Future thinking: Inside the University of Northampton's new Digital and Data Strategy
For our latest Digital Northants Story, we hear from Alex Vujcich, Director of IT Services at the University of Northampton, about the people and processes that went into creating a key new strategy.
Earlier this year, the University of Northampton launched our new Digital and Data Strategy – a key document that will guide our digital direction and investment over the next four to five years. It’s a comprehensive, public strategy that sets out not only our priorities for technology but also how we’ll use digital tools and data to enhance the experience of our students and staff.
This strategy is about people – how digital transformation can make work easier, processes smarter and services more intuitive. We’ve deliberately framed it as a Digital and Data Strategy rather than an IT strategy, because it isn’t just about IT. It’s about the whole university and how digital capability underpins everything we do.
We began developing the strategy in October 2024 and it was an incredibly collaborative process from day one. We worked with every area of the university – all professional services, every faculty - and, crucially, we gathered input from our students.
Rather than starting from an IT perspective and deciding what technology we thought we needed, we flipped the process. We asked, what does the university need to achieve through digital? What challenges do our people face and where can technology help to solve them? The priorities that emerged came directly from those conversations. IT’s role was to translate those needs into practical, deliverable actions.
The result is a strategy that’s truly shaped by the university community. It reflects the challenges our colleagues shared, the ambitions they have and the opportunities we can explore together.
The strategy includes a four-year roadmap, which gives a structured view of what we’ll deliver and when. It’s not a rigid plan carved in stone because technology moves far too fast for that. Instead, the roadmap is reviewed annually to make sure we’re adapting to new developments and shifting needs.
What’s important is that we’ve based our approach on capabilities, not specific technologies. So rather than saying, “we’ll implement this system”, we ask: "what capability do we need to build? What outcome are we trying to achieve?"
That means we can remain flexible as technologies evolve. We might change the tools, the platforms or even the order in which things happen – but the vision and the outcomes stay consistent. When updates are needed, they’ll be made to the roadmap rather than to the strategy itself.
When you talk about digital transformation, it can be easy to focus on infrastructure, systems and software. But one of the strategic objectives we’ve set is all about enhancing the staff and student experience.
We listened carefully to the feedback we received from students. For example, many told us it was frustrating having to visit different desks for different types of support – library, IT, estates, student information and so on. We’ve since consolidated those into a single, unified front desk, where every query can be logged and directed to the right team behind the scenes.
It might sound like a small change, but it makes a big difference to how students experience the university. It’s simpler, more intuitive and designed around their needs.
This user-centred approach is embedded across the strategy. When we deliver a new system or tool, we measure success by whether it works for the people who use it. Every project must consider the end user’s experience from the very beginning.
Automation is another key focus area, and within that, artificial intelligence plays a significant role. But we’ve deliberately framed AI as part of automation rather than a standalone theme because our emphasis is on efficiency and enhancement, not replacement.
There’s a lot of debate around AI, particularly in higher education. From a technical and ethical perspective, we’ve been clear about how AI should be used within the university. Our AI Steering Group has been in place for some time and has produced clear guidance on the responsible use of AI – from how lecturers can advise students to principles around assessment and marking.
We don’t believe in a “let’s just see what happens” approach to AI. It needs structure, governance and education. We’ve been proactive in creating guidelines and running awareness sessions around best practice.
We’ve also been exploring AI through practical pilots. One example is our three-month trial of Microsoft Copilot, which we ran across both professional services and academic areas. The aim was to identify where AI tools can genuinely add value and which roles or job families might benefit most.
Rolling out a blanket AI solution for everyone wouldn’t be financially sustainable, nor would it make sense. Instead, we're identifying the right use cases: the tasks that AI can help automate, streamline or simplify, without compromising quality or integrity.
Some processes lend themselves perfectly to AI-driven efficiency; others don’t. The key is being selective and thoughtful, always keeping the human element at the centre.
We’re also very keen on collaboration beyond the university, particularly with local organisations. Northamptonshire has a vibrant digital and tech community, and we’re keen to be part of that ecosystem – not just as a customer or client, but as a collaborator and contributor.
Where we need external partners or consultancy support, we actively look to local suppliers first. Thanks to the Digital Northants Directory, we can now see who’s doing what locally and explore partnerships that benefit both the university and the wider community.
We’ve already had great conversations with local organisations around areas like Copilot and data integration, exchanging insights and practical learning.
Digital transformation isn’t something any one organisation can do in isolation. By working together, we can raise collective capability and make sure we’re all learning from each other’s successes and challenges.
A particularly important part of the strategy is developing digital skills – not just within IT, but across the entire university. That includes our students, our academic colleagues and professional services staff.
Technology is only as effective as the people who use it. So if we’re serious about digital transformation, we have to invest in building confidence and competence at every level. That means training, but also creating a culture where people feel supported to experiment, to ask questions and to develop new ways of working.
This emphasis on skills also extends to the IT team itself. Delivering a modern digital environment requires a modern skill set – from cloud architecture to data analytics, automation and cybersecurity. We’re ensuring our teams are equipped not just for today’s technologies but for what’s coming next.
It’s an approach that recognises digital transformation as people, process, and technology – in that order. The technology is vital, but it only delivers value when the people and processes around it evolve as well.
Our Digital and Data Strategy sets an ambitious but grounded direction for the university. It’s about being smarter with data, more efficient through automation and more collaborative in everything we do.
Ultimately, we want to create and maintain a seamless, user-centred digital experience for everyone in our community, whether that's students, staff, visitors or partners.