Jisc and Google have announced a two-year partnership to help UK universities and colleges move from trying out AI to adopting it across the whole institution.
The announcement came at Google's Higher Education Leader Series event. The focus is on digital skills, governance and fair access to AI tools.
What the partnership covers
The programme is built around problems many institutions will recognise: building staff confidence, setting up governance and showing what an AI investment has achieved. Support will include workshops, webinars, leadership sessions and practitioner communities, covering tools such as Gemini and Gemini Notebook, formerly NotebookLM.
There's a procurement element too. Jisc is creating a dedicated reseller framework for Google Workspace for Education, giving institutions a tailored buying route and access to a wider group of approved Google partners. The framework also extends to cloud, research and operational projects, not only licences.
Free access is a key message
Google says one of its two priorities is making sure every education institution knows it already qualifies for free access to its education-focused AI tools, Gemini for Education and Gemini Notebook. The second is giving further and higher education a clear framework and better commercial terms for enhanced features.
Jisc's Luciana Piccoli framed the aim as giving everyone a baseline level of AI capability, so access doesn't depend on an institution's budget or someone's personal circumstances.
First cohort being recruited
Jisc and Google are recruiting an initial group of universities and colleges, looking for a mix of sizes, types and levels of AI maturity. Their experiences will shape guidance for the wider sector and feed into Jisc's longer-term planning.
What to check if you're in FE or HE
If your institution is a Jisc member, keep an eye out for details on how to join the first cohort.
If you already use Google Workspace for Education, check whether Gemini for Education and Gemini Notebook are switched on, and whether your AI policy and data protection impact assessments cover them.
Schools aren't named in this partnership, though Google's free education AI tools are available to them through Workspace for Education.