Latest research and knowledge exchange news at Bournemouth University
Welcome to the EU section of the blog! Emily Cieciura (BU’s Research Facilitator – EU and International), Jo Garrad (Funding Development Manager) and Dianne Goodman (Funding Development Co-ordinator) together try to take the pain out of finding and applying for EU funding by horizon scanning many sources and placing the most important information on this page.
We blog as often as possible on everything from calls for proposals and partner searches, to networking event opportunities, all the latest on Horizon 2020 and international funding. We also use the blog to disseminate information on EUADS (BU’s EU academic training initiative), how to write brilliant proposals, how to find partners and other top tips!
Dear colleagues,
This is a kind reminder that next Monday, 15 July 2024 is the deadline for submission of ItB if you plan to submit an application to MSCA PF 2024 call.
We have already received a large number of ItBs which is close to the capacity RDS can handle, so any late ItBs submitted after Monday will be rejected.
This year we have planned that all proposals are completed and submitted to the funder on 10 September, a day before the call deadline.
BU Research Centre CSSRC is celebrating its interdisciplinary and intersectoral research around sustainable food on Wednesday 26th June 2024, 4.45-7.00pm.
The Centre for Sustainable & Socially Responsible Consumption (CSSRC) invites you to attend its research event on Wednesday 26th June 2024 to celebrate its interdisciplinary and intersectoral research around sustainable food. After a welcome refreshment this interesting and informative event will comprise of three topical presentation sessions, each lead by a member of CSSRC, as outlined below. Opportunity for discussions and networking over drinks and nibbles after the talks will round off the event.
Session 1: FoodMAPP: Local food supply communicated through a transactional searchable MAP based APPlication
FoodMAPP is a European funded research project that is developing a searchable map-based platform that will enable consumers to search and buy food products directly from local suppliers. Currently within Europe food is transported, on average, 171km from farm to fork. 26 per cent of global carbon emissions come from food and large volumes of food are wasted. The FoodMAPP project aims to address these challenges by enabling consumers to identify and purchase local sources of food in real time to shorten supply chains and reduce food waste, while also providing additional sustainable income to food producers and providers. The project, led by Professor of Consumer Behaviour Jeff Bray, consists of a consortium of European partners, comprising academic partners in Croatia, Hungary, Spain and Belgium and industry partners in France & Austria. In this session Professor Bray will introduce the project and discuss current insights from it.
Session 2: Assessing the impact of food prices on consumption and health
Professor of Economics Tim Lloyd will present this session and introduce this Defra funded project. The overall aim of this project is to develop user-friendly software, underpinned by theory and modelling that will provide Defra with the capacity to assess the potential impacts of external and internal shocks and the outcome of potential policy options, not just on prices but on food consumption more generally, including the health impacts across socio-economic groups, while addressing the resilience of the UK food chain and environmental challenges. The project has Defra Funding for two years and is a collaboration with the University of Exeter, that develops previous work on food price modelling in relation to Brexit that formed the basis of an Impact Case submitted to UoA17 (Business and Management) in REF2021. The current project started in December 2023 and is in its early phase of development. The BU team comprises Tim Lloyd (Professor of Economics) and Adam Witt (ECR) from the Department of Accounting Finance and Economics in BUBS. It is envisioned that the output of the project will augment the government’s analytical capacity in the politically sensitive area of food prices and form an Impact Case Study for REF2029.
Session 3: An exploration of alternative food network practices
The landscape of food systems is evolving, with alternative food networks (AFNs) gaining prominence. AFNs encompass decentralised and locally rooted system that seek to establish direct connections between producers and consumers, often bypassing conventional supply chains e.g. farmers’ markets, community-supported agriculture (CSA), and food cooperatives. As consumer preferences shift towards locally sourced and sustainable food options, it is essential to assess the challenges and opportunities that arise in the context of AFNs. Through exploring AFNs and SFSCs, this project seeks to understand their potential contributions to sustainability, resilience, and community well-being. In this session Dr Anthony Ezenwa will present his BU QR-funded research that explores the nuances of Alternative Food Networks (AFNs) and Short Food Supply Chains (SFSCs), using Dorset County, England as a comprehensive case study. Dr Ezenwa will highlight the various typologies and meanings associated with these concepts and discuss how the social and institutional perspectives surrounding the challenges and opportunities within AFNs and SFSCs practices in the region, shedding light on their intricate links.
Provisional Timetable:
4.45-5.00pm – Welcome refreshments
5.00-6.15pm – Presentation sessions
6.15-7.00pm – Discussion, networking and refreshments
This is a free event, but you must register to attend via Eventbrite: A Celebration of Sustainable Food Related Research Tickets, Wed 26 Jun 2024 at 16:45 | Eventbrite
A while ago I posted a blog about preparations for MSCA PF 2024 call. The deadline date is 11 September 2024 17:00:00 Brussels time, you can find more information by visiting the EU Funding and Tenders Portal call page.
The ItB submission deadline this year is Monday 15 July, although we encourage you to submit the ItB as soon as you are ready.
With queries related to MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2024 Call please contact Research Facilitator International. Please note that I have already contacted those on my list of potential applicants. If I have missed any academics considering applying, accept my apologies and remind me about your intention to submit an application this year to send you more details regarding application support.
According to UKRO, on May 13 the UK has joined the European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC) bringing together supercomputing resources from 35 countries.
This world-class European supercomputing eco-system has an enhanced share of the Horizon funded portion, worth £770 million from 2021-2027. Membership means UK’s brightest minds can now work in partnership with European colleagues, and access EuroHPC Horizon Europe-funded projects.
For more information you can read UK Government’s press release.
The 2024 MSCA PF call is open and will close on 11 September 2024 (17:00 Brussels time). As advertised earlier, two events organised by UKRO were held on 14th and 15th May, 2024.
The presentation slides and video recordings from information webinars on how to apply to the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowships (PF) 2024 call are now available on UKRO event pages:
Session 1: Overview and Eligibility
Session 2: Submission and Evaluation
To access slides you may need your UKRO login details, more information about registration is here. Please note that some UKRO services have been suspended at the moment, for example, UKRO will pause accepting new requests for subscribers to use UKRO meeting rooms and pause new training events.
The 2024 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowships (PF) Call is expected to open on the Funding & Tender Opportunities Portal on 23 April 2024, with a deadline of 11 September 2024. The appropriate information including guidance documents and Standard application form are available on the MSCA PF call page.
This will be the first MSCA call after the UK has joined the Horizon Europe programme, so the competition may even increase. From the last call BU got two fellowships awarded and we are looking forward to having other success stories.
As usual, the internal deadline for ItB submission is expected to be no later than mid-July. We would appreciate if potential BU supervisors inform their Funding Development Officers or Research Facilitator International about their intention to submit an application as soon as possible. As usual, we will have very busy period in August-September supporting your applications, so we need to plan resources to provide appropriate support.
Where necessary, we will provide individual support to BU academics starting from mid-June. In the meantime, please consider joining training sessions organised by our UK Research Office (UKRO) based in Brussels. UKRO, in its capacity as UK National Contact Point for the MSCA, will hold information webinars for prospective applicants. There have been two online webinars already announced:
The agenda for each webinar is to be confirmed shortly, however UKRO strongly advise participants to register for and attend both sessions. To access the above links, UKRO portal login details may be needed (if you do not have access to the portal, more details on how to register are provided here).
The webinars will be delivered using the ‘Zoom’ online conference facility, prior registration is mandatory. Upon registering, a confirmation email will be sent with joining instructions.
Please note that UKRO sessions usually cover all aspects of application, so specific BU-hosted training sessions will not be organised and we expect that BU applicants have basic understanding about the funding scheme.
With queries related to MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2024 Call please contact Research Facilitator International.
Catching up after the Easter break, an EDI focus this week, by coincidence, a look at educational gain and the value of apprenticeships, the underwhelming strategic priorities funding announcement and some politics in the form of an EU proposal on freedom of movement, freedom of speech (again) and an odd UKVI proposal on remote delivery for international students.
As we creep towards the general election which is likely to be in the autumn but must be before the end of January 2025, MPs are thinking about alternative careers. One of those is Robert Halfon, who has stepped down as Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education) having decided not to stand for election again. He was replaced by Luke Hall.
The minister’s responsibilities include:
UKRI has published diversity data for 2021-22.
Some findings are not very surprising, i.e. that PIs and CoI applicants tend to be older than others: but the awards data shows that awards are more variable when reviewed by age. The disability data shows only small differences, with very small numbers of applicants declaring a disability.
The ethnicity data shows some challenges: For PIs applying to UKRI in 2021 to 2022, White applicants had a significantly higher award rate than both Asian and Black applicants. Asian CI applicants also had a significantly lower award rate than White CI applicants in 2021 to 2022.
As does the gender data, in terms of applicants, but here the award data is more positive: For fellows applying to UKRI in 2021 to 2022, female applicants had a significantly higher award rate than their male counterparts.
The report also looks at intersectional data.
In the Teaching Excellence Framework the least defined element was in the student outcomes section, relating to educational gain: the Office for Students asked providers to set out what ‘educational gains’ they intend their students to achieve, how they support students to achieve them, and what evidence they have that students are succeeding in achieving these. Educational gains go beyond the measures of continuation, completion and progression also used in the TEF, and extend into areas such as knowledge, skills, personal development and work readiness.
The OfS has published an analysis of the submissions of the 51 providers that received a Gold rating for student outcomes in TEF 2023
The following conclusions are drawn:
The report includes a set of helpful prompts for discussion,
According to Wonkhe, the government is proposing to abolish a central funding allowance that allows disabled students to access specialist nonmedical support. The article explains these very complex arrangements.
And TASO has a report out on transition support and mapping reasonable adjustments. Wonkhe has an article on that too.
Wonkhe reported that UKVI has shared a draft “remote delivery” policy with higher education providers for consultation.
The QAA have issued a report: DEGREE APPRENTICESHIP: VOICES FROM THE FRONTLINE Impact, Policy and Good Practice Guide 2024.
This follows the government data on degree apprenticeship outcomes that I referred to in the last update. This is a summary of the findings.
Impact of the Levy: Employers value the apprenticeship levy as a critical driver for investing in skills and training. The apprenticeship levy is considered crucial for programme sustainability (99% agree). Without it, most employers (68%) would discontinue degree apprenticeships.
Productivity and Business Growth
Industry-academia Collaboration
Quality of Delivery
Areas of Improvement
Other Success Factors
This from Research Professional this week:
So far so interesting: note that it is clear that the number of EU students coming to the UK has collapsed since Brexit when UK student loans were no longer available for EU students. It is not clear that this would increase numbers to where they formerly were, as although the tuition fees would be capped at the UK cost, they would not be eligible, under this proposal, for loans. There is a small market for EU students in the UK at international fee levels, the one at UK fee levels may be only slightly larger, with living and accommodation costs on top.
Anyway, it may too politically sensitive this side of a general election, see this in the FT.
The Office for Students (OfS) has received guidance from the Secretary of State for Education and the Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education on the Higher Education Strategic Priorities Grant for the 2024-25 financial year.
Details are set out in Annex 2 (page 7)
High cost courses
Student Access and Success [There’s a Wonkhe article on this aspect of the funding here.]
Other things
Wonkhe covered the story here.
Future funding: The Higher Education Policy Institute published a new report entitled How Should Undergraduate Degrees be Funded?
There is a new OfS consultation on their Freedom of Speech guidance. The deadline is 26th May: Consultation on proposed regulatory advice and other matters relating to freedom of speech (officeforstudents.org.uk)
The proposed guidance is designed to help providers and others to navigate their free speech duties although it does not remove the requirement for them to make their own judgements about compliance with those duties. The proposed guidance will also provide transparency about the issues that the OfS may consider when making decisions about free speech matters.
The draft guidance itself is here: Regulatory advice 24 Guidance related to freedom of speech (officeforstudents.org.uk). It gives a whole lot of examples which make very interesting reading. The consultation also covers changes to the regulatory framework to reflect the new law.
The Act will amend section 73 of HERA to empower the OfS:
Academics from the Centre for Midwifery and Women’s Health (CMWH) traveled to Winterhur, Switzerland with the Swiss European Mobility Programme.
The education and research programme, organised by the team at Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften (Zurich University of Applied Sciences), involved a workshop with midwives from across Europe ( Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden and Germany) discussing midwife-led care.
Professor Vanora Hundley and Dr Dominique Mylod were also invited to give a lecture on the latent phase / early labour as part of the final Gebstart conference. 
They presented recently published research that was included in thespecial issue in Women & Birth at the end of last year.
This meeting and collaboration with colleagues from across Europe builds on the work of the International Early Labour Research Group.
Relevant papers:
Mylod DC, Hundley V, Way S, Clark C (2023) Can a birth ball reduce pain perception for women at low obstetric risk in the latent phase of labour? The Ball Assisted Latent Labour (BALL) randomised controlled trial. Women & Birth https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wombi.2023.11.008
Grylka-Baeschlin S, Hundley V, Cheyne H et al (2023) Early labour: an under-recognised opportunity for improving the experiences of women, families and maternity professionals Women & Birth https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wombi.2023.09.004
This seemed like a good moment to explain what the Lifelong Learning Entitlement is really about and what it means for universities (spoiler: a lot of administrative work and not much else, in the short term), and this update also includes some horizon scanning by UKRI, some data on staff numbers and applications and a bit more on financial sustainability, as hard to get away from in stories about the sector this month. And there is more besides.
Lots of time spent this week on the Rwanda bill, with work for local MP Michael Tomlinson in his new role as Illegal Immigration Minister. The two deputy chairs of the Conservative Party resigned their roles yesterday along with a PPS but the Rwanda bill was passed unamended and has gone to the Lords where there will be more challenges.
Meanwhile it isn’t a manifesto but there is a campaign brochure from the Labour Party. It says “we will be able to seize the opportunities of advances in AI, digital, life sciences and technology as drivers of economic growth”. It presents again the 5 missions we discussed in issue 1 of this update. On education: this is the closest to a reference to HE: there simply aren’t enough high-quality pathways onto apprenticeships, and technical education. So we will have to keep waiting for the detail.
And if you missed it, constituency boundaries change for this election. There were originally going to be major changes locally but those were dropped in the last round of reviews, so not much is changing here. However, there might be implications elsewhere: there is a BBC article here. One point to note is that Chris Skidmore stood down on environmental issues and there is a by-election planned in February: but his constituency is one of those disappearing.
Ongoing legislation
UKRI have published a position statement on their “commitment to improve the research and innovation environment for businesses seeking to scale up, through enhancing the support that we offer alongside private capital to help them invest, innovate and grow”.
As well as confirming some of the things they already do they will be:
The Science Minister, Michelle Donelan, gave a speech about “scaleups” on 16th January. It has unicorns, silver bullets, powder kegs and goldmines. There is a lot in in it apart from those theme park elements, but this bit caught my eye:
What is the Regulatory Horizons Council? The Regulatory Horizons Council (RHC) is an independent expert committee that identifies the implications of technological innovation, and provides government with impartial, expert advice on the regulatory reform required to support its rapid and safe introduction. Find the membership etc at the link.
Here is the report and its recommendations:
In December, UKRI published an insights report on Innovate UK’s 50 emerging technologies that could be part of our everyday lives in 2040 and beyond.
Although there are 50, the report is only 39 pages: the list is in the contents page (and it does briefly explain what they all are). The world has been very focussed on the risks of new technology, AI in particular, in recent months, but this is a very hopeful list, focusing on the problems that can be solved rather than disruption and destruction. The report does note the ethical challenges (in the context of AI in particular) and sets our five questions to consider:
In the context of the above, the government announced 5 “quantum missions” in November: there are likely to be more funding rounds for research and projects in these areas.
You can’t have missed it, but the UK is now an associate member of Horizon Europe from the start of 2024. You can read more on the UKRI website here. The Horizon Europe work programmes are listed here.
Research England have also announced the results of the second round of the “expanding excellence in England” fund. Research England is investing £156 million to support 18 universities across England to expand their small, but outstanding research units. The list of projects funded in round two (and round one from 2019) is here.
These policy updates so far this year have included a lot of regulatory content, focussing on the OfS, but did you know that many other regulators may have an interest in aspects of education at universities, and this makes for a challenging and potentially burdensome situation.
Research Professional reports on an event sponsored by the Higher Education Policy Institute and AdvanceHE, which Keith attended this week, at which the VC of London South Bank University raised this issue:
Of course it is even more complicated than that, as apprenticeship funding is overseen by the ESFA (the Education and Skills Funding Agency, part of the Department for Education), making them an important regulator for HE too. If you haven’t heard of the ESFA, then here is what they do: it isn’t obvious from this that it includes degree apprentices delivered at universities; but it does.
As an executive agency of the Department for Education, and on behalf of the Secretary of State for Education, ESFA is responsible for administering funding to deliver education and skills, from early years through to adulthood.
ESFA funds education and skills providers, including:
ESFA is responsible for:
Outstanding OfS consultations
Just a reminder of the ones that are ongoing or we are expecting outcomes on from the OfS:
And two Department for Education ones:
In the last couple of updates I have mentioned the government focus on apprenticeships, which is being supported by funding provided by the OfS to support the development of new L6 apprenticeships. On 17th January the outcome of the latest funding competition was announced, with £12 million being allocated. The list is here (BU is on it).
UCAS have published the end of cycle 2023 data.
Sector:
As well as the more general picture there is also data for nursing, which shows tor UK applicants there is a fall in application numbers for most age groups since 2021 but applications for 18 year olds and over 35s remain higher than they were in 2019, and the over 35s are now the biggest group, as they were in 2020 (and almost were in 2021). The proportion of male applicants over 35 is also higher than the other groups.
Midwifery applications have also fallen since 2021 but remain higher than 2019 for 18 years olds and the over 35s, 18 year olds being by far the largest group with the over 35s just squeaking in at second. The gender data is interesting: tiny numbers of male applicants.
Wonhke have an article and analysis: there are a little over a thousand more English domiciled applicants who have accepted a place at a Russell Group provider this year than last. Everyone else (excluding alternative providers) has lost accepted applicants over 2022, but (as UCAS is always keen to remind us) the “last regular year” comparison to 2019 looks a bit rosier. There are loads of charts and even a map.
Cost of living: This year’s updates have covered this ongoing issue; the Russell Group published a briefing this week on the impact of inflation on the maintenance loan and what their members are doing to help. The briefing also points out: The shortfall is compounded by the freeze on the parental earnings threshold used to calculate maintenance loans in England. Students with a household income of less than £25,000 are eligible for the maximum loan, but this figure has been frozen in cash terms since 2008. It is estimated that had this threshold increased with earnings, it would now sit at £35,000, making many more students eligible for the maximum support.
This has been a long running story and we have reported for several years on the various legislative changes and consultations but it all still seems a bit remote and confusing: the new funding system will be in place for entrants to HE from September 2025.
This is about two things, really:
The real change is in the mechanics of funding for universities. In preparation for modules and to support the “LLE personal accounts” the funding basis is switching to a system based on credits, not academic years.
Last week I talked about the OfS funded short course trial that had a microscopic take up. I wonder if the public accounts committee will be interested in the cost/benefit of that £2m investment?
There’s a blog here that the OfS wrote in October 2024 on the changes for HE that the LLE will bring:
Over time, we think this will lead to some or all of the following changes:
If there is a growth in LLE funded modular study, we also think there might be a shift to:
But if you are still puzzled about what it is all really about, and what it means in practice for universities, the Department for Education have published a guide in the form of a policy paper this week. sorry this is a bit wordy!
| The summary: so far not very revolutionary.
From the 2025 to 2026 academic year, the LLE loan will be available for: · full courses at level 4 to 6, such as a degree or technical qualifications · modules of high-value technical courses at level 4 to 5 Under the LLE, eligible learners will be able to access: · a tuition fees loan, with new learners able to access up to the full entitlement of £37,000, equal to 4 years of study in today’s fees · a maintenance loan to cover living costs Targeted maintenance grants will also be available for some groups such as learners with disabilities, or for support with childcare. An additional entitlement may be available in certain cases – for example, for some priority subjects or longer courses such as medicine. Learners will be able to see their loan balance through their own LLE personal account. This will help them make choices about the courses and learning pathways available. |
| So the devil, as always, must be in the detail. What is covered, see below, again, fairly straightforward, except the bit about modules.
But that isn’t coming straight away “The government will take a phased approach to provide modular funding. We expect to expand modular funding to more courses from the 2027 to 2028 academic year.” Eligibility: · The LLE will be available to new and returning learners. · For returning learners, the amount they can borrow will be reduced depending on the funding they have previously received to support study. · LLE tuition loans will be available for people up to the age of 60. Learners who are over 60 may still qualify for maintenance support, though not a tuition fee loan. · Eligibility criteria for the LLE will track existing higher education (HE) student finance nationality and residency rules. Courses: the LLE will be available for: · full years of study at higher technical and degree levels (levels 4 to 6) · modules of technical courses of clear value to employers From the 2025 to 2026 academic year, the LLE will fund: · full years of study on courses currently funded by HE student finance including: o traditional degrees o postgraduate certificates in education (PGCE) o integrated master’s degrees (a 4-year programme that awards a master’s degree on top of a bachelor’s degree) o the foundation year available before some degree courses start · all HTQs, including both full courses and modules of those courses · qualifications currently funded by advanced learner loans where there is clear learner demand and employer endorsement · modules of some technical qualifications at levels 4 and 5 currently funded through advanced learner loans with a clear line of sight to an occupational map and evidence of employer demand |
| So what does this mean for students? The main change is that tuition fee and maintenance loans will be available for a wider range of courses.
The entitlement New learners (those who have not yet received government support to undertake higher-level learning) will be able to access a full entitlement equal to 4 years of full-time tuition. This is currently equal to £37,000 across 4 years, based on today’s maximum fee limit of £9,250 per year. This means a student could use their £37,000 to pay for more than 480 credits of learning, depending on the per-credit cost of the course. For example, if a student can borrow £37,000 and they use £7,000 for a 120-credit course, they would have £30,000 of the LLE left for other courses, regardless of the size or duration of the original programme. Returning learners …who have not used it all will have access to a residual entitlement. For example, a typical graduate who completed a 3-year degree worth £27,750 in today’s fees will have a £9,250 residual entitlement. An additional entitlement above the core 4-year entitlement will be available for some priority subjects and longer courses such as medicine. Maintenance loans Maintenance loans are designed to help learners with living costs while they study. There is a maximum claim amount based on a student’s course, location and personal circumstances. Under the LLE, the maintenance loan for living costs and targeted support grants, such as the Disabled Students’ Allowance and the Childcare Grant, will be made available for all designated courses and modules that require in-person attendance. Maintenance support will be subject to personal criteria such as income. This will broadly remain the same as the current criteria. Repayments The latest repayment arrangements apply as for students who started university this year. |
| And what does it mean for universities?
There will be a maximum financial amount per credit and a maximum number of credits that can be charged for in each course year, which will be set by the government. We will treat certain course types under the LLE as ‘non-credit-bearing’. This means that different rules will apply. Non-credit-bearing courses include courses such as medicine and PGCEs, and courses where the provider has not assigned a qualifying credit value. To support the LLE, the government will introduce a standardised transcript template to ensure a learner’s assessed achievements are always captured under the new modular, credit-based system. There will be a new process for new providers and new qualifications. This is properly new stuff and the subject of a lot of the ongoing work listed below, but probably not a lot of interest to readers of this update! |
| There is a separate paper on how tuition fees will work, from November 2023. This bit is confusing and implementing it will be tricky: lots of new reporting and forms likely to achieve this!
In the LLE system, we’ll set fee limits per credit. Credits are a measurement used by colleges and universities to identify how much learning is in a period of study. One credit generally equals 10 hours of learning by the student. This includes all tuition, assessment and any self-guided study in the student’s own time. The credit-based system means that providers will only be able to charge for as much learning as they offer. A course containing 60 credits will have half the fee limit of a course containing 120 credits at the same provider. The LLE system will have different fee limit rates. The limit-per-credit will depend on the type of study. There will be different limits for work placement, study abroad, and foundation years in certain subjects. Each of these limits may be lower if the provider does not have: · a Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) award · an approved access and participation plan (APP). There will no longer be different limits for part-time study. Instead, each course or module will have a fee limit based on the number of credits it contains. This is subject to a course year maximum and a course maximum. This means that if a course contains 360 credits, its overall fee limit will be the same regardless of how many years it takes to complete. Some courses will be non-credit-bearing. For these courses, we’ll allocate a default number of credits. For example, we’ll allocate a PGCE course 120 default credits. This is because currently providers do not always allocate the same number of credits to these courses, but the amount of content is always very similar. Under the LLE system, we’ll calculate fee limits according to the number of credits in a course year, multiplied by a limit-per-credit. For example, if a year of a course contained 120 credits, and its limit-per-credit was £50, its fee limit would be £6,000. The LLE system will no longer have different fee limits for accelerated study. Instead, the overall fee limit for an accelerated degree will be the same as the overall fee limit for the same degree (full-time or part-time). There will be a cap on the number of credits for which providers can charge in each type of course. This ensures that credits are not added on to courses simply to increase tuition fees. Providers may offer additional credits beyond the maximum, but are not allowed to charge for them. If a student repeats part of their course, the repeat study is not counted towards the course cap. For example, if a student on a 360-credit degree fails a 30-credit module and repeats it, the provider can charge them for 390 credits overall. And those modules? There are no restrictions on the number of chargeable credits in a module. However, a module must have the same number of credits as it does when it is offered as part of the full course. Modules offered separately from full courses must contain at least 30 credits. This can include multiple smaller modules bundled together. |
| So what is next?
In spring 2024, we will: · launch a technical consultation on the wider expansion of modular funding · lay secondary legislation covering the fee limits for the LLE in parliament · communicate the details on the benefits of the third registration category In summer 2024, we will: publish further information about the qualification gateway In autumn 2024, we will: lay the secondary legislation that will set out the rest of the LLE funding system in parliament In spring 2025, we will: launch the LLE personal account, where users can track their loan entitlement and apply for designated courses and modules In autumn 2025, we will: launch the qualification gateway, an approval process that allows qualifications to access LLE funding (as noted above, not directly relevant to us) |
HESA published a bulletin about UK HE staff statistics as at 1st December 2022, on 16th January 2023.
The data shows an increase in the number of academic staff and non-academic staff employed in the sector since the previous year and a small decrease in the number of a-typical academic staff employed.
Last week’s update mentioned student number caps, which may soon be applied in specific cases (by provider, by subject) based on quality reviews by the OfS. The government recently ruled out reintroducing more widespread caps in England after a consultation. There have caps in Scotland, though, and they are about to be reduced. Wonkhe reported this week on remarks in the Scottish Parliament:
The Scottish caps on home students have had a direct impact on the finances of Scottish institutions and they have turned increasingly to the international market to make up the income as, like in the rest of the UK, the real value of domestic tuition fees falls. The financial challenges for Scottish universities are described in this recent report from the Scottish Funding Council (4th Jan 24).
You will recall that there is a reason for these caps: the Scottish government funds tuition fees directly in Scotland for Scottish students, there is no tuition fee loan. The actual amount received was £7,610 for each Scottish student this academic year year (see a report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies from December 2023), significantly less than the £9,250 capped fee in England.
Last week I talked about the OfS licence conditions in place to protect students in the context of a university closing down, perhaps as a result of financial issues.
Wonkhe have several blogs this week.
There is one from two members of Public First on what would happen if a large university ran out of money:
There is one is from two members of the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA) talking about what will really happen if a provider fails.
They point out the regime that applies to FE, for which there is no equivalent for universities:
They conclude:
New year, new start for the BU HE policy update.
It’s an election year, so I will be looking at the policies, predictions and plots as the year unfolds alongside the usual news and comment. I’ll be trying some new approaches this year so let me know what you think.
Alongside all the policy and politics there are the big geopolitical issues that may escalate even more dangerously this year; with luck some of them may creep towards a resolution. Just to list a few: Ukraine, Israel/Palestine, China/Taiwan, ongoing conflict or issues in Yemen, Afghanistan, North Korea, elections in the US, Mexico, Venezuela, India and Pakistan and a new leader in Peru, a third of African nations have elections this year) alongside climate change and equality issues across the world. These issues have an impact on domestic politics including through the impact on cost of living and potentially as people seek clarity, reassurance or perceived strong leadership in a time of fear or uncertainty. There’s an interesting article here from CIDOB on the issues the world is facing this year.
If you are interested in predictions, IPSOS have a survey of what the public are expecting.
Let’s start with the current government’s pledges and likely priorities: as the year unfolds I will look at some of these in more detail and review the alternatives.
YouGov have a take on the most important issues facing the country: the economy, health, immigration and asylum are at the top
A year ago the PM set out 5 pledges: we can expect to hear a lot more about them. Reviews here from the BBC and the New Statesman:
The reason inflation mattered so much was the impact on cost of living. The increases may have slowed but costs are still high:
… food bank charities like the Trussell Trust are helping record numbers of people, and some people are using debt to pay for essentials … The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) collects data on destitution in the UK. Someone is ‘destitute’ when they didn’t have two or more of six essentials in the past month because they couldn’t afford them, or their income is too low to purchase the items themselves. JRF found that 1.8 million households experienced destitution in 2022, a 64% increase since 2019. The rising prices of essentials has contributed to this increase. The essential that most destitute people went without most often was
Things to watch this year: net migration:
Despite the focus on the small boats, the real policy issue is the net migration number, going back to the original pledge from more than a decade ago to reduce that number.
There is a useful annual report from the Migration Advisory Committee here (Oct 23).
This report also has a section on student migration which is discussed below in relation to international students.
Local elections and by-elections – always interesting in the run up to a general election: Local elections are in May (not in BCP), there is a by-election in February in Wellingborough: another test for the government as the former seat of Peter Bone MP is contested; and another possibly in Blackpool later in the year.
Spring budget: 6th March 2024: likely tax cuts, with a potential to reduce the fiscal drag point noted above, plus possible cut to inheritance tax. Other appeals to the Tory base are likely and there are rumours of “traps” to make life hard for Labour in the election campaign or if they win the election.
Political leadership: this is a mainly post-election consideration, but would Sunak step down if the Tories lose the election and who would replace him? What would happen to Starmer if Labour lose? What about the SNP and what will happen in Northern Ireland? Wales will have a new First Minister this year (in the Spring as they are holding leadership elections).
The political fallout from the Covid inquiry: which will continue through this year.
Some parliamentary bills of interest to HE were carried over to the new session, and new ones were announced in the King’s Speech such as:
As well as these, Labour have also talked about the possibility of replacing the system of education regulators with one combined regulator, as they are doing in Wales, Unlike the Conservatives, they do want to encourage more 18 year olds into HE. See the bold highlights below.
These were set out a while ago:
Lots of MPS are stepping down: update here from the Institute for Government and a nice interactive map from Cambridgeshire Live here: makes Scotland look very interesting as they lose standing MPs just as they are in trouble politically on lots of fronts.
This will be an interesting year as plans for REF 2029 (as we must now call it) are developed further. We will be watching for R&D announcements in the Spring budget.
If you missed our coverage of the King’s Speech and the Autumn Statement then you can catch it via the link and here are some highlights relating to RKE:
Announcements made in December including:
BU’s approach to the REF: the REF Steering Group, led by Professor Kate Welham, is working with the Interim Associate PVC for RKE, Professor Sarah Bate, and with colleagues from across BU on our approach to the REF and Kate is attending UET regularly to discuss developments. The REF Committee is chaired by Professor Einar Thorsen.
BU has responded to the consultations so far on the REF and will continue to do so: we broadly welcome the changes although we have flagged some concerns about inclusivity and the administrative burden.
The government have a database of their areas of research interest. These tell us “what policymakers are thinking, what their priorities are and where they need help”
UKRI are working through a 5 year strategy and it is helpful to recall their strategic themes:
There is always a lot to talk about on education in the policy updates, but for the first one of the year I wanted to go back to basics and look at the priorities for the OfS and the government and set them in context. For example, did you know:
Government policy as it relates to HE does not address the big elephant in the room: in other words they are NOT proposing any changes to fees and funding or maintenance arrangements. A series of changes to student loan arrangements came into effect in the autumn, including extending the repayment period.
If you missed our coverage of the King’s Speech and the Autumn Statement then you can catch it via the link and here are some highlights relating to education:
Funding priorities:
Read about OfS funding for 2023-24
The objectives are:
The two areas of focus are quality and standards and equality of opportunity. That results in 11 goals:
The OfS annual review provides some data to set the scene.
The report highlights that continuation is lower for:
The report highlights that completion is lower for:
The report highlights that attainment rates are lower for:
The report highlights that progression rates are lower for:
In relation to mature students, those aged 31-40 have the highest progression rates while those aged 50 and over have the lowest.
If you don’t follow the announcements from the OfS closely, you may have missed the trickle of OfS quality reports, so far in two subject areas, business and management and computing. There are context papers which provide an interesting read and then the investigation reports themselves (so far 5 published for business and management and one for computing). Concerns were found in 2 of the 5 business and management reports: no sanctions have been confirmed yet.
More detail is given below, but just to flag the priorities for 2024 quality assessments. With the government already having announced that fee caps will be reduced for some foundation year courses, note the link to foundation year courses below: there will be quality reviews in this area especially as outcomes are lower, as noted in the linked Wonkhe article from October.
OfS sector context papers:
Quality assessments: Business and management
Themes: concerns were found in relation to two of the five published so far and findings included:
Quality assessment: Computing: no concerns were found in relation to the one report published so far.
As noted above these remain a priority for the government (and would likely be for a Labour government too). In that context a report from the summer by UCAS with the Sutton Trust is interesting:
Student finance
The cost of living update from the House of Commons Library Nov 23 has a section on student loan repayments and maintenance support (page 64) which links to this report from September 2023 on the value of student maintenance support.
Despite all the negativity about international students in the context of the migration policy (see above) and the OfS’ regulatory concern about the risk of large numbers of international students, there is a positive policy in relation to international students: the government have an International Education Strategy that has two ambitions by 2030:
According to the annual report from the Migration Advisory Committee here (Oct 23) referred to below, this second target was achieved in 2020/21:
Student visas
The annual report from the Migration Advisory Committee here (Oct 23) referred to above also has a section on international students. It includes the policies on stopping dependants which have now been implemented.
There is some interesting data on student numbers: it shows the large number of international student in London and also Scotland (not surprisingly given their student number cap for home students). Perhaps surprisingly, there are more international than UK students in the East of England and the North East and numbers are more or less equal in Yorkshire and the Humber, although this data includes students on the London campus of universities based outside London.
Student numbers and admissions
UCAS projects that there could be up to a million higher education applicants in a single year in 2030, up from almost three quarters of a million today.
But will there be? Applications and admissions fell last year, but that was after a bumper post-covid year in 2022 and UCAS described it as a return to normality. Or is it the rhetoric from the government on mickey mouse degrees etc and changes to loan repayments making it more expensive for students in the long run having an impact? Time will tell: eyes will be on this year’s applications.
The OfS annual review provides some context for this. The OfS issued their annual report on financial sustainability in May 2023 and identified the following key risks which are still relevant:
The OfS identifies a number of strategies that they may see to address financial sustainability concerns.
JANE FORSTER, VC’s Policy Advisor
Follow: @PolicyBU on X
Last Horizon Europe update this year and also the last one we were not associated to the programme. As stated previously, from 1 January 2024 the UK will be fully associated to almost all parts of the HEU programme.
Now to the news. The European Commission has adopted the European Innovation Council (EIC) Work Programme for 2024, an area BU has not been involved before. Perhaps, worth to explore it in 2024? The European Innovation Council, officially launched in March 2021, provides a coherent and connected system of innovation funding that supports projects with market potential. Its schemes, piloted at the end of Horizon 2020, are principally targeted at Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and industry, but also have opportunities for academic involvement. You can find more information about EIC funding opportunities and upcoming online information days on the UKRO webpage (UKRO login details required).
It has been announced that the ESRC and the AHRC, in their capacity as the UK National Contact Point for the Horizon Europe Cluster 2 (Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society), are holding an online session to support applicants in writing successful proposals for Cluster 2 calls. The Zoom event will take place on 17 January 2024 (13:00-16:00 UK time). Please note that prior registration is required. More information and registration forms are available here.
On this note, I am finishing and wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Updated information about EIC funding (03/01/2024): the UK entities take part in this pillar, with a small exception of one stream under the EIC – the EIC Fund, which provides equity funding for SMEs. So far, the UK universities have been particularly keen on EIC Pathfinder calls and also use the other mechanism – the EIC Transition.
European Innovation Council online Info Day dedicated to Work Programme 2024 is scheduled for 15 January 2024. There is no need for registrations as the event will be web streamed live – watch the event live following the link. Programme of the event is available here.
For more information you can also refer to the EIC’s frequently asked questions section.
This is a reminder that the European Research Executive Agency invites those interested in applying for the next call to join the online info session on 8 December 2023 (9 am UK time) and learn more about MSCA Staff Exchanges.
The 2023 call of the Horizon Europe Staff Exchanges action is open for new proposal applications until 28 February 2024.
Please note that this is a 2023 Work Programme call. If a proposal is successful, UK institutions will not be eligible to coordinate the project and funding will be provided from the UK government’s Horizon Europe funding guarantee. To claim this funding from UKRI, UK applicants must apply for funding from the EU as beneficiaries and not as Associated Partners.
You can download the agenda from the dedicated webpage library or navigate directly to the streaming page.
In the meantime, the European Commission has announced the submission rates for the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Networks 2023 call, which closed on 28 November 2023. The European Research Executive Agency received 1066 proposals, which is an increase compared to the 946 applications received in the previous call.
Standard Doctoral Networks received 920 proposals, two of which are with BU academics participating – good luck to our colleagues!
There’s only one month left until the university closes for Christmas break. I am glad to tell you all that our academic colleagues have successfully submitted another four proposals to Horizon Europe (HEU) call closing on 23 November 2023. In this case, all of these were from the Computing and Informatics department.
Since mid-September, the total number of proposals submitted to HEU by at least one BU academic participating is 18. Next week we expect two more bids to be finalised and sent to the European Research Executive agency for evaluation. So far for BU, in 2022 and 2023, 8 Horizon Europe proposals have been successful.
As many of you have already heard, from 1 January 2024 the UK will be fully associated to almost all parts of the HEU programme.
Please note that some calls from the 2023 work programme close in 2024 and if successful, those will be funded using UK government guarantee and UK participants will still not be eligible to coordinate those projects. You can identify 2023 work programme calls from the call ID, for example, HORIZON-MSCA-2023-SE-01 (MSCA Staff Exchanges) or HORIZON-MSCA-2023-COFUND-01 (MSCA COFUND).
On the RKE SharePoint site you can find the latest funding opportunities and recently updated information about EU funding, here are some links for your convenience:
In the meantime, the Research Professional (RP) has published the news regarding Switzerland’s association to the Horizon Europe programme. According to the latest information, after blocking the country from joining for almost three years, the European Commission has announced that it is ready to start talks on the Swiss association to the EU’s research and innovation programme. Maroš Šefčovič, Commission vice-president for inter-institutional relations, announced on 21 November that the Commission had endorsed a “common understanding” with the Swiss government that ‘will frame the negotiation of a broad package’ between the two sides. The scientific community across Europe has received this as good news.
If you have EU funding-related questions, do not hesitate to contact personally Research Facilitator International Ainar. If you have general pre-award queries, please use this link.
On that note, let me wish you a successful December!
BU has been a successful participant in the Horizon Europe Staff Exchanges (previously Horizon 2020 RISE) actions.
The 2023 call of the Horizon Europe Staff Exchanges action is open for new proposal applications until 28 February 2024.
European Research Executive Agency invites those interested in applying for the next call to join the online info session on 8 December 2023 (9 am UK time) and learn more about MSCA Staff Exchanges.
The info session will be the occasion to learn more about this innovative programme, which offers unique opportunities for public and private organisations and their staff in terms of R&I, transferable skills and competencies, as well as intersectoral and international exposure. You can download the agenda from the dedicated webpage library or navigate directly to the streaming page.
Please note that this is a 2023 Work Programme call, so UK organisations will still not be eligible to coordinate the project if the grant is awarded. It will be implemented under the transitional measures and the funding will be provided by the Government Guarantee scheme.
We have a response from the Government on student accommodation, DSIT is all about the AI research, whole-sector foundation year student statistics are rather damning, we hear from the new Free Speech Tsar, and the BTEC | T level | Advanced British Standard confusion takes the next step as 85 qualifications are defunded.
Parliament has been prorogued ready for the Kings Speech and the new session of Parliament to open on Tuesday 7 November. Carry-over motions were agreed for six Bills, with the Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill being of most relevance to universities. In addition, the Renters Reform Bill was introduced but was still awaiting a second reading when this briefing was published (see below for a discussion of that one).
Bills that had not completed the legislative process and for which a carry-over was not agreed have now fallen. They might be brought back, along with the ones that were announced but had not gone forward, including bills on media, audit reform, and mental health.
The King will formally open Parliament on 7 November and in his speech (which is written by the Government) he will announce the Government’s proposed policies and legislation for the coming session. The new session will end when Parliament is dissolved ahead of the general election – which must be held in January 2025 or before.
The House of Commons Library briefing King’s Speech 2023 has lots of useful information, including setting out some potential areas for the 2023-23 new legislative session:
Jonathan Woodhead of Birkbeck College has written a piece for the campaign for Learning on the LLE after the party conference season – lack of clarity seems to be a theme.
Wrapping up the final elements from the 2023 party conference season we highlight the aspects in Labour’s conference most of interest to HE:
George Freeman, DSIT Minister: The UK science, research and innovation economy is not just the ‘golden triangle’ of Cambridge-Oxford-London. It is all around the UK. That is why we have launched our flagship Launchpads programme – and this £75 million investment will support high-growth companies to build the industries of tomorrow – in sectors from renewable energy through to digital health. These Launchpads will play a pivotal role in growing our local economies, creating jobs and levelling up the UK
Professor Arif Ahmed, Director for Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom at the OfS made his inaugural speech at a King’s College London event. He confirmed his role was non-partisan and stated freedom of speech is not the property of one side in any culture war and that the role exists to protect and to promote freedom of speech within the law. On academic freedom Arif stated that data showed academic freedom in the UK had dropped in the last 10 years and now ranks around 60th in the world, below most EU countries. There is lots more in the transcript, it follows the messaging you’d expect from OfS covering the chilling effect and institutions silencing controversial voices.
Smita Jamdar explores how the Middle East conflict challenges free speech principles and practice in an article for Research Professional.
Meanwhile Michelle Donellan, Science Minister, has drawn huge amounts of criticism for intervening to tell UKRI to change its approach to equality and diversity, citing the social media accounts of two members of a committee as symptoms of a much wider problem and calling for the committee to be disbanded. This is a row that is likely to run for a while. James Coe writes for Wonkhe on the exchange of views with links to how the issue unfolded and escalated if you missed it. Regardless of views on whether the Minister should have made comments about the individuals concerned or her criticism is justified (and we express no view on that ourselves), the elision of that issue with a wholesale challenge to the equality and diversity work at UKRI seems unhelpful. The wholesale challenge has been on the agenda for a while, alongside other challenges to what the papers like to call “woke” ideology in universities, but ought perhaps to be treated as a separate and important issue in its own right not at raised the end of an unconnected and different sort of letter – which makes it look less considered than it probably is.
Mental health – by characteristic
OfS published the Meeting the mental health needs of students insight brief examining issues relating to mental health at university. It considers the likelihood students will report mental health conditions by characteristic (age, sex, ethnicity, free school meals and area deprivation measures) and how these affect student outcomes (continuation, completion, attainment, and progression).
Mental health & climate change
Student Minds published the Climate Change and Student Mental Health report which considers curriculum design, leadership, behaviour changes, the impact on specific student groups, the role of government and HEIs:
Richard Brabner, Director of the UPP Foundation, said: This fascinating report illustrates the need for universities to offer students practical and constructive ways for them to tackle climate change and wider environmental issues – not only for the good of the planet – but for their own wellbeing too.
Research Professional has a good write up and analysis of the report here.
Student mental health – blogs
Wonkhe has two blogs on student mental health:
The DfE published foundation year student statistics for 2021/22. Bear in mind the Government is currently reviewing HE funding for foundation years in key areas and the presentation of the statistics seems to match their agenda.
Providers, courses and entrants
Foundation year courses have proliferated in the last 10 years with the greatest number of foundation year providers in London and the South East.
In total, there were 105 English providers of foundation years in 2021/22.
Student characteristics
Foundation year students are older, more ethnically diverse, balanced between the genders, and less declare disabilities compared to first year undergraduates.
Outcomes
Students who complete full HE study that commenced through a foundation year have lower graduate outcomes than non-foundation entrants.
The Government’s response to the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee inquiry on reforming the private rented sector includes information that touches on student tenancies.
The Committee recommended that fixed-term tenancies should be retained for the entire student housing sector and require all landlords letting to students to sign up to one of the existing Government-approved codes of conduct. Long term the Committee called on the Government to replacing existing codes with a single national code of conduct. Also to consider ways to prevent or deter landlords from abusing the exemption such as introducing financial penalties.
The Government response:
Read the full 25-page Government response here.
Renter’s Reform Bill
Wonkhe have a blog: Jim Dickinson reviews the emerging compromise between students and landlords over the Renters (Reform) Bill – and wonders if it will be enough to get the legislation through.
Here’s the latest on the Renter’s Reform Bill discussions taking place in Parliament.
The Bill is being carried over to the next Parliamentary session where it will be considered in depth at Committee Stage. It’s this stage that the real shape of the Bill will begin to emerge.
UUK have a good in-depth briefing on the implications of the Renter’s Reform Bill for students.
Student accommodation costs across 10 cities in the UK: Cost pressures and their consequences in Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (HEPI Report 166) provides an authoritative picture of student living, conducted in response to the unprecedent rent rises and supply issues witnessed over the past two academic years. It includes data voluntarily submitted by both universities and the 10 largest providers of Purpose-Built Student Accommodation operating across ten major regional university cities who collectively manage more than 125,000 beds in those cities (including Bournemouth).
Consequences
Policy implications and recommendations (from main report):
Student maintenance system
Affordability and financial intervention
Wonkhe blogs on the topic:
Dr Jo Saxton, Ofqual’s Chief Regulator, wrote to HEIs to communicate grading arrangements for England’s 2023/24 admission cycle. It notes the 2-year transition to pre-pandemic grading is complete and normal grading arrangements will continue for GCSE, AS and A levels in 2024. Meaning national results in 2024 are expected to be ‘broadly similar’ to those of the summer of 2023. Grading arrangements for vocational and technical qualifications will continue as normal with awarding organisations adopting the same approach for the academic year 2023 to 2024 as they did previously.
The DfE published three data releases on the destinations of key stage 4 and 5 students in 2021/22. The releases cover whether students go into apprenticeship, education and employment destinations, and whether they progress to HE. All three data sets are available here.
The data release covering progression to higher education or training look at the percentage of level 3 pupils continuing to a sustained education or training destination at level 4 or higher in the two years after they completed their 16 to 18 study back in 2019/20.
The proportion of students that progressed to a sustained level 4 or higher destination was 68.3% (+2.3%); of the 68.3%:
Disadvantage
Gender
Ethnicity
Region
Previous provider type
You can find the full data release on progression to HE here.
The DfE has also published data on 16-18 destination measures detailing students who left 16-18 study in 2020/21 and follows their destinations in 2021/22. Excerpt: Disadvantaged students were more likely to stay in further education and less likely to progress to higher education: While 45.8% of non-disadvantaged students leaving 16 to 18 education progressed directly to higher education, the rate for the disadvantaged group was 35.6%. On the other hand, 7.7% of disadvantaged students continued in further education, compared to 6.1% of all other students.
Finally, there is also information on key stage 4 destination measures.
Rishi’s announcement that T levels will be defunded when (if) Britain moves to the Advanced British Standard put the DfE in a bit of quandary as to whether to continue the (unpopular) cancellation of BTECs that are gradually being replaced by T levels or whether to have a serious rethink. After a quick ponder the DfE are moving ahead and continuing to pull back from BTECs (and similar technical qualifications) and have published the final list of 85 qualifications assessed to overlap with wave 3 T Levels. The overlap occurs in these areas:
The Government will withdraw public funding from these qualifications, for new starters, from August 2025.
Universities and Skills Minister Halfon has issued a written ministerial statement announcing the changes. It points out that of the 85 qualifications – 30 didn’t have any current enrolments and another 23 had fewer than 100 enrolments in the 2020/21 academic year. Although given that parents knew these qualifications were about to be dumped there is a question over the chicken and egg here!
Moving onto the Advanced British Standard (ABS) Education Secretary Gillian Keegan published a written ministerial statement on the Government’s proposals. She confirmed the Government would provide £600 million over the next two years to prepare for the ABS, consisting of:
Keegan stated the Government will consult extensively over the coming months on the design of the new qualification with the consultation resulting informing a White Paper to be published during 2024.
Wonkhe report that since the ABS was announced student enthusiasm for T levels has waned. They have a blog: As demand for “gold standard” T levels atrophies in the face of news that they’ll be replaced, Johnny Rich laments an obsession with killing off BTECs.
Social Mobility
HEPI published The English Social Mobility Index which compares the performance of (English) HEIs was published. Research Professional set to the Index and have questions in this good article: Mobility Issues. Excerpts:
Read more here.
Service Children
NEON cover the new report which analyses universities’ APP plans: Under the Radar – Service Children in the UK today, highlighting that only a quarter of universities (10% drop since 2000) in England have strategies in place to support Service children to progress to HE and these numbers may fall over the next year. Read more here. You can also access a recording of the event covering service children. And Graeme (from NEON) writes for Wonkhe: Children from military families have worse progression rates into higher education. Graeme Atherton argues that they should be a target group for access work.
Neurodiverse students
Wonkhe blog – As retention rates for autistic students are lower than any other disability group, Helen Guyatt explains what could be done to help – and what incentives there are for institutions to do so.
China
The Lords Chamber debated the long-term strategic challenges posed by China. The Government’s approach to protecting Chinese students from undue pressure on political issues was criticised and Lord Stirrup questions mechanisms that could effectively be used to protect students including monitoring interactions students have with their own government.
There’s also a Wonkhe blog that may be of interest: Glen Noble explains how UK universities need to develop their own risk management processes for collaborating with China – especially when it comes to sensitive research areas.
International Growth
Lord Jo Johnson has spoken out (again, same messages) on restricting further international student growth and the need for universities to diversify their portfolio.
Wonkhe report: Speaking at a Universities UK International conference yesterday, Johnson said the sector is “reaching the political limits” of tolerance for higher numbers – because of dropout rates among Indian and Bangladeshi students of “approaching 25 per cent”, and questions over students’ ability to support themselves. Reflecting on accusations that universities were “selling immigration into the UK rather than education, he called on universities to take “collective action to weed out poor quality and fraudulent applications”.
There is full coverage in the Financial Times.
Health surcharge
Wonkhe report that the Home Office has published an equality impact assessment for the forthcoming increase to the Immigration Health Surcharge, which for students and their dependants (the discounted rate) will rise from £470 to £776 per person per year. It shows that the disparity between the median weekly wage for younger and older migrants may mean that students see higher impacts from the increase to the charge, making saving to pay the Health Charge more difficult.
Digital experience: UUK report on the JISC staff digital experience insights survey 2022/23 covering perceptions of HE teaching staff to technology and its potential in teaching.
However, the survey also shows that teaching staff need more time and encouragement when it comes to improving their digital skills, with nearly half (49%) rating support for teaching effectively online as average or below average.
Kathryn Heywood, Head of Business Intelligence at Jisc said: This year’s student digital experience insights survey shows that HE students find online learning more engaging and motivating since 2020, and they have reaped the benefits of teaching staff working hard to improve their practice. What’s clear from this year’s staff survey, is that teachers need more dedicated support from the organisation to focus on their digital skills.
Digital enabling: Wonkhe and Kortext published Setting the curve – deploying technology for learning, teaching, and student success looking at how to deploy technology to support longer term learning, teaching, and student success strategies. Excerpt: in making technology part of the solution universities must also ask some searching questions: about the degree of digital capability required of staff and students; about what “hybrid” work and learning should look like and why; about the interaction of the digital and physical estate; and, crucially, about the nature of the spaces available for being critical about technology adoption, and how the conversation about technology moves forward. Read more here.
Other Wonkhe blogs:
Click here to view the updated inquiries and consultation tracker. Email us on policy@bournemouth.ac.uk if you’d like to contribute to any of the current consultations.
General Election: The Times reported that the Government has been advised not to call the general election for November due to security concerns should the campaigning period align with America’s (fixed) November presidential election. The Times quotes an official as saying There are huge security and market implications if two Five Eyes countries are holding elections at once. It could potentially open up two countries to cyberwarfare and electoral manipulation from hostile states and if a security threat were to arise during a campaign it would leave western countries exposed. With a second Whitehall source stating: Far more care would have to be taken around national security and meddling from hostile countries. The Times also reports that Labour are preparing for a May election. The last possible date the UK election can be held on is 28 January 2025.
HE growth: Wonkhe blog – On the tenth anniversary of David Willetts’ 2013 Robbins Revisited report, David Kernohan wonders if it still stands up.proroSubscribe!
To subscribe to the weekly policy update simply email policy@bournemouth.ac.uk. A BU email address is required to subscribe.
External readers: Thank you to our external readers who enjoy our policy updates. Not all our content is accessible to external readers, but you can continue to read our updates which omit the restricted content on the policy pages of the BU Research Blog – here’s the link.
Did you know? You can catch up on previous versions of the policy update on BU’s intranet pages here. Some links require access to a BU account- BU staff not able to click through to an external link should contact eresourceshelp@bournemouth.ac.uk for further assistance.
JANE FORSTER | SARAH CARTER
VC’s Policy Advisor Policy & Public Affairs Officer
Follow: @PolicyBU on Twitter | policy@bournemouth.ac.uk
Greetings, Wonderful Readers!
I am absolutely thrilled to share some fantastic news about my upcoming career journey. I have been awarded the opportunity to become a COMFOCUS fellow, a part of the Communities on Food Consumer Science program funded by Horizon EU 2020. This is a huge milestone for me as an ECR and an exciting step into the world of food consumer science.
The exciting research visit:
Between January and June 2024, I will be jetting off to the Laboratory of Consumer Studies (LCS) at the Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Slovakia, for a three-week research adventure. I will be collaborating with brilliant minds in Slovakia, diving into cutting-edge academic pursuits, and researching the fascinating world of consumer behaviour and unconventional food products. It is going to be a transformative experience, and I can hardly wait!
What’s the new project about?
I am bubbling with excitement about my project! While I cannot reveal all the details just yet, I can tell you It is a delightful blend of my background in design and marketing communication, focusing on food visuals. What makes this journey even more thrilling is the integration of cutting-edge technologies, particularly Electroencephalogram (EEG) technology, into my research. This innovative approach opens doors to understanding the emotional and cognitive aspects of consumer decisions, offering invaluable insights into the world of unconventional food products.
About COMFOCUS:
Let me introduce you to COMFOCUS! It is all about building a community of future food consumer scientists. One empty box that I always wanted to tick off was the opportunity to work with international collaborators, but the chance never seemed to come my way. I kept my radar searching for such an opportunity. It finally happened when I attended the International Food Marketing Conference in Prague earlier in June, as mentioned in my previous blog post. During the conference, I learned that COMFOCUS was about to launch a visiting research fellowship call. Inspired, I developed my research proposal right there, outlining the emerging technologies and psychophysiological measures I wanted to use. And now, I got it 🙂
So, with COMFOCUS, there are 60 of us (ECRs) from 28 countries (with 2 from the UK) gearing up for a thrilling journey across 9 different institutes in Europe. We are utilising emerging technologies to decode the mysteries of consumer behaviour and understand the stories behind our food choices. I am incredibly honoured to represent Bournemouth University in this solo venture, and I cannot wait to share my discoveries with you!
The adventure is just beginning, and I am grateful for your support that got me here and excited to have you join my discovery journey 🙂
As announced earlier, the European Commission and the UK Government have concluded negotiations and reached an agreement in principle on the association of the UK to the Horizon Europe Programme.
UK researchers will be able to fully participate in the Horizon Europe on the same terms as researchers from other associated countries from the 2024 Work Programmes and onwards – including any 2024 calls opening this year.
If you are interested in participating in Horizon Europe and wish to find out more about existing EU grant support, please find some useful links for more detailed information below.
For more information regarding EU funding feel free to get in touch with Research Facilitator International Ainar.
I would also like to remind you that as part of academic drop-in sessions (previously, funding briefings), there will be a presentation about the Horizon Europe association on 8 November 2023. To join the session, please follow this link.
It was a funny old week. TEF and KEF results popped out with little fanfare, OfS announced a degree apprenticeship push and are getting on with the sexual misconduct survey (finally). We’ve got to hope the Government keep their receipts safe if they wish to claim the Horizon Europe guarantee refund – through a voucher discount for the next scheme (which we may or may not join). UKRI’s PGR new deal scheme gets a pasting and Minister Halfon sneers at the criticism that the Lords Committee dished out to the OfS. It’s a parliamentary recess for conferences so you can expect more politics and less policy in the news for the next couple of weeks!
The new TEF results were announced on Thursday for 228 providers, the remaining 23% (53 providers) are pending appeal. More detail will be provided in November when the provider submissions, panel statements, and student submissions are published (along with the outcome of the appeals). Once this is released we’ll have a fuller national picture of how institutions have engaged with TEF across the nation.
You can search the results here.
If you’re not familiar with TEF it’s changed a lot since BU received the previous silver award – since then there were lots of experiments and interim exercises. Wonkhe have an explainer: TEF now contains two “mini TEFs” – one covering student experience (the NSS metrics plus evidence from submissions) and the other covering student outcomes (continuation, completion, progression, plus evidence from the submissions. You get an award for each, which are then combined into your main TEF award
73 universities and colleges were awarded Gold for at least one aspect. Of the Gold ratings awarded:
It is interesting to see how little the new “requires improvement” award was used in practice – no-one received an overall RI rating and only a few had one aspect rated as requiring improvement. Which is good, of course.
Prior to the announcement Wonkhe questioned: But what – if anything – does TEF mean in a world of dwindling resources and acute student hardship? The 2015 Conservative manifesto that sparked the exercise was speaking to a different world, and it seems highly unlikely that anyone in power will use these results as a spur to praise the excellence and diversity in the sector.
What does it all really mean – we don’t know until we can read the submissions and the panel assessments.
Blogs:
Research England published the Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF 3) results on Wednesday. If you’re unfamiliar with the KEF the best explainer is on the Research England website. KEF is a series of dashboards which summarise an institution’s performance on seven areas of knowledge exchange (or ‘perspectives’) – public and community engagement, research partnerships, working with business, working with the public and third sector, CPD and grad start-ups, local growth and regeneration, IP and commercialisation. If you scroll down to table 1 (on the webpage) you’ll see what activities are measured to provide the KEF judgement for each of the perspectives listed above. The data for the KEF is pulled from the Higher Education Business and Community Interaction survey.
For the KEF, institutions are grouped into “clusters” and results are compared across the cluster, with every institution being given a rating for each perspective based on which quartile it falls into in its cluster. Confused? Well yes, it is confusing!
For more coverage delve into:
Horizon Europe voucher refund. Following intervention from the Lords last week Science|Business have broken the news that the financial guarantee mechanism will only be implemented if the UK participates in the Framework Programme 10 Horizon successor programme (FP10). Underperformance against contributions in Horizon will be ‘refunded’ in the form of a voucher against FP10 participation. The guarantee assures the UK if they pay over 16% more in Horizon costs than they receive credit back through the voucher. Martin Smith, Head of the policy lab at the Wellcome Trust said the rollover clause is good news, because it lays the groundwork for the UK to take part in future framework programmes. “It’s setting up an expectation that participation is a long-term thing, which is great”. Full details here.
Wonkhe blog: With Horizon association secured, Maëlle Gibbons-Patoure takes us through the challenges, joys and practicalities of working with the world’s largest funding framework.
Quick News
Try this blog for a rundown on what the new deal includes or read the official version by UKRI.
Meanwhile the Russell Group issued a statement welcoming the new deal for PGRs.
The Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) became law last week, closely followed by the DfE publishing the modelling assumptions behind the LLE financial planning. It assumes learner numbers for modular programmes will start small.
Wonkhe say: There are also some very generous assumptions about costs incurred by providers and the modelling on which the Department for Education is basing the business case contains assumptions about staff time that many in the sector will find generous to the point of fantasy. There’s plenty of time for that to change because the LLE is only in the planning stages, it will be implemented from 2025 onwards. Blogs:
Cracking quality: Research Professional report on the announcement in the Sunday Times that Rishi Sunak is planning yet another “crackdown” on low-quality university courses as part of his pre-election reset of Conservative policies. However, they anticipate it to be more bark than bite: The last time the government rattled a sabre over low-quality university courses, the attack was all but abandoned by lunchtime as ministers struggled in media interviews to name a course or university that would be subject to restrictions. We can expect a line or two about Mickey Mouse degrees in Sunak’s conference speech in Manchester next week, but little more in the way of action from a regulator licking its wounds following the Lords select committee report that criticised the Office for Students as too close to government.
Of course, the government already announced how it was tackling low quality courses earlier in September – through the regulatory system.
In favour: Universities Minister Robert Halfon responded to a comment in the Financial Times defending the university sector and trotting out a reminder of his pet projects (degree apprenticeships, lifelong learning entitlement, cracking down on low quality courses). What was most interesting in the response was Halfon’s dismissive mention of the Lords inquiry which heavily criticised the OfS. Halfon states: while I recognise there is always more to be done to reduce regulatory burdens, the Office for Students is an essential part of our mission to drive up the quality of higher education by holding universities to account, championing students’ interests and improving social justice. It’s a strong indication that the Government’s response to the Lords formal report won’t call for significant change or rebuke the regulator publicly.
Sexual Misconduct: The OfS launched a pilot survey aiming to identify how widespread sexual misconduct in HE is. They’ve commissioned independent research by IFF Research who will work with the 13 HEIs that put themselves forward for the pilot. All students at the HEIs will be invited to complete the survey and answer questions about their experiences of sexual misconduct, how these experiences have affected their lives and studies, and their experiences of using the reporting mechanisms in their university. Note, this is the fieldwork element of the pilot survey announced in January 2023 (here).
Wonkhe highlight a warning for the sector regarding what the pilot may find: this pilot survey should offer some insight into the scale of the issue facing institutions and what kind of support students might need…At a Wonkhe event last week, academic and founding member of The 1752 Group Anna Bull warned that the sector should prepare for the discovery that the scale of sexual misconduct is higher than anticipated – smaller-scale prevalence surveys have indicated that around one in five students in any given year may be affected, and up to two-thirds of students during their time enrolled in higher education. These students are predominantly, though not exclusively, women – and perpetrators are typically other students at the same institution. Replication of these findings could change the picture considerably for how institutions seek to tackle the problem, encourage reporting, support survivors, and handle alleged incidents.
Blogs on the topic:
Degree Apprenticeships: The OfS have earmarked £40 million (awarded through competitive bidding) for HEIs to expand their Level 6 degree apprenticeship programmes.
Apprenticeship levy: There’s a parliamentary question on the total amount of unspent apprenticeship levy and the funds returned to the Treasury.
Cooperation: the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education has signed a memorandum of understanding with Ofqual agreeing to work together and share information in order to meet their respective responsibilities in the HE sector.
A Levels: The Times reported that Rishi Sunak plans to replace A levels with a British baccalaureate qualification incorporating more subjects including compulsory English and his manifesto committee of maths to age 18. The extension of compulsory maths already has an expert advisory group looking into it. Dods report that the DfE have not denied Rishi’s proposals are being explored but that they had already reformed post-16 education (T levels and apprenticeship changes) and that the baccalaureate policy was a personal mission for Rishi, not the DfE.
Sector response to the possibility of replacing A levels has been dismissive. The concept faces many barriers because it would require significant infrastructure change for the educational curriculum, the overcoming of the maths teacher shortage, and the policy has to convince not only the DfE but also the electorate in the upcoming general election. Even if adopted it may polarise education in the nations further as Wales and Northern Ireland may choose to retain their current systems.
Here’s a comment from Research Professional on the baccalaureate:
What is interesting is the timing of this announcement. We’ve entered conference season and the political parties and party leadership need to be seen to make bold changes for the future demonstrating both their worth and that of their party – positioning it well in the electorate’s eyes for the forthcoming general election.
The party conferences are staggered so we’ll provide coverage across the next few policy updates.
Finally, Lord Willets weighs in on the A level debate in this Conservative Home blog: Why Sunak is right about A-levels and what should be done next.
Quick news
Parliamentary Question: Care leavers’ access to HE.
TASO published: Student mental health in 2023 – Who is struggling and how the situation is changing. It highlights more and more students are experiencing (or reporting) mental health difficulties and looks at how gender, LGBTQ+, ethnicity and student background factors interact with poor mental health. It also highlights mental health as the leading reason to withdraw from university. If you don’t fancy reading all 32 pages check out the conclusion starting on page 27 or read Research Professional’s analysis of the TASO paper which also delves into university resources and the Government’s attention to student mental health to provide a rounded picture.
The Big Issue reports on international recruiters: £500 million is being spent by UK universities on a murky and unregulated industry. Education agents, who are paid a commission for each international student they enlist, are involved in 50% of international student admissions in the UK. In some countries such as China, this number reaches 70%. Twenty years ago the figure was just 10%. So who are they, and why are they now so widespread? The article is timely given Lord Jo Johnson’s call for international recruiters to be regulated and for HE providers to diversify their international portfolio to reduce financial risk and alleviate security concerns about the influence of overseas nations.
Click here to view the updated inquiries and consultation tracker. Email the contact listed against the item you’re interested in (or policy@bournemouth.ac.uk) if you’d like to contribute to any of the current consultations.
Skills shortages: The DfE published the 2022 employer skills survey demonstrating that 10% of employers have a skill shortage related vacancy. Skills shortages as a proportion of all vacancies rose from 22% in 2017 to 36% in 2022. 15% of employers stated they had an employee (or employees) who lacked the skills for the job and overall 5.7% of the workforce have a skills gap (up from 4.4% in 2017).
To subscribe to the weekly policy update simply email policy@bournemouth.ac.uk. A BU email address is required to subscribe.
External readers: Thank you to our external readers who enjoy our policy updates. Not all our content is accessible to external readers, but you can continue to read our updates which omit the restricted content on the policy pages of the BU Research Blog – here’s the link.
Did you know? You can catch up on previous versions of the policy update on BU’s intranet pages here. Some links require access to a BU account- BU staff not able to click through to an external link should contact eresourceshelp@bournemouth.ac.uk for further assistance.
JANE FORSTER | SARAH CARTER
VC’s Policy Advisor Policy & Public Affairs Officer
Follow: @PolicyBU on Twitter | policy@bournemouth.ac.uk
Dr. Paul de Vrieze had the honor of serving as an international scientific expert in a panel discussion on “Research Challenges for Resilient and Responsible Collaborative Networks” at PRO-VE 2023, which took place on September 28, 2023. In collaboration with Dr. Lai Xu, Dr. de Vrieze shared insights into the scientific challenges surrounding resilient and responsible collaborative networks.
Dr Paul de Vrieze as a International Scientific Expert for Scientific Panel of Research Challenges for Resilient and Responsible Collaborative Networks
Our research, conducted as part of the EU FIRST project, uncovered critical areas where businesses and organisations face challenges in adapting to the digital landscape. Despite the increasing digitisation of interactions and the transformation of informal collaborations into collaborative networks, SMEs still lack a comprehensive digital understanding and capability.
Our perspective on the scientific challenges in achieving more resilient and responsible collaborative networks includes:
During the PRO-VE 2023 conference, Dr. de Vrieze also presented our work on “Securing Collaborative Networks: Requirements for Supporting Secured Collaborative Processes.” This research aims to address the vital need for securing collaborative processes within these dynamic networks.
BU staff can login below:
Conversation article: Why so many people drown at the water’s edge
Workshop on longitudinal studies in three countries
New Bournemouth University public health paper
New ACORN-funded paper published. When time is short but passion for food is strong, food day-tripping may be the answer!
Last reminder – MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2024 internal deadline next week MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2024 – internal deadline approaching
Horizon Europe – EuroHPC and MSCA PF webinars MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2024
Research Information Network
Royal Society of Chemistry Outreach Fund: Open for Applications