cross-college projects from sustainable Architecture and AI-supported Fashion Design to Human Kind college strategy initiatives. This keynote will examine how education can move beyond siloed subjects and towards integrated, real-world learning.
The session will challenge us to think differently about the social role of technology: not as a replacement for craft or human skill, but as a tool to amplify impact, reduce waste and strengthen creative thinking. If we truly want a better future for all, we must design education that is collaborative, future-facing and grounded in social purpose. We all have a role to play for a better world!
Steph Lee-Vae is a Curriculum Manager for the School of Arts at Northampton College, with experience in FE (Further Education)/Alternative Education and International. Their work centres on reimagining education through community engagement, social impact and cross-disciplinary collaboration. Steph is passionate about integrating creative practice, digital fluency and real-world industry partnerships to ensure education remains relevant, inclusive and future-focused.
Room 1 - Local Stories
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What happens when the same AI tool is introduced into two very different educational contexts?
This session reflects on the experience of implementing Microsoft Copilot at the University of Northampton and Northampton College, exploring how institutional culture, digital maturity, and staff expectations shape adoption. Rather than focusing solely on features, the session centres on change, trust, and capability sharing insights that will resonate with anyone leading AI-enabled transformation in education.
Rob Howe is Head of Learning Technology at The University of Northampton. Accepted to CMALT and IADIS in 2007. Awarded University teaching fellowship in 2008. Achieved Senior Fellowship of the HEA in 2014.
Valentina Meninno is the Learning Facilitator at Northampton College. She is a passionate advocate for integrating and merging technology with education to enrich learning experiences.
Karl Downing is the Digital, AV and collaborative Services Manager at the University of Northampton. His role currently revolves around AI and creating Copilot bots for use around the University.
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James Steventon will share how Fermynwoods Contemporary Art operates at the intersection of art, education, environment and digital practice to support new forms of creative learning and ecological imagination.
Drawing on a range of past projects, from artist-led work with young people outside mainstream education to experimental digital artworks and environmental installation, the talk explores how artists can help people engage differently with landscape, technology and each other. Examples include projects using experimental locative technology, AI, and immersive sound and light installations across Northamptonshire country parks and urban and green spaces in Corby.
James Steventon is Director of Fermynwoods Contemporary Art, having previously been Education Officer for the organisation for many years. James is an artist, writer, and runner, based in Northamptonshire; an experienced lecturer at HE and FE institutions across the UK; and formerly Digital Special Interest Representative for Engage, the UK lead charity for promoting engagement and participation in the visual arts.
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This talk looks at how Dynium is helping to solve one of farming’s biggest problems: not having enough workers and the rising cost of labour.
It explains how Dynium spotted a gap between advanced robotics and what farmers actually need day to day and how the company created a leading solution by bringing high‑performance engineering, normally used in motorsport, into agriculture.
Using soft fruit farming as an example, the talk will show how Dynium’s electric, self‑driving vehicle is already being used on real farms and working in everyday growing conditions.
The talk is presented by Terence Goad, Co‑Founder and Technical Director of Dynium.
He leads the development of Dynium’s electric and autonomous vehicles for soft fruit farming.
Terence has a background in high‑performance engineering and specialises in vehicle design, electric systems, and bringing different technologies together.
His work focuses on turning motorsport‑style engineering into strong, reliable and efficient tools that help farmers improve productivity and deal with labour shortages.
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Kiri and Diana take you on a whirlwind tour of:
What a digital council could look like in 2040
West Northants' roadmap for making it happen
Our first preview of tailored support packages for a resident's lifecycle
Also... why we should employ robot cats
Kiri Crequer leads the Digital Service at West Northants Council where Diana Silva is a Software Engineer.
Room 2 - Health Tech
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Since October 2023, the Northamptonshire Care Record (NCR) has been bringing your health and care information together in one secure place. By connecting over 829,000 people’s records from GPs, hospitals, community teams, social care and mental health services, your care team can finally see the full picture—quickly, safely and at the moment they need it.
In this session, Matthew Hutton will show how having all this information joined up doesn’t just help you today, it creates the foundation for predictive, preventative healthcare that supports you long before problems become crises.
Matthew Hutton will explain how the NCR and the Northamptonshire Analytical Reporting Platform (NARP):
Spot patterns and risks earlier, helping teams identify when you might need extra support so issues can be prevented rather than treated late.
Use data to understand what works, making sure the right people get the right care at the right time.
Support personalised care planning, including tools like ReSPECT, so your wishes and priorities are understood by every professional caring for you.
By bringing your data together, Northamptonshire is creating the conditions for a future where care is not only joined‑up—but genuinely proactive, personalised and preventative.
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Anxiety and emotional difficulty are rising across age groups, yet many people struggle to engage with traditional support. WaveVR, developed at the University of Northampton, offers a different approach: a calming virtual reality experience where users practise emotional regulation skills through immersive gameplay. School pilots showed 86% of participants felt better after sessions, with measurable improvements in mood, focus, and sense of control.
WaveVR is also being piloted within NHS services for adult patient stabilisation. The solution fits alongside existing wellbeing provision. This talk explores the evidence, the user experience, and opportunities for schools and health services to get involved.
Dr Mu Mu is Professor of Human-Centred Data Intelligence at The University of Northampton. His research covers human-centred design, data science and immersive media. Dr Mu leads multiple innovation projects in digital health and data-driven service optimisation.
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This session explores how virtual reality (VR) is being used within the fostering services at Northamptonshire Children’s Trust to support foster carer assessment, training, and support. Through immersive scenarios offering a glimpse into the worlds of children, carers can experience the impact of early adversity, helping them better understand trauma-related behaviours.
The presentation will explore how immersive technology can deepen empathy and strengthen trauma-informed practice, better preparing carers to support children who have experienced trauma.
Robert Fuller is a Practice Manager in the Fostering Recruitment Team at Northamptonshire Children’s Trust. Robert has led the introduction of Virtual Reality (VR) into fostering practice in Northamptonshire, which uses immersive experiences to help foster carers better understand the impact of trauma on children in care.
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Discover how Nora and Amy, a generative‑AI‑powered self‑assessment tool is reshaping the way Therapy services gather information, understand need, and support people to ‘wait well’. In this session, we’ll explore how Nora/Amy replicates a therapist’s structured, exploratory conversation to identify functional challenges, environmental barriers, and meaningful outcomes.
Pedro Santos is the Digital and Innovation Tech Lead for North Northamptonshire Council and Henry Stratford is the Customer Success Manager at Beam. Both have been working to deliver this project into North and West Northants Councils.
Room 3 - EdTech
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Collaborative immersive spaces are transforming how people learn, work, and connect across physical boundaries. This session explores how immersive rooms at Northampton College enable shared experiences, cross‑site collaboration, and active participation at scale. Drawing on real‑world practice, the talk demonstrates how immersive environments can support:
Collaborative problem‑solving
Skills development
Inclusive and engaging learning design
Attendees will leave with practical insights into why immersive spaces matter, and how to use them purposefully.
Mike Smith is the Director of Digital and Academic Resources at Northampton College.
Nick Budden is a Learning Technology Co-ordinator at Northampton College.
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Step into a session where we unlock the so‑called “dark arts” of artificial intelligence in education - no wand required. AI isn’t magic, but it can certainly feel like it, and this talk will show you how to harness its power properly: legally, ethically and intelligently. You’ll walk away with practical, classroom-ready strategies from The Spellbook, covering everything from prompt structure and curriculum design at warp speed to AI‑powered assessment, feedback and differentiation.
We’ll also explore how to build AI literacy in students, set the right safety and ethical guardrails, and look ahead to the future teacher, augmented by AI, not replaced by it.
Ray Meadham is a curriculum leader and innovator whose career spans education, technology, and the creative industries. He currently leads Business, Computer Science and Media at Northampton International Academy, building on over 30 years of experience inspiring students, staff, and industry partners across multiple sectors.
Before returning to education leadership, Ray co‑founded Multiview Media, a multi‑angle content delivery platform featured at CES and named a MediaTech Top 50 innovator. His work brought groundbreaking viewing technology to music, sport, esports, and education, achieving 20% longer viewer engagement than traditional single‑angle content.
Today, Ray blends his expertise in AI, 5G/6G, software development, business, and creative industries to help shape the future of teaching and learning—driven by a passion for inspiring the next generation and empowering educators to innovate with confidence.
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How do institutional digital education strategies translate into meaningful, scalable practice? This session explores that journey through two contrasting but connected case studies: Digital Horizons and Study Smart 3.
Drawing on outputs from the Centre for Active Digital Education, the presentation demonstrates how research‑informed principles of active, inclusive and digitally‑enabled learning have been embedded across curriculum design, student support and learning environments.
Attendees will gain practical insight into what it takes to move beyond pilots and projects to deliver sustainable digital practice at scale, including lessons learned, challenges encountered and evidence of impact on learner engagement and success.
Rob Howe is Head of Learning Technology at The University of Northampton. Accepted to CMALT and IADIS in 2007. Awarded University teaching fellowship in 2008. Achieved Senior Fellowship of the HEA in 2014.
Dr Helen Caldwell is an Associate Professor at the University of Northampton where she leads postgraduate programmes and co-leads the Centre for Active Digital Education. Her research interests include digital pedagogies, social innovation education and the use of technologies for teaching and learning.
Dr Emma Whewell is an Associate Professor in learning and teaching at the University of Northampton. She is the Co-lead of CADE and the Head of School of Sport and Public Health. Her research interests include inclusive pedagogies, teaching and learning and Physical Education.
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An interactive session exploring how educators can use no‑code and AI‑supported tools to create engaging learning activities. The session will include live demonstrations, with volunteers invited to try things out, and a focus on practical ideas that can be adapted across different educational settings.
Jacqui Hughes is Head of Digital Innovation at Moulton College, supporting educators to explore practical, inclusive uses of digital and AI‑supported tools. She is a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert (MIEE), Canvassador, Edpuzzle Ambassador, and was shortlisted for Edufuturists Educator of the Year 2026. Jacqui regularly works with educators across different settings, focusing on building confidence, encouraging experimentation, and creating engaging learning experiences without unnecessary complexity.
Room 4 - NN1 Dev Club
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Most AI conversations are about efficiency and that's a fine starting point but it's also where most people stop. The more interesting question is what a task enables when you remove the old constraints on scale and scope, because that'show a simple task becomes an asset, something new that didn't exist before you started looking.
In this hands-on workshop you'll take an AI use case and work it through a structured exercise that pushes from task all the way to invention. You'll walk away with a map of value you hadn't spotted and a way of thinking you'll keep using long after this.
Eric Bye, founder of Erictron AI, helps businesses unlock the value of artificial intelligence through education, strategy, governance, and implementation. His consultancy specialises in guiding organisations toward effective AI adoption and measurable outcomes, as well as helping them use AI to invent and evolve their products and services, not just improve how they operate. Outside of work, Eric enjoys hiking with his family and dog, reading science fiction, and exploring new recipes in the kitchen.
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Collecting bins and clearing up rubbish may seem like the least technical and definitely least glamorous activities a developer could work on. But behind every missed bin, dog poo report, and 'when's my collection?' call sits a stack of AWS services, chatbots, and automations that will hopefully surprise you.
Kevin White is Software Engineering Manager for West Northamptonshire Council. Over 38 years he's dabbled in tech from coding sheets to vibe coding, building systems, apps, AIs, integrations, and automations to try and improve the lives of the people in Northants.
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Roger Hughes will talk about his side-project workflow, building a PWA rapidly from scratch using the free tier AI/backend/frontend. Other than a GitHub and OpenCode account, not much more is needed to follow along and leave the session with a working app.
Roger Hughes has been hooked on the internet since his first experience with a 33.6k modem in 1993, now with over 20 years of commercial experience delivering digital projects for clients ranging from local SMEs to multinational corporates. Always looking to experiment with the latest tech to improve performance and stability for long term success.
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Mention you’re a Product Manager and you’ll get anything from a blank stare to a lecture on LinkedIn "thought leadership." But beneath the buzzwords and the corporate mystique, Product Management isn’t a secret society, it’s just a way of working that actually makes sense. It’s the art of stopping the "busy work" to focus on the problems that actually matter. In this interactive session, Kiran will be stripping away the jargon to show you how anyone, in any role, can use these basic habits to get better results without the fancy title.
Kiran Patel’s personal mission is to make product thinking accessible by removing unnecessary jargon and buzzwords to focus on solving problems to create great user experiences. He values honesty, equality of opportunity and 'actions over performance’.
Room 5 - Digital Marketing
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West Northamptonshire delivered a high‑impact communications campaign for the Women’s Rugby World Cup, showcasing the area, engaging communities and strengthening partnerships. The coordinated approach - from city dressing and fan zones to digital content and media engagement - ensured strong visibility and consistent messaging.
The results speak for themselves: 48,800+ match attendees, record town‑centre footfall, 2.27 million digital views, and wide‑reaching positive media coverage. The tournament generated £47.6 million for the local economy and sparked real legacy impact, including major growth in women’s and girls’ rugby across local clubs.
This campaign positioned West Northants as a confident, capable host for major sporting and cultural events, leaving a strong foundation for future opportunities.
Holly Skelton is a Communications and Engagement Business Partner at West Northamptonshire Council, where she delivers strategic comms advice across diverse service areas and leads high‑impact internal and external campaigns.
During the Women’s Rugby World Cup, Holly brought local partners together by coordinating the area’s communications and marketing working group - driving collaboration, aligning messaging and maximising the campaign’s reach.
She brings a strong background in journalism, media relations and digital marketing, developed through roles in both local government and media organisations. Holly recently completed the LGcomms Future Leaders 2025 programme, marking her as one of the sector’s rising communication professionals.
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In this talk, Nikki cuts through 30 years of obituaries, explains what's actually changed in the age of AI, and - more importantly - what hasn't.
You'll leave with a clear picture of where search is heading, why the basics still matter more than any new acronym, and three practical things you can do with your website today.
Nikki Pilkington is an SEO consultant with over 30 years of experience, working with B2B service businesses across the UK.
She specialises in turning websites that rank but don't convert into websites that bring in actual enquiries.
Her straight-talking approach to SEO has built a reputation for cutting through industry jargon and calling out trends that don't serve businesses.
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Evie Scarborough and Tamzin Bedford share an honest, behind‑the‑scenes look at what it’s really like to start a career in digital marketing today.
As first‑year degree apprentices, Evie (Place Investment Specialist at West Northamptonshire Council) and Tamzin (Marketing Executive at Intouch Monitoring) talk about their day‑to‑day experience of learning while working in a fast‑moving industry.
They will explain how their studies link to real‑world digital marketing trends and how this route helps build practical skills, confidence, and career readiness.
The session also takes a realistic look at degree apprenticeships – what works well, what can be challenging, and what everyday life is actually like.
Expect an open, informal discussion with chances to ask questions and gain practical insight into balancing work and study.
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In small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), marketing often covers many roles. It can also play a key part in driving growth.
This panel session, led by Kardi Somerfield, Senior Lecturer in Marketing at the University of Northampton, looks at how change, continuous improvement and customer-led thinking can help shift marketing from a support role to a driver of growth.
The session will explore how SMEs can make time for new ideas, bring teams together around shared goals, and build resilience by turning learning into clear, measurable results.
Main Space
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This TED-style session explores what the next generation will expect from Northamptonshire’s public services, education and local businesses and how AI and data can help the region meet those expectations.
Framed around the real pressures facing councils, schools, colleges and SMEs, the talk shows how digital assistants, better use of data and ethical AI can remove friction at the moments that matter, freeing people to do what only humans can do: care, teach, create and build.
Attendees will leave with three practical moves they can take across organisations in Northamptonshire to start shaping a more connected, more human, AI-enabled future for the county.