Creativity is the engine of innovation – and universities keep it running
Professor Katie Normington writes for UA on why creativity and universities should be at the heart of the country’s skills strategy.
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Read more of: Creativity is the engine of innovation – and universities keep it running
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Moving Together: How Research Can Transform Physical Activity and Leadership
Read more of: Moving Together: How Research Can Transform Physical Activity and LeadershipBy Dr. Kate Marks, Post Doctoral Research Associate at Durham University Physical activity is about more than fitness. It shapes, and is shaped by: identity, health and society. Yet for many people, particularly those who experience marginalisation, accessing meaningful and sustainable physical activities, is constrained by structural inequalities. Across my research, I examine how intersecting […]
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Reading the tea leaves: what Higher Education can learn from the past term and what’s brewing for 2026
Read more of: Reading the tea leaves: what Higher Education can learn from the past term and what’s brewing for 2026As the autumn term closes, the tea leaves have settled. What patterns do they reveal about the government’s vision for higher education and how universities will fare under it? The past few months have been hugely consequential for the sector. The Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper might have been the centrepiece, but announcements have […]
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Transforming justice through research: reforming maternal care for pregnant prisoners and new mothers
Read more of: Transforming justice through research: reforming maternal care for pregnant prisoners and new mothersIn this blog, Professor Laura Abbott from the University of Hertfordshire describes how a decade of qualitative research into pregnancy and maternal separation in prison led to landmark sentencing reforms earlier this year. “Pregnancy and early motherhood in prison constitutes a complex intersection of health and justice systems that presents considerable challenges for effective, compassionate […]
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Designing for Energy Transitions: Lessons from Solar E-Cooking in Rwanda
Read more of: Designing for Energy Transitions: Lessons from Solar E-Cooking in Rwanda“Winning the Global Impact Award at this year’s Alliance Awards for our Solar Energy Transitions (SET): Inclusive e-cooking in sub-Saharan Africa project was a genuine privilege, not least because of the strength of the other shortlisted nominees. Each project was delivering excellent examples of challenge-led research that had both global relevance and local impact. Funded […]
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Elevate, Evaluate & Collaborate: why UA members created an Evaluation Network for Access and Participation
Read more of: Elevate, Evaluate & Collaborate: why UA members created an Evaluation Network for Access and ParticipationDuring the last two years, over two hundred and thirty providers of higher education have submitted Access and Participation Plans (APP) for approval to the Office for Students (OfS). Another forty-six are set to submit in the next six months. In these new plans, providers lay out how they will improve equality of opportunity for […]
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My journey from student to successful entrepreneur, revolutionising health and safety in construction and engineering
Read more of: My journey from student to successful entrepreneur, revolutionising health and safety in construction and engineeringMy name is Andrei Feraru, and today I own a Coventry-based business called Feraru Dynamics with my brother Vlad. My journey from undergraduate student to entrepreneur began while on placement with Rolls-Royce as a student at Coventry. That was when I first learned about the devastating effects of a preventable condition called Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome. […]
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My speech in parliament: highlighting the crucial role of doctoral training programmes and Alliance universities
Read more of: My speech in parliament: highlighting the crucial role of doctoral training programmes and Alliance universities“On the 11th of March 2025, I was fortunate to be invited to represent both the University Alliance’s (UA) Doctoral Training Alliance Programme (DTA) and Teesside University at a parliamentary reception at the Palace of Westminster. Vice Chancellors of multiple UA universities were in attendance, alongside Members of Parliament, the Shadow Cabinet and even the […]
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So now will the government take the chainsaw to HE regulation?
Read more of: So now will the government take the chainsaw to HE regulation?Head of Policy Susanna Kalitowski takes a deep-dive into regulatory burden in higher education. Originally published by the Higher Education Policy Institute’s blog The Prime Minister recently declared that Britain has ‘too much regulation and too many regulators’ before the shock announcement to abolish the world’s biggest quango, NHS England. Since December, the Government has been […]
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Professional doctorates – and why these are my two favourite words in the HE dictionary
Read more of: Professional doctorates – and why these are my two favourite words in the HE dictionaryThose of us who worked with former Higher Education Minister Robert Halfon will be all too familiar with his “two favourite words in the English language”, “Degree” and “Apprenticeships”. I would like to advocate for two more: “Professional” and “Doctorates,” for many of the same reasons that Robert Halfon was such a cheer leader for […]