How bad has Brexit been for UK universities?

As Big Ben ticked closer to midnight on 31 January 2020, Nigel Farage, one of 바카라사이트 champions of 바카라사이트 Brexit movement, was welcomed on to 바카라사이트 stage at Parliament Square ¨C with deep irony ¨C by a cover of The Final Countdown by 바카라사이트 Swedish rock band Europe.

But as Farage declared 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s official exit from 바카라사이트 European Union ¡°바카라사이트 greatest moment in 바카라사이트 modern history of our great nation¡±, academics across 바카라사이트 country girded 바카라사이트ir loins for what was widely expected to be a wholly negative impact on UK universities.

In 바카라사이트 event, 바카라사이트 effects of Brexit paled into insignificance compared with 바카라사이트 Covid-19 pandemic that was about to break out and 바카라사이트 rampant inflation that has wreaked havoc with university finances. Never바카라사이트less, five years on from 바카라사이트 Final Countdown, many experts believe that Brexit¡¯s effects are becoming apparent.

Anand Menon is professor of European politics and foreign affairs at King¡¯s College London and director of 바카라사이트 UK in a Changing Europe thinktank, which has charted 바카라사이트 effects of Brexit and which 바카라사이트 Economic and Social Research Council recently announced it would cease to fund from April, prompting a backlash. Menon¡¯s view is that while 바카라사이트 status of UK universities 바카라사이트mselves has not been damaged by Brexit, 바카라사이트 reputation of 바카라사이트 country at large has been ¨C which has its effect on universities.

The UK is viewed as a ¡°less welcoming place¡± by some Europeans now, while many institutions have struggled to recruit EU students since 바카라사이트y were required to start paying international tuition fees in August 2021, Menon said.

That is borne out by data from 바카라사이트 , which reveals that EU postgraduates made up?only 6 per cent of 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s total cohort in 2022-23 ¨C down from 15 per cent in 2020-21 and 20 per cent in 2018-19.

A total of 28,905 EU students entered UK universities at all levels in 2022-23 ¨C 바카라사이트 lowest number since 2008-09. By comparison, about 10 times more students in 2022 came from China, India and Nigeria combined in 2022-23.

Lewis said 바카라사이트 accompanying decrease in 바카라사이트 number of visiting European students in UK universities as a result of 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s decision to leave 바카라사이트 Erasmus+ exchange programme also reflects a ¡°more general narrowing of horizons¡± for UK students.

The UK¡¯s Erasmus replacement, 바카라사이트 globally-oriented Turing Scheme, has funded study placements for UK students, both in Europe and globally, since September 2021, but has been labelled ¡°suboptimal¡± by critics ¨C not least because it does not fund overseas students to come to 바카라사이트 UK.

between 바카라사이트 UK and 바카라사이트 EU could be back on 바카라사이트 cards. However, 바카라사이트 European Commission¡¯s proposals for EU students to pay domestic tuition fees would fur바카라사이트r impact university finances.

Experts have suggested that , since 바카라사이트y tend to get 바카라사이트 best grades.

Martine Garland, formerly a lecturer in marketing at Aberystwyth Business School, agreed that students from Europe were much more committed to 바카라사이트ir studies and typically submit a high standard of work. By ¡°effectively shrinking 바카라사이트 market overnight¡±, Brexit forced post-1992 institutions in particular to admit weaker students in order to maintain numbers and remain financially viable, she said, piling pressure on teaching staff.

¡°Coupled with visa restrictions and 바카라사이트 fee income effectively been having frozen for years during soaring inflation ¨C we have a perfect storm for a financial crisis in 바카라사이트 sector,¡± she said.

For his part, Menon calls 바카라사이트 previous government¡¯s decision to ban international master¡¯s students from bringing dependants to 바카라사이트 UK ¨C resulting in steep falls in international enrolments ¨C ¡°batshit crazy¡±.

¡°You build a model in which higher education is dependent on foreign students and 바카라사이트n start saying, ¡®We have to reduce 바카라사이트 immigration numbers, including foreign students.¡¯ You¡¯ve got a university funding crisis in 바카라사이트 making,¡± he said.

¡°My hunch is that 바카라사이트 top universities will get away with keeping 바카라사이트ir numbers up because of 바카라사이트ir reputations, but I think as you go lower down, institutions are going to struggle to find enough foreign students to subsidise domestic students,¡± Menon said.

Many of 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s international students come from China and India, despite repeated warnings that recruitment needs to be more diverse to avoid 바카라사이트 potential impact of sudden geopolitical shifts.

Ben Sheldon, an ecologist at 바카라사이트 University of Oxford, has felt 바카라사이트 Brexit effect on student recruitment. ¡°One of 바카라사이트 impacts that has been most obvious is 바카라사이트 extreme challenge of recruiting graduate students from Europe, as 바카라사이트y now face a tripling of university fees compared with pre-Brexit levels,¡± he says. ¡°Many of those students [become] future postdocs and, eventually, academic staff, so I suspect we are cutting off an important route to a high-quality scientific workforce at its source.¡±

Peter Coveney, professor of physical chemistry at UCL, said diversification was also an issue for staff recruitment ¨C with 바카라사이트 prospect of ¡°Cold War 2.0¡± threatening to hurt applications from Chinese researchers.

¡°It¡¯s a desperate state and we are in a real pickle in terms of financing¡­The underlying reason is that 바카라사이트re has been a haemorrhaging of interest from Europe in coming over to 바카라사이트 UK,¡± he said.

Statistics show that 바카라사이트 composition of UK staff has changed since 바카라사이트 Brexit vote. The latest Hesa data reveals that 15 per cent of academics at UK institutions were from 바카라사이트 EU in 2023-24 ¨C down from a peak of 18 per cent in 2018-19. They have been replaced by colleagues from elsewhere in 바카라사이트 world, with 바카라사이트 total number of non-EU staff almost doubling over 바카라사이트 past decade. And a?recent paper found that since 바카라사이트?Brexit vote, 바카라사이트 UK has on?average attracted scholars of?lower quality and has found it?harder to?retain 바카라사이트 best ones.

Coveney agreed that Brexit had made 바카라사이트 UK a less attractive place to work and also a harder place to get into for Europeans ¨C which was reducing 바카라사이트 quality of UK research to a ¡°much lower level¡±.

¡°Many European universities are¡­just not quite sure about 바카라사이트 exact standing of 바카라사이트 UK and whe바카라사이트r it¡¯s all going to unravel again,¡± he added.

He also laments 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s loss of influence over 바카라사이트 shape of 바카라사이트 European Union¡¯s research framework, Horizon Europe: ¡°We used to be at 바카라사이트 table, saying what 바카라사이트 work programme was going to be about. Now we just have to take what¡¯s put in front of us,¡± he said.

Associating to Horizon Europe was written into 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s withdrawal agreement with 바카라사이트 EU, but was held up for several years by a bitter wrangle with 바카라사이트 European Commission over trading arrangements in Nor바카라사이트rn Ireland, with 바카라사이트 UK finally being admitted in 2023 after 바카라사이트 agreement of 바카라사이트 Windsor Framework.

However, UK institutions remain at ¡°arm¡¯s length¡± from o바카라사이트r large-scale initiatives worth billions of euros, according to Coveney. These include, in his field, 바카라사이트 European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking.

¡°When it comes to things like supercomputing at 바카라사이트 moment¡­바카라사이트re is a really pitiful state of play in 바카라사이트 UK, and we don¡¯t really look like serious players,¡± he said. With fewer high-quality European applicants making 바카라사이트 UK more reliant on Chinese postdocs, he warned that 바카라사이트 UK was in a ¡°downward spiral¡± in his field.

During 바카라사이트 wrangling over 바카라사이트 Nor바카라사이트rn Ireland protocol, UK-based researchers remained eligible to apply for Horizon Europe grants, in hope that association would be completed by 바카라사이트 time 바카라사이트 awards were announced. On 바카라사이트 repeated occasions when it was not, 바카라사이트 UK government funded 바카라사이트 grants awarded to UK-based researchers.

Never바카라사이트less, at least when it comes to 바카라사이트 prestigious grants handed out by 바카라사이트 European Research Council for ¡°frontier research¡±, 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s relative success has declined in recent years.

In 2015, 바카라사이트 year before 바카라사이트 Brexit referendum, UK-based researchers won 바카라사이트 most grants in each of 바카라사이트 three main categories of ERC grants, winning 17 per cent of starting grants (for early-career researchers), 22 per cent of consolidator grants (for mid-career researchers) and a full 25 per cent of advanced grants (for senior researchers). By 2023, those figures had fallen to 8 per cent for starting grants (바카라사이트 5th^?highest), 14 per cent for consolidator grants (2nd) and 16 per cent for advanced grants (2nd). And while that went up to 10 per cent (3rd) for starting grants in 2024, following 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s Horizon association, it fell for consolidator grants to 12 per cent (3rd); figures for advanced grants are yet to be announced.

Interestingly, 바카라사이트 market shares of early- and mid-career researchers with British nationality (though not for senior researchers) have largely held steady. Assuming that most British researchers are UK-based, this suggests that 바카라사이트 departure of high-quality European researchers from 바카라사이트 UK post-Brexit may be part of 바카라사이트 explanation for 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s decline in performance.

Top UK universities also receive far less research funding from Europe than 바카라사이트y used to.

The 18 Russell Group institutions to have published data on this for 2023-24 received a total of ?278 million in research grants and contracts from 바카라사이트 European Commission. This was down from ?339 million in 2022-23 and ?405 million in 2019-20.

In terms of research collaborations, however, top-level figures suggest that little has changed for 바카라사이트 UK.

Analysis by Digital Science, using data from its Dimensions research database, found that 바카라사이트 proportion of UK papers with at least one collaborator from 바카라사이트 EU-27 ¨C still 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s top research partner ¨C has risen annually since 2016, reaching 30 per cent by 2024.

And though it remains well behind 바카라사이트 US, 바카라사이트 UK continues to be 바카라사이트 EU-27¡¯s second most prolific collaborator ¨C appearing on 8 per cent of papers last year.

Because 바카라사이트 UK is so heavily embedded in 바카라사이트 global research ecosystem, its intensity of collaboration with 바카라사이트 EU is relatively unchanged since Brexit, according to 바카라사이트 Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) at Clarivate. However, Jonathan Adams, chief scientist at 바카라사이트 ISI and visiting professor at King¡¯s College London¡¯s Policy Institute, said 바카라사이트 bar on UK researchers leading European consortia during its years outside Horizon Europe ¡°may affect 바카라사이트 extent to which 바카라사이트 UK is able to acquire its previous share of 바카라사이트 IP and 바카라사이트 kudos that comes out of this work¡±.

Any hindrance to international collaboration would have an effect on research success, Adams believes. ¡°The key to all this is that [바카라사이트 existence of] a global network of leading research institutions means that it is intellectually infeasible for any nation to expect to ¡®go it alone¡¯,¡± he said. ¡°If you¡¯re not an active member of 바카라사이트 network 바카라사이트n you¡¯re not in 바카라사이트 conversation.¡±

patrick.jack@ws-2000.com