Higher Education Policy Briefing – January 2016 CASE - Speech by Science Minister 1. On 27 January, Universities Minister Jo Johnson gave the annual Campaign for Science and Engineering Lecture1, during which he outlined some areas of policy and some detail about previous announcements of funding. Areas mentioned included:      

Stability of funding for the Science Budget over the next 10 years Innovation Plan, and expansion of the Catapults network Nurse Review, and Review of REF by Lord Stern Expansion of the Newton Fund from £75M to £150M p.a. by 2021 £30M Inspiring Science Capital Fund to support Science & Discovery Centres Importance to UK Science & Engineering of the UK staying in the EU

Launch of Innovation Plan 2. The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS), Sajid Javid, announced plans to launch a new Innovation Plan2 with an article in the Sunday Telegraph on 24 January. This is billed as a cross-Government plan, not just BIS. The announcement specifically mentions making the UK the world leader in disruptive and emerging technologies. The plan will be developed over the coming months. Green Paper responses 3. January saw the deadline for responses to the Government’s Green Paper on Higher Education. The University’s response can be found here: http://www.southampton.ac.uk/about/impact/responses-to-consultations.page 4. The Higher Education policy website wonkhe.com has gathered together a large number of responses to the Green Paper, which can be found here: http://wonkhe.com/blogs/green-paper-responses/ 5. We expect that BIS will release a White Paper and/or a technical consultation sometime in the Spring, with the intention of making firm decisions by the summer. Some suggestions in the Green Paper would require primary legislation and there is no indication when that would be. “Spiked” – Free Speech University Rankings

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https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/making-britain-the-best-place-in-the-world-for-science https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/i-want-to-make-the-uk-a-beacon-of-innovation

6. For the second year, spiked online has published its self-styled Free Speech University Rankings3. It considers policies and actions of both universities and their student unions, rating both with a traffic light system, and concludes that 90% of universities censor speech in some way. The University of Southampton is in the 10% of universities whom spiked online rate as green for both university and student union. CaSE immigration report 7. On 21 January, the Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE) published a report4 on the effect of the Government’s immigration policies. The report found that immigrant scientists and engineers bring new ways of thinking to universities and businesses, help build international collaborations, and open up new global markets through their contacts and language skills. Despite these benefits, rules and policies are stopping talented scientists and engineers from coming to the UK to conduct vital research and contribute to our high-tech economy. The report concludes that complex rules, unclear guidance, and bureaucracy are making immigration unnecessarily difficult for these economically-valuable workers. The report makes a number of recommendations, including fast-tracking peer-reviewed applicants through Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent), abolishing the Tier 2 (General) cap and creating a new Tier 5 (Temporary Worker – Science, Research, and Academia) visa. HEFCE Report - Review of Professional Doctorates 8. On 6 January, HEFCE published a Review of Professional Doctorates5. It notes that the number of institutions providing professional doctorates has grown over the last 5 years, as has the number of professional doctorate programmes. Provision is in four main subject areas: education, business, psychology, and health and social care. Candidates report a positive impact from the professional doctorate, as do some employers. However, employer demand for professional doctorate qualified staff seems relatively weak in many areas and results in high proportions of candidates being selffunded. The report also finds that perceptions of the quality of the professional doctorate remain an issue, even though candidates’ research is expected to have an impact on professional practice as well as make a contribution to academic knowledge. The report goes on to recommend that sector bodies and institutions develop a more strategic basis for provision of professional doctorates, and it reaffirms equivalence between professional doctorate and PhD qualifications,. Higher Education Commission Report on data and analytics 9. The Higher Education Commissioned published a report on 26 January entitled From Bricks to Clicks: the potential of data and analytics in higher education6. The report explores what the data revolution, and better data analytics, might mean for universities, specifically in the area of the student experience. The report finds that in order to continue providing world leading education, institutions must ensure that digital literacy, digital capability and good data management and mining policies are a central 3

http://www.spiked-online.com/free-speech-university-rankings/results#.VqtCMJOvMrE http://sciencecampaign.org.uk/?p=19296 5 http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/rereports/Year/2016/profdoc/Title,107344,en.html 6 http://www.policyconnect.org.uk/hec/sites/site_hec/files/report/419/fieldreportdownload/frombrickstoclickshecreportforweb.pdf 4

part of long term HE strategies. It also concludes that the HE sector can lead the way in big data analytics, so long as this is done with student consent and robust safeguards. Data will help institutions to improve student retention, better target student support, and develop teaching and learning across the sector. However, whilst there are many opportunities as the HE sector is data rich, institutions are not making the most of analytics, nor are their workforces data literate. UUK - Social Mobility Advisory Group 10. Universities UK have established a new group7 to provide advice to the government and support for English universities to improve access and long-term success for underrepresented groups in higher education. The Social Mobility Advisory Group will publish a report in the summer which will be given to the Minister for Universities and Science. The Group is chaired by Nicola Dandridge, Chief Executive of UUK, with representation from vice-chancellors, schools, colleges, government, employers and widening participation practitioners. The group will consider the current evidence, explore what universities in England are doing that works, and address what more could be done. Closure of BIS Sheffield Office 11. On 28 January, BIS announced that it would close its Sheffield Office by 2018, so that all BIS policy jobs would be in London. Some BIS officials in both Higher Education and Innovation areas are based in Sheffield.

Gavin Costigan Director of the Vice-Chancellor’s Office

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http://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/highereducation/Pages/Socialmobilityinhighereducationisaboutmorethanjustac cesstouniversity%E2%80%93launchofnewSocialMobilityAdvisoryGroup.aspx#.VqtC4pOvMrE