Responding to the Chancellor’s 2021 budget, University Alliance CEO Vanessa Wilson said: “Today’s budget brought a welcome confirmation of the Government’s commitment to the UK being a science superpower; an ambition which will be supported by the review of R&D tax relief and super deduction to encourage investment into innovation, and much-needed visa reforms to attract the world’s super talent. The renewed commitment to expanding apprenticeship…
Responding to the announcement from the Government of additional funding being made available to support students facing hardship, University Alliance CEO Vanessa Wilson said: “Many students are experiencing growing financial hardship as a result of the ongoing disruption from the pandemic. Alliance universities have made significant investments to ensure support reaches those students most in need, including those facing financial difficulty and…
Papers released today (Thursday 21st January 2021) include the Teaching Excellence Framework review response, the Post-Admissions Qualification consultation and the Interim Conclusion of the Review of Post-18 Education and Funding. Commenting on the publications, University Alliance CEO Vanessa Wilson said: “The package of announcements released today – including the Interim response to the post-18 review, Post Qualification Admissions consultati…
Commenting on the publication of the White Paper and interim response, University Alliance Chair and Vice Chancellor of the University of Brighton Professor Debra Humphris said: “As the nation looks to build back better from the pandemic, the country will need more people with higher level skills. It is therefore welcome to see the commitment laid out within the Skills For Jobs White Paper and interim conclusion of the post-18 review, to transfor…
On Wednesday 13 January, University Alliance hosted a roundtable with our Research & Innovation network and Chief Executive of UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser. The discussion centred around creating and enabling a positive research culture within higher education institutions and improving equality, diversity and inclusion across the whole research and innovation pipeline; reflecting the shared priorities of UKRI an…
Our open letter to the Government calling for greater transparency and clarity on the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, coordinated and led by UA and backed by a group of 70 universities and businesses, was covered in-depth on Tuesday’s BBC Newsnight. The segment included an interview from Member of UA’s Knowledge Exchange and Enterprise Network, and Pro Vice Chancellor for Enterprise and Business Engagement at Teesside University, Professor Jane Turner…
UA, along with 70 national and local organisations from across the country including the CBI, are urging the Government to provide immediate clarity on how it intends to deliver the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF). In a letter to the Government, coordinated and led by UA, the group of 70 universities and businesses call for greater transparency and clarity on the UKSPF, the Government’s proposed successor to current EU Structural Funds, so as t…
This article first appeared in the Guardian on 29 October 2020 There have been far too few care leavers going to university for far too long. The numbers are staggering: just 12% of care-experienced pupils compared to 42% of their peers. It’s not fair that care leavers should have far worse educational and life chances than the general population, especially since we already know the reasons why. The problem starts at school, when children in car…
In his first budget speech, the Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced £22 billion of investment into research and development. The full detailed breakdown of this investment will follow, but he did announce that £400 million of the money would go to Universities across the UK, outside London and the South East, the so-called ‘Golden Triangle’. Responding to this announcement, University Alliance CEO Vanessa Wilson Said “Alliance universities work at t…
University Alliance has joined forces with the National Union of Students (NUS), Universities UK, Million Plus and the Association of Colleges to call for the next government to reinstate and extend non-repayable maintenance funding for all students studying a higher education qualification. Together, these organisations represent seven million students, over 550 students’ unions, over 100 universities and over 300 colleges. Maintenance grants we…
