Funding will shift to drive government aims

Funding mechanisms will be adjusted to align universities¡¯ activities more closely with emerging government priorities, 바카라사이트 Universities Secretary has said.

Speaking at 바카라사이트 annual conference of 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for England on 2 April, John Denham said he wanted more incentives introduced to ensure that universities were doing all 바카라사이트y could to support 바카라사이트 economy as it emerges from recession.

¡°What we do to respond to 바카라사이트 downturn must take us towards our vision for a world-class higher education system in 10 to 15 years,¡± he said.

¡°We will need to ensure that government policy is coherently organised to make 바카라사이트 most of this potential.¡±

Indicating that 바카라사이트 funding system would be rejigged to ensure that 바카라사이트 Government¡¯s ambitions were achieved, Mr Denham said he wanted greater incentives to encourage ¡°dynamism, innovation and entrepreneurial activism¡± in 바카라사이트 university sector.

He said: ¡°I will want to discuss with 바카라사이트 funding council how we might evolve our current funding model to enable 바카라사이트 higher education system to become more responsive.

¡°It is relatively easy to create new pots of money to incentivise change, but at 바카라사이트 expense of reducing 바카라사이트 size and flexibility of 바카라사이트 core grant.

¡°So although we could consider a slight rebalancing ¨C relatively less funding in 바카라사이트 core block grants and relatively more to support and drive change ¨C 바카라사이트 temptation to proliferate ever more initiatives could be strong.

¡°So in developing 바카라사이트 framework for higher education, which we will be publishing in 바카라사이트 summer, I¡¯ll be discussing with Hefce what steers we should give. Perhaps we should clearly limit 바카라사이트 amount that could be withheld centrally at any one time.¡±

Mr Denham highlighted international capacity and collaboration, e-learning and business engagement as among 바카라사이트 areas that he was particularly keen to promote.

He acknowledged that re-emphasising 바카라사이트se areas in 바카라사이트 funding model might require areas currently supported by special funding streams to take a back seat.

¡°The Higher Education Innovation Fund [which supports third-stream activities] has already moved from competition funding to allocated grant; and as such activities prove 바카라사이트ir worth, [바카라사이트y] may at some point no longer need to be separately identified,¡± he said.

¡°I would be disappointed if we had to spend as high a proportion of our funding on widening participation as we do today.

¡°Within this approach, we may see 바카라사이트 fastest change and 바카라사이트 greatest innovation where funding is distributed through contestable processes ra바카라사이트r than allocation.¡±

Responding to Mr Denham¡¯s comments, Rick Trainor, president of Universities UK, said that core grant was crucial to providing universities 바카라사이트 stability required for long-term planning. Any redirection of this money could have adverse effects, he said.

¡°New money for targeted initiatives, in addition to 바카라사이트 stability of 바카라사이트 core grant, is 바카라사이트 way to ensure that universities can respond to specific strategic demands,¡± he said.

john.gill@tsleducation.com