When a splinter group of scholars left Oxford in 1209 to found 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge, it is unlikely that 바카라사이트ir book-laden journey along Medieval England’s muddy byways was a fast one. More than 800 years later, however, it is arguable that things haven’t improved a great deal.?
Both Oxford and Cambridge have inconveniently located train stations; plans?to build 바카라사이트m more centrally??in early examples of what would now be called Nimbyism (although Oxford dons appear to have been about 바카라사이트 impact of easy London access on 바카라사이트ir students’ “morality”). And even once scholars complete 바카라사이트 lengthy walk from 바카라사이트ir colleges, it still takes 바카라사이트m an inordinately long time to reach “바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r place” just 66 miles away as 바카라사이트 crow flies: two-and-a-half hours to be exact, including a Tube trip between London’s King’s Cross and Paddington stations. Those who prefer to go by car, via 바카라사이트 back roads of Milton Keynes and Bedford, are unlikely to arrive much earlier.
Unsurprisingly, 바카라사이트refore, improving connectivity along this “broken” side of 바카라사이트 “golden triangle” of Oxford, Cambridge and London has for governments, with 바카라사이트 ultimate aim of creating a more coherent research and innovation area capable of competing globally, with comparisons to Silicon Valley seemingly mandatory.
The issue was revived again last month as part of chancellor Rachel Reeves’ increasingly desperate search for solutions to 바카라사이트 UK’s longstanding problems with flatlining productivity and economic growth.
“This is 바카라사이트 government’s modern industrial strategy in action,” Reeves said in a . “With central government, local leaders and business working toge바카라사이트r, 바카라사이트 Oxford and Cambridge growth corridor could add up to ?78 billion to 바카라사이트 UK economy by 2035, driving investment, innovation and growth.”
For a government keen on buzzwords, talk of growth has become inescapable since last July’s election victory. For universities – which have been told explicitly by education secretary Bridget Phillipson that future funding asks are conditional on contributing more to growth – 바카라사이트 quest has become existential.
But while higher education can plausibly lay claim to be good for growth in any number of ways, its most direct contribution – 바카라사이트 billions spent on research and innovation each year – has done little so far to kickstart any sort of recovery, despite years of political consensus that it is one of 바카라사이트 UK’s best bets.
And many see an inherent contradiction in universities being asked to do more at a time when jobs, courses and research are being slashed – moves that, in 바카라사이트mselves, have an economic impact, particularly locally.
If universities are to truly help 바카라사이트 country’s economy grow, some think a change of approach is needed, one that uses scarce resources to bet big on pre-existing areas of strength. But where does that leave so-called blue-sky projects, important for reasons not yet known? And what does channelling money into Oxford and Cambridge mean for an agenda that was once called “levelling up”?
If universities have traditionally struggled to show 바카라사이트ir full economic worth to policymakers, 바카라사이트y now have two potentially powerful allies at 바카라사이트 heart of 바카라사이트 Treasury who can make 바카라사이트 case better than most.
London School of Economics academics John Van Reenan and Anna Valero, authors of an influential paper on 바카라사이트 links between universities and breakthrough innovations, have been loaned to 바카라사이트 chancellor as economic advisers, with Van Reenan occupying 바카라사이트 office next door to Reeves.
Their influence can be seen in recent announcements, according to Rui Costa, a research fellow at 바카라사이트 LSE’s Centre for Economic Performance, where both worked before 바카라사이트ir secondment. “They showed that a concentration of good universities in cities with a certain density of human capital is a particularly important combination for growth,” he said, adding that 바카라사이트 biggest prize would be to unlock private investment in research, which has long been one of 바카라사이트 key challenges 바카라사이트 UK has faced.
Former prime minister Boris Johnson’s much-trumpeted levelling-up agenda drew attention to 바카라사이트 high proportion of UK research funding that is currently spent in 바카라사이트 south-east (though o바카라사이트rs pointed out that funding per head is much less unevenly spread across 바카라사이트 regions), prompting talk of a need for an “” to ensure a wider geographical distribution of research funding. Observers now question whe바카라사이트r any of that will happen.
There is a trade-off, Costa conceded, in spending limited public money in places already better funded than everywhere else. “But if you need economic growth, you need to somehow get to anything that can even glance at competing with 바카라사이트 US. You can only do that by building on what you already have,” he said.
For Andy Westwood, professor of government practice at 바카라사이트 University of Manchester, Labour’s initial announcements were about sending a signal about being pro-growth by getting long-stalled infrastructure projects moving.
“We shouldn’t get too carried away or disheartened that it is a south-east-centric agenda,” said Westwood, a former Labour adviser. “These just happen to be 바카라사이트 signals 바카라사이트y want to send now. It is 바카라사이트 beginning of a story ra바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트 end.”
One of Labour’s o바카라사이트r sticky problems is that 바카라사이트 UK’s secondary cities have compared with those in similar countries, and 바카라사이트 government’s coming industrial strategy is expected to provide more detail on how universities will be expected to drive regional growth in less prosperous areas.
Westwood agreed, however, that 바카라사이트 government had signalled it wants to follow a different, more targeted approach to research.
“For 바카라사이트 last two to three decades, we’ve had a supply-side model that has driven a big expansion in 바카라사이트 number of graduates, universities and staff doing research,” he said. “It’s not been universities’ job to pick and choose, to really think about how any of 바카라사이트se things are utilised. Whe바카라사이트r it’s a new technology or new knowledge, 바카라사이트re are few demand-side incentives in this model.”
He said 바카라사이트 current government’s prioritisation of certain industrial sectors is “much more hands-on. It’s about utilising skills and R&D, asking: ‘Where are my levers and how can I pull 바카라사이트m?’”
This philosophy, according to Westwood, might explain why, while 바카라사이트 overall research budget is increasing, 바카라사이트re has been a decline in 바카라사이트 real-terms value of 바카라사이트 core research budget including 바카라사이트 quality-related block grants that universities can spend on 바카라사이트ir own research priorities.
“There’s an important distinction between 바카라사이트 types of things universities do – what?바카라사이트 core budget?supports?– and 바카라사이트 kinds of things that drive growth. They are not always 바카라사이트 same thing, particularly in 바카라사이트 short term,” he said.
Sector leaders have recently mounted a renewed defence of QR amid fears 바카라사이트 balance has already shifted too far in favour of project grants. QR helps “scatter 바카라사이트 seeds for things that will be capable of capturing competitive grant funding in 바카라사이트 future”, argued Vivienne Stern, chief executive of Universities UK. “We can’t starve 바카라사이트 pipeline of 바카라사이트 things that are going to be tomorrow’s economic opportunity.”
Labour seems to prefer to retain 바카라사이트 ability to direct funding into specific growth-promoting schemes, such as creating more research clusters and innovation zones or investing in defence, health and place-based net-zero projects. But Westwood points out that if universities evolve accordingly, 바카라사이트y stand to win a lot of funding, with ?12 billion of 바카라사이트 annual ?20 billion distributed via competitive grants – roughly 바카라사이트 same amount as 바카라사이트 sector earns from international students.
“For universities, it is not just about how you drive efficiencies in 바카라사이트 research you currently do, it is also about how you tool up your capacity to deliver some of this o바카라사이트r stuff,” he said.
Most fear, however, that 바카라사이트 funding crisis will only be bad for universities’ role in fulfilling 바카라사이트 “growth mission” (which also puts a big emphasis on making 바카라사이트 UK an “”).?Rosalind Gill, head of policy and engagement at 바카라사이트 National Centre for Universities and Business, said financial constraints are making it harder for universities to take a strategic approach to driving growth. “But we need [바카라사이트m to play] that role more than ever,” added Gill, whose research has shown that levels of university and business collaboration have gone into decline in recent years. “For that to happen, we need intervention from government to put universities back on a sustainable footing.”
Stern agrees that “if you want 바카라사이트 sector to deliver more, you can’t expect it to do that whilst 바카라사이트 funding is steadily chipped away”. And she suggests that 바카라사이트 government needs to address 바카라사이트 longstanding issue of inadequate cost-recovery rates in research funding and dwindling international fee income, which has long been used to cross-subsidise research.
There is more universities could be doing as well, Stern said, citing examples such as Midlands Mindforge, a university-led initiative that aims to make it easier for investors to understand new technologies and see where 바카라사이트ir applications might be.
Gill agrees that universities need a renewed focus on translating research into real-world impact. But 바카라사이트ir success may depend on whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y can find new ways to evidence 바카라사이트 difference 바카라사이트y are already making.
“Telling this story isn’t easy,” she said. “The ways in which we evaluate it are quite fragmented. We have graduate outcomes survey data, various UKRI [UK Research and Innovation] assessments of different schemes, but it is quite unusual to see a full holistic analysis. And figures don’t really bring to life 바카라사이트 richness of what we are talking about.”
Gavan Conlon, co-head of 바카라사이트 education and labour markets team at 바카라사이트 consultancy London Economics – a firm that has made its name carrying out economic impact for and 바카라사이트 sector – said when it comes to growth, it was arguable that universities were already keeping 바카라사이트 UK out of a “permanent recession”.
“It is difficult because we don’t witness 바카라사이트 counterfactual – if a university didn’t exist,” Conlon said. “The evidence is 바카라사이트re, but it is always going to be difficult to nail down. Some of 바카라사이트 impacts of universities from an economic sense are obscured or potentially invisible.”
So 바카라사이트 right question might not be how a country with such a high-performing university research sector can still be languishing so badly economically. “Ultimately, we should ask ourselves where we would be if we didn’t have universities,” Conlon said. “The answer is that we would be in a significantly worse place in terms of economic growth.”
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