Comments on the publication of Universities UK’s (UUK) report
Commenting on the publication of Universities UK’s (UUK) report, Opportunity, growth, and partnership: a blueprint for change from the UK’s universities.
Nathalie Jacoby-Danesh, Partner at Browne Jacobson specialising in Higher Education, said: “Given the wide range of challenges facing the UK university sector, it’s crucial we seek to stabilise, mobilise and maximise the contribution of our higher education institutions, the three overriding themes set out in the UUK report, by putting them on a firm financial footing, streamlining regulation and improving the way in which we assess their impact.
“We hope the Government will embrace the recommendations made by UUK and implement them as soon as possible so that each institution can adopt its own blueprint for a more sustainable future.
“Universities are bound by many mid to long-term considerations that require greater funding certainties – protecting the interests of students on courses that take several years to complete, dealing with legacy costs of past projects, while remaining engaged with civic society and commercial partners alike to shape the institution and workforce of the future across the nations.
“For some, it’s important to stretch their resources as far as possible. One of the best routes is to commercialise their research by developing an innovation lifecycle strategy that is aligned with research strengths, ensures intellectual property is effectively recorded and protected, while keeping an open mind on the best routes to monetising knowledge.
“However, for some providers, any response from the Government may be too little, too late. The current financial crisis has led a very significant proportion of higher education institutions to restructure their workforce. We expect closer collaborations between institutions to take place, ranging from shared services to formal mergers. We would anticipate institutions to collaborate increasingly in large metropolitan areas or regions across the tertiary sector, or along subject specialism lines.”
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