Conference Themes for 2026

Back to Basics

• What defines a makerspace or making space
• Different approaches, shared operational findings and reacting to user feedback

Doing more with less? Alternative routes to success 

• A range of current challenges facing higher educational institutions making spaces.
• Restricted finances, staffing, internal challenges and more! 

The Collaborative Advantage

• Open discussion: What steps can we take to collectively support each other.

Local community engagement and partnership 

• What local community support and partnership can look like and why it is worth doing.

EDI best practice 

Technician Development

Emerging technologies in making

• Spotlighting exciting work with emerging tech, or new and interesting ways makers are making use of existing tech and its developments.
• Use and support of AI in educational making settings - crash course and ethical considerations

Environmental sustainability

• Materials, power, re-use and selling on

Health and Safety workload - a collective approach

• Steps that can be taken to minimise friction and increase collaboration with local H&S teams when it comes to making equipment
• How can UK making spaces easily support each other in replicating the same work in different places - a proposal

Unimaker in the future

• Help us develop Unimaker in new ways for years to come