Aurora

Aurora - leadership development initiative for women.

What is the Aurora initiative?

Aurora is Advance HE's leadership development initiative for women. It is run as a unique partnership bringing together leadership experts and higher education institutions to take positive action to address the under-representation of women in leadership positions.

While most leadership programmes are aimed at leaders and managers already in role, Aurora is designed to enable a wide range of women, in academic and professional roles, to engage with leadership development at an earlier stage in their careers.

Aurora Information Sheet (2.08 MB / PDF)

Who is Aurora for?

Aurora is for women up to senior lecturer level or the professional services equivalent, working in a university, college or related organisation who would like to develop and explore issues relating to leadership roles and responsibilities. Participants should have the endorsement of their line manager and be committed to developing and enhancing their career.

Please note that University of Edinburgh colleagues do not require the approval of your Champion to attend Aurora so we have made a simple self-registration process. 

It is the responsibility of the individual to ensure they meet the eligibility criteria set by AdvanceHE, feel that Aurora meets their specific development needs and have funding in place to cover the fee.

Alternative leadership development programmes are available: UoE Leadership and Management Programmes

2026/27 Cohort dates

There are 6 regional cohorts available across the UK and Ireland beginning with the Scotland cohort in October:

Aurora Dates 2026-2027 (283.13 KB / PDF)

Cohorts are run virtually on ZOOM with the exception of the final in person Your Future in HE event which is held centrally within each region. The Scotland in person event will be held at a venue to be confirmed in Edinburgh ( previously The Sheraton) on Friday 12th March 2027.

We often fill our places on the Scotland cohort so encourage delegates to consider registering for one of the other regions. This can also broaden networking opportunities beyond peers in Scotland as UoE delegates make up around 1 in 4 delegates on the Scottish cohort. This has resulted in UoE colleagues being allocated to group discussions with other UoE colleagues in the past.

Peers on other regions such as South of England, often come from larger devolved universities which face similar challenges to Edinburgh. You’re likely to find that the networking opportunities and resulting discussions on those cohorts will be more similar to those we face in Edinburgh.

Cost and time commitment

There is no central funding for Aurora so as with any external programme, delegates and their local areas are responsible for meeting the funding cost. You should arrange payment locally either by Purchase Order or credit card payment. If you are unsure how to do this, please speak to your supporting manager or local finance office.

When registering, AdvanceHE will ask you to confirm payment information for the £1,075 early bird fee (increasing to £1,130 if booking from 1st August). Please select Member Ticket rate and ensure you register your AdvanceHE account as The University of Edinburgh.

Purchase orders should be made out to AdvanceHE, Innovation Way, York Science Park, Heslington, York, YO10 5BR.

Time commitment

Delegates are expected to attend all sessions, arrange 4-6 mentoring meetings and have time for reflection:

  • Welcome and introduction session – 10am to 1pm
  • 4 workshops – 10am to 3pm
  • 2 Action Learning set days – 10am to 3pm
  • In person event day – 10am to 4pm (includes delegate lunch and refreshments)

Participants will be asked to:

  • consider their objectives for attending the initiative
  • select an appropriate University of Edinburgh mentor to support them on their development journey  Aurora - Guide to selecting your mentor
  • attend an introductory session
  • attend four development days
  • participate in two action learning set days
  • undertake self-directed learning, aligned with developing interests
  • be prepared to access leadership opportunities and champion for change.

Your supporting manager is asked to:

  • have development conversations to ensure Aurora is the correct development option and help set development objectives
  • ensure you are supported to attend all of the required events. This may mean helping to reallocate workload to ensure availability for development days and self-directed learning
  • authorise/arrange payment of the fee either through local business area or individual Purchase Order
  • help you to select an appropriate mentor, if required
  • support your development beyond the Aurora initiative

Aurora Mentoring

Testimonials

The aurora programme was really helpful, not only for the new knowledge and skills I have learnt, but also the experience of networking with other female leaders. I was panicking about my future career as a new mum before the programme, but now I feel much better as there so many new things can be done to keep improving myself, and there are so many people can support me and have helped me with my worries

It's a really well organised and meaningful journey, thank you so much. Of all leadership trainings, this is one of the most refreshing one, every speaker was so reflective and inspiring, thank you.

It opened my eyes that I have seen leadership in a far too narrow, prejudiced and traditional frame.

It was an inspiring experience, eye-opening in many aspects. I especially valued that all the speakers were bringing their own sometimes painful experiences for us to learn from and were brave to share them with us.

A great initiative and space to really focus on these broader questions, take stock, have a stronger sense of what I'm about, and some tangible ways to make things happen. The programme was immediately helpful in empowering me to try and contribute to constructive dialogue around that.

It was great to have the opportunity to do a training course over time rather than a one off session - more of a journey. No other course has offered so much peer feedback, dialogue and support. Great to have time to talk to others and to hear from role models.

I found the experience incredibly helpful and really enjoyed it. It was great meeting with other women and sharing our experiences.

Great course, fantastic speakers and facilitators. Even though it was delivered via Zoom there was a great sense of community, which came from the facilitators.

I had mixed feelings before doing it, bit anxious too. Was a really positive, uplifting and useful experience

A brilliant course, well-resourced and well-run with lots of inspirational speakers and participants. Feel very lucky to have had this opportunity. Just the boost I needed in this difficult year

Further information

Further information regarding how the Aurora initiative works, case studies and testimonials are available from the AdvanceHE web pages:

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