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The latest announcements, press releases and media coverage from University Alliance.

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  1. University Alliance release ‘Let’s Get Technical: The First 100 Days’ 

    July 26, 2024

    In a new publication, University Alliance has set out a range of impactful priority actions for the government to take in their first 100 days in power. UA’s latest policy briefing ‘Let’s Get Technical: The First 100 Days’ identifies policies that are cost-neutral or low-cost to deliver that could help professional and technical universities deliver the government’s agenda. In partnership with government and industry, University Alliance argue th…

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    'Let's Get Technical: The First 100 Days'

  2. Business leaders tell Chancellor: Keep graduate visa to protect UK’s research and innovation

    May 12, 2024

    18 leaders from Chambers of Commerce and business networks from across the UK have collectively written to the Chancellor to warn against watering down or scrapping the graduate visa route. The letter, which was coordinated by the University Alliance group of universities, has also been signed by leaders from the Russell Group and Universities UK. The letter has been sent ahead of the Migration Advisory Committee’s review of the graduate visa rou…

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  3. Letter in the Financial Times: what’s miss­ing in the con­ver­sa­tion about uni­versit­ies

    January 23, 2024

    In a letter to the Financial Times, University Alliance CEO Vanessa Wilson talks about what’s missing in the conversations about the current challenges facing the higher education sector. “Robert Shrimsley’s piece on the crisis in higher education (Opinion, January 18) summarises the financial challenges facing universities in England well. There’s something missing however in the conversation about the value of universities, w…

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  4. ‘Let’s Get Technical’: University Alliance publishes five policy asks for the next Government

    September 29, 2023

    Note: in July 2024, following the election of a new Labour government, University Alliance has published an updated publication Let’s Get Technical: The First 100 Days. This sets out our recommendations for the government’s first 100 days in office, and in the long-term. University Alliance, an association of the UK’s leading professional and technical universities, has today (Friday 29 September) published ‘Let’s Get Technical: How to harness th…

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    Film students photographed - the Let's Get Technical campaign image

  5. University Alliance ‘relieved’ as UK re-joins Horizon Europe

    September 7, 2023

    University Alliance has responded to the announcement that the UK is to re-join Horizon Europe. Commenting on the news, Vanessa Wilson, CEO of University Alliance, said: “We are delighted and relieved that, after many years of uncertainty, the UK has associated fully with Horizon Europe. Collaborations with international partners are vital to harnessing the country’s research and innovation capability, and Horizon has always offered the best poss…

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    Vanessa Wilson

  6. University Alliance responds to the initial proposed changes to the Research Excellence Framework (REF)

    June 15, 2023

    In response to the initial proposed changes to the Research Excellence Framework (REF), Vanessa Wilson CEO of University Alliance said: “We welcome the initial proposed changes to the next Research Excellence Framework. In our consultation response to the Future Research Assessment Programme, we outlined concerns that REF would become a more frequent exercise. We are therefore delighted that REF will next be conducted in 2028. This brings a degre…

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  7. “Innovation needs to be kick-started”: University Alliance responds to Horizon alternative proposals

    April 6, 2023

    On 6 April 2023, the Government released a prospectus for a potential UK alternative to the Horizon Europe, named Pioneer. In response, Vanessa Wilson, CEO of University Alliance, said: “The whole Higher Education sector has been unanimous that association with Horizon Europe will always be our preference ahead of any alternative scheme. That said, University Alliance will consider the proposals in the Pioneer prospectus with great interest. Rese…

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  8. University Alliance responds to the Spring Budget

    March 15, 2023

    University Alliance, the association of the UK’s leading professional and technical universities, has today responded to the Chancellor’s spring budget statement. Commenting on the statement, Vanessa Wilson, University Alliance CEO, said: On investment zones: “The Chancellor has clearly recognised the role universities play in driving growth in the Spring budget today. We are pleased that universities are recognised as key partners in investment …

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  9. Over 300 businesses sign University Alliance letter calling on Chancellor to protect “essential” regional innovation programmes

    March 2, 2023

    A letter signed by over 300 SMEs and 16 universities has been sent to the Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt this week. The signatories call on the Chancellor to provide bridge funding for university-led research & innovation projects funded through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), which is used by universities to support local businesses. The UK will lose access to the funding at the end of March 2023. Ahead of the Spring budg…

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  10. University Alliance announce support for rejection of Springer Nature proposals

    February 21, 2023

    In response to the HE sector’s recent rejection of the proposals presented by Springer Nature, on open access to research, University Alliance CEO Vanessa Wilson said: “Our university members are fully behind the recent decision by the sector, and the negotiating team, to reject the latest offer from Springer Nature. We recognise and welcome the improvements that Springer Nature has made to its offer throughout the negotiations. However, the late…

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