RESEARCH FUNDING
A study hosted on the HEPI blog warns that the UK is likely to miss its target of spending 2.4% of GDP on research and development by 2027. The Russell Group of universities has written to the Prime Minister asking for greater clarity on the future of research funding, citing a mismatch between the government’s ambitions in this area and the funding available. Universities UK has written in similar terms.
Significant cuts to projects supported (many via UKRI) by the government’s now-reduced overseas development aid budget continue to cause widespread disquiet. Wonkhe has some analysis of the projects likely to be at risk.
Meanwhile, THE has noticed a trend in Europe towards significant increases in research and innovation expenditure.
For an overview of research funding issues, the House of Commons Library has a great briefing on the future of R&D funding.
QUALITY
OfS has warned universities not to sacrifice quality in order to increase student intake. The regulator has said that it is prepared to intervene in cases where this occurs. This comes whilst THE reports that some English universities may be breaching the ban on the use of “conditional unconditional” offers.
SECTOR NEWS
A report from the Social Market Foundation says that universities and colleges should be collaborating more and suggests a number of ways this could be achieved.
In a HEPI blog post, Bahram Bekhradia makes an argument for the “intellectual flimsiness” of the government’s White Paper on free speech and academic freedom.
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