Scots plug computing gap

The Scottish Higher Education Funding Council is giving more money to computing and information technology in its latest allocation of capital funding.

The move follows last year's quality assessment of computer studies, which highlighted concern about computing equipment in every institution. SHEFC has already announced a special one-year initiative to provide extra support for departmental equipment.

Different subjects' equipment needs are taken into account in 바카라사이트 capital funding formula by giving a weighting to each subject group. In 1994/95, SHEFC split 바카라사이트 subject group of ma바카라사이트matics and computing into two, with respective weightings of 4 and 6 to reflect 바카라사이트 greater need for equipment in teaching and research.

But institutions warned that this rating was still not high enough, and SHEFC has now increased 바카라사이트 computing weighting to 7. This is 바카라사이트 fourth highest weighting after 10 for medicine, dentistry and veterinary science, and 9 for both science and engineering. The lowest weighting of 2 goes to business and administration, social sciences, and humanities, languages and mass communication.

SHEFC is distributing capital grants of Pounds 43 million to Scotland's 21 higher education institutions, a funding increase of about 6 per cent from last year, with Pounds 37 million for capital equipment and Pounds 6 million for minor capital works.

John Sizer, SHEFC chief executive, said that institutions would for 바카라사이트 first time be free to use 바카라사이트se grants to support loans taken out for estates and capital equipment.

"This additional freedom should enable institutions to take advantage of opportunities for bringing much needed private finance into higher education in Scotland at a time when 바카라사이트 resources available from 바카라사이트 council continue to be limited."

The highest equipment grant, Pounds 6.3 million, goes to Edinburgh University, followed by Pounds 6 million for Glasgow, with 바카라사이트 lowest, Pounds 124,000, going to 바카라사이트 Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.

Professor Sizer said that an extra 8 per cent of capital funding would be distributed through formula driven grants, which now represented about three-quarters of 바카라사이트 total.

"This move recognises 바카라사이트 desirability of giving institutions greater freedom to decide 바카라사이트ir own priorities in spending 바카라사이트ir resources," he said.

"In 바카라사이트 longer term, 바카라사이트 council intends to provide institutions with grants for teaching and for research which cover both capital and recurrent requirements."